Linda is exhausted.
Every day driving into work, her eyes well up with tears. She feels nauseous. She feels the anxiety of wondering what she'll be accused of that day, how her co-workers will blow her off, and how she'll feel not good enough. But she keeps working. She feels she has no other choice.
When a supervisor or co-worker puts-down, sabotages, or otherwise humiliates, threatens, or intimidates an employee, it makes life miserable for that employee.
Workplace abuse is about those in power abusing it. Think domestic abuse but at work — with the same gradual feelings of low self-worth, self-blame, and isolation.
You probably know that abuse at work is an epidemic. It's too often a symptom of implicit bias — a problem discrimination law stopped helping since the 1980s when courts moved from focusing on impact to intent.
The absence of an effective law and support services leaves competent and ethical workers with nowhere to turn. They choose between their health and a paycheck. Their health deteriorates. Their families suffer. Sadly, thousands have already become shells of themselves with lost hope of re-entering the workforce and embracing the joy they deserve.
A competent worker, Linda should not know such suffering.
Today, more than ever, we need to make "workplace abuse" a household term so workers like Linda don't believe they're the problem. We need to create a national movement that says abuse at work is unacceptable. We need to double the size of our base so we can create enough noise to help workers know they're not the problem and fight for the legal protections they deserve to prevent toxic behavior at work in the first place.
Help prevent abuse at work by giving for these crucial projects:
Every worker deserves psychological safety. It's only possible with the help of support like yours.
Workers' futures are in your hands.
(Those who give a gift will automatically become National Workplace Bullying Coalition members.)