I've been with Medical Research Institute (MRI) for 11 years. I worked my way up from casual tech to basically what would be considered assistant manager or supervisor with a team of usually around 10 people. I would work on sick days, through annual leave, after hours, whatever was needed to get the work done.
When COVID hit, I was made to work from home so I could be back up if the team had to isolate. Their work is considered essential so they could still attend work, however I would only be essential if I had to do their work because my job is at a desk. “D” didn't like that. “D” is of the opinion that anyone who works from home isn't working. Something she would loudly complain about at every opportunity.
When we hired new staff to help out with the work load, I wasn't allowed to train them myself, something I usually handled, because I couldn't enter the building. Staff were told they would have to train the newbies and I wrote up guides and made online training and meetings so I could help as much as possible while from home. “D” threw a fit. This is despite the fact that she has worked here for 13 years (2 years longer than me), would often train staff even if she didn't have to, had training new staff as one of her review goals (these are goals staff set each year for themselves, this wasn't picked for her) and training staff is in her position description. Now that she had to do it, suddenly she didn't know how and it was unfair to make her. My boss was adamant that staff would have to train the newbies because I was absolutely not allowed in the building unless necessary so I could be back up.
This all lead to “D” starting a campaign against me. Why it was my fault, when the orders came from management and I had multiple conversations with people (including the manager) that I wanted to come back to the building, I will never understand. “D” managed to get into the heads of the newbies that I was completely useless, refusing to help them, just wanting to sit at home and not work. She made numerous complaints to the manager about any slight mistake I made, and her negative attitude earned her a warning that if she didn't clean up her act it would be escalated to HR. Still, she kept it up. I made multiple complaints to management and HR and nothing was done.
Finally, we were allowed back in the building and I thought this would put a stop to it. It didn't. Every day I was being subjected to harassment: lies were spread that I refused to help someone (in fact I was spending my days doing both my job and the job of a tech to help them out, with no extra pay), nasty emails were sent behind my back about small easy to fix mistakes I had made (again, while doing two jobs). This culminated in a staff meeting when I wasn't present (at home sick after hurting my back from pushing myself so much) where she and two other staff members made multiple false complaints about me. The manager just let it happen, didn't defend me or stop them to say it was inappropriate, didn't contact me to let me know. I had to find out from another staff member that it happened. When I tried to talk to one of the staff members who complained, she yelled at me with things like “no-one here likes you”. After that, I was accused of attacking her and they all complained to HR about how I am a bully. I was spoken to about my behaviour and told that “confronting” her (ie asking her “What happened yesterday? Is everything ok?”) was bullying. My request for their behaviour to be addressed – including trying to force another staff member to make a false claim of bullying against me – was never responded to or actioned as far as I can tell.
Eventually, it got too much for me. I was having panic attacks every day, I was committing self harm and was on the edge of making a very final choice. A job in HR came up and I took it, desperate to leave the environment but stay with the company – after all, being loyal and hard working always pays off, right?
Now, MRI has always underpaid – it's a non for profit, so I thought it was understandable. I was earning ~30k less than I would be working in the same job somewhere else. But I didn't mind: I liked the work, and I'm 'loyal'. IE I was, and probably still am for working here, an idiot.
Being in HR means I can see everyone's pay. Two of the people who relentlessly bullied and harassed me and made my life hell for two years have just been given 10% – 20% payrise and 2k bonuses. Apparently, they are basically doing my job between them as well as their own work. When I was working two jobs I never once was offered renumeration, I barely even got a thanks from management. I was bullied to breaking point, no-one helped me, and now the bullies have been promoted and given payrises and bonuses that we never once got in the 11 years I worked in that department. But hey, guess they've earned it.
I have never felt so much disgust and shame and hate for this place and for working here. I used to be the person who would do anything to get the work done, come in early and stay late, work through leave, all that dumb shit that feels so honourable at the time. Now I show up, do the bare minimum, go home. And in between doing the least I can do to get the work done, I work on what makes me happy and I try not to think about how fucked up this all is.