This year at 25 years old I got fired from my first ever full time job since graduating university. Before I got fired I really struggled with the job role because of the bureaucracy, extremely challenging customer/client base, unsupportive workplace , two faced work colleagues and I struggled to fit in from day 1 . I really wanted to be a good employee
My personality stood a lot too at work which made it harder to fit in with the workplace crowd and management. My work colleagues were older than me 30+ with partners and children, quiet etc whereas I am very outgoing, love adventure and naturally outspoken. My colleagues in Teams meetings will talk about the football match they watched over the weekend whereas my weekend is spent visiting places and doing activities.
One month into the job I got labelled a workplace trouble maker because I upset an unpleasant high maintenance customer/client whoose behaviour was not fair and the case was highly stressful. I honestly but harshly criticised her unfair demands and behaviour. I confessed immediately to the department, asked for advice and took full responsibility for my actions.
My work colleagues were gossiping about me over what I did. It was so terrible being in one Teams Meeting days after the incident one of the team leaders was referencing what I did and expressed his pure disapproval and outrage. He didn't mention my name but it was very clear he was talking about me. Then weeks later I had to find out from another employee that people at work were talking about what I did as it spread what i did. They were gossiping about me. The incident got resolved but the management never let it go and continued to give me a hard time over the incident. I got criticised by management for not closing cases quickly even though the cases I had assigned to me had ongoing issues which is why they couldnt be closed whereas all my colleagues brought their caseloads down quicker than me. So much kept going wrong.
My male boss in one meeting we had together he blamed me for bringing problems to the department ever since my arrival and he was so cruel in his criticism of me. He even humiliated in the meeting where senior management was present.
Many months after I got fired it publicly came out in the local press in my country that my former workplace department has been operating under poor practices, severe maladministration, falsification of information to close cases and so many failings. The day I arrived in that department it was under investigation from the authorities because there was multiple complaints from people about my workplace poor quality service it was providing the housing residents. Only the management knew and a select few employees.
It was shocking to read how corrupt my workplace and department actually was the entire time. All this was happening under my boss leadership and my boss got fired too. Before I got fired I truly thought I was the worst employee in the department because of all the criticism I received for my mistakes. A couple of days before I got fired I was so low at work in one work meeting I said “no one says it but everyone thinks it. I am the worst complaints case assistant.” My few work colleagues in the room saw how I was worried I was and said absolutely nothing and my boss who was in the room too said nothing. One fake nice work colleague answered “no” but it was so clear he was lying the sheer fakery was transparent. My close older work friend who I trusted turned out to be the biggest workplace gossiper participating in the gossip about me. She is a mother whoose daughters are the same age as me.
I thought I was the worst employee ever but turned out i was just honest about my imperfections and wanted to improve and I follwed the procedures in place while everyone else at work kept acting as if they were f*cking perfect.