Hello Reddit!
Here's my story and why I think I'm now anti-work.
It all starts at the end of April 2021, being in the tourism sector and living in Marrakech, I have been unemployed for a while (hello crisis). Through friends I meet a couple of celebrities who are looking for a person capable of managing their investment projects in Marrakech precisely. He is in the world of football, she is the little sister of a well-known French comedian. Her name's Nawal Debbouzze and his is Fouad Ben Kouider.
First interview it feels off, they are several of minutes late, their projects don't seem so great to me, however on their side they are interested and offer me a second interview. Second appointment, this time they're an hour late, they barely apologize and make me a proposal directly. Salary is not so great, but a lot of promises of evolution and options to switch on other projects which are far more of interest to me. Being at a unemployed for a while, I accept. The mood is “I have to do something with my life and then we'll see”.
The collaboration is immediately uncomfortable. The offices being under construction, I have a small office in their Villa in Marrakech. He immediately seeks to establish his authority and show that he is the boss. I am “summoned” by snapping my fingers, the tone used to entrust me with tasks was excessively and unnecessarily aggressive etc…
On the other hand, she is always adorable, always kind and attentive.
15 days of collaboration went on like this, where I take it upon myself because I have just started a new job, I need to get moving and I don't want to leave everything behind, for what I believe to be a misplaced sensitivity.
On May 5, a collaborator that I know well left the job because the boss' attitude made her extremely uncomfortable and she began to feel anxiety at work. The next day his wife takes me aside and explains to me that if things are not going well we have to talk about it so that it does not end up with another resignation. I imagine that she must have felt the thing.
May 7. It's a meeting day so we're on the move in town with my boss. First meeting and I suffer a direct and total lack of respect in front of the partners, so much that I saw the embarrassed glances exchanged in front of me. He says “Take notes!” , “write faster”, “do you understand what they are talking about?” etc…
Following this meeting and before entering the next one I approach the subject. So we are in the hall and I simply ask my boss for a little more respect, which is basic for me in the professional context. Answer received: “Do you know who I am?” “Who are you to ask for respect?” “People like you don't demand respect from people like me.”
The discussion will last a good ten minutes where he will try to convince me that he is someone important and therefore that I am wrong to ask for respect and that I do not deserve it. Understanding that we were going around in circles, I tell him that without respect I can't work and that I'm going home. He replies “get the hell out of here you piece of shit”.
His verbal abuse shocks me, so I answer directly “I may be a piece of shit but I don't use my wife's name to open doors for me, use yours if you're so important”.
Small precision for the rest: I am 1m69 for 70kg, my boss ? 1m90 for 120kg.
So at this point we're still in the lobby, my sentence is barely finished and suddenly I take a right hook. Then a second. I collapse, then on the ground I receive a third one and a kick. I managed to get up and get out of the hall to the street. His chauffeur comes running believing that we have been attacked. My boss follows me there and ends up adding a fourth right hook. At this point his driver understands, intervenes and isolates him. I try to phone the police and he threatens “what are you going to do? Call the police? Call even the army, I have a long reach.”
He tries to come back to me and I run down the street. Luckily a police brigade is at the crossroads, they see me and come to my aid. He realizes that I am with them, goes back up with his chauffeur and leaves. He will then take a plane in the afternoon to Europe and will not come when summoned by the police station that day.
I was taken care of by the police and then the emergencies, I could never thank them enough.
It took me a long time to tell this story. I had to recover from my trauma and also wait for justice to render its verdict.
Assessment for me: 12 stitches (arch and cheek), orbital floor fracture (bone of the eye), 2 broken teeth. A total of 45 days of work incapacity delivered by the Doc.
He was finally tried by the Marrakech Court of First Instance in December 2021 for assault and battery. Verdict for my boss: 2 months suspended prison sentence, fine of 50€ and damages of 400€.
Here is my story, it feels good to share it with you. So lads do you believe I'm right to think I'm anti-work now ?