EDIT: I made the mistake of posting a screenshot, so I'm correcting it. This is what I wrote for our company's award survey submission:
“I do not believe this company should win this award again; in fact, PSBJ should know that each year, we are guilted and pressured into voting well so our team wins consecutively. I have lived in fear of losing my job and being isolated and retaliated against if I don't speak highly about this company, but by living this way with all the lies and tip-toeing around, it has led to a lot of physical and mental health issues that I may never be able to heal from. Let it be known that my immediate colleagues are phenomenal humans and it goes against my values by not standing up for them, as they do not deserve the treatment they receive daily from leadership behind closed doors.
I have no doubt that if the exec team reads my survey, they will find a way to release me from my position. I say this confidently because I know they were planning to terminate me almost a month ago due to performance, not long after my direct boss told me that the quality of my work was phenomenal but I was perceived as overwhelmed and it was not building the team's trust in me so, I needed to prioritize smiling and perk up during our virtual meetings. To add, they had intentions of releasing me 2 days after I had returned from bereavement leave. It's common for employees to be let go for sharing feedback with the execs and the president when they only saw opportunities for growth.
I speak on behalf of myself but I also speak on behalf of others who are afraid to speak up because they cannot afford to lose their job during this significant job market downturn. The behavior of the executive leaders is astounding and borderline abusive. They are blatantly ignorant about current issues we're facing yet boast about how diverse we are (i.e., I was reprimanded for showing recognition to Black History Month by emailing a very carefully drafted list of resources, Black-owned businesses to support, and virtual events happening that month to our internal only team because I did not identify as African American and I was suppressing their voices); A photo was shared with me of a Teams message where the VP of Sales named her ulcer after an African American employee who was not performing up to her standards.
I requested for accommodations through the ADA on Mar 27th and turned in my required documents on April 6th and have even asked for an update but I've received no further instructions, updates on next steps, or attempts to start having the conversation (I haven't even told them what I struggle with and what accommodations I need, so I continue to struggle at work). I will no long be quiet about what we're experiencing here. I am an advocate for DEIB within the workforce and I am so ashamed of the sexism, favoritism, and racial and disability discrimination.
It has to stop because this is putting people's lives and reputations on the line (it's already affected a handful of past employees; you should consider gaining their insight, as well!) I hope that PSBJ does not award us this recognition because it will only hinder our efforts to force the overdue discussion and get on track to actually having a healthy workplace. Our leaders have failed us, our leaders have failed me, and our leaders have deceived those throughout our community long enough.
The employees here at do NOT want this award, only the exec team does, and we will continue to not want it until we are ACTUALLY living our values and it is safe for others to work here. I was the person who submitted our candidacy for this award last year but I will advise you that my copy was edited heavily by my manager and the president before it was actually submitted. Please help us heal before someone else is subjected to this toxic work environment and before the EEOC gets involved.”