I don't know about y'all, but I am sick and fucking tired of working for companies that preach Code of Conduct enforcement only to end up being verbally and mentally abused by management and then told I'm on my own by HR when I seek help.
At my previous employer (I can't name them but I can say some of their employees are assumed to wear khakis), I was in a situation where the one boss I really liked working for was getting downright abused by her boss. It was to the extent of them being targeted with absurd levels of hypocritical scrutiny and vindictive disciplinary actions against her direct reports just to break her spirit. As one of the top performers on the team, this landed on my doorstep one day when my boss asked me to perform a task which her manager did not agree with. I, being oblivious, followed instructions to a T and performed my designated task only to be called into my boss's office within the next two weeks to be informed that I am being investigated by her boss for violating a department rule neither of us have ever heard of. She said not to worry, she's going to stick up for me and it'll blow over. A few days later I was called back into her office and informed that despite her utmost objections, she was being forced to write me up and place a memo on my employee record. I disputed it and asked how I could possibly be reprimanded for following instructions of my direct supervisor, and she told me that she was given an ultimatum of writing me up or being terminated immediately by her boss. I refused to sign the paper and called HR to have a very lengthy conversation about the mid level manager responsible and their history of abusive behavior. What did they do? THEY FUCKING CALLED THE PERSON I WAS REPORTING TO VERIFY IF THE WRITE UP WAS VALID. I get a call back the next day from HR and they tell me “we spoke to ___ and they have informed us that your corrective action is appropriate, we will be closing our investigation.” Sure enough, I'm called back into my boss's office the same day only this time she is in tears and tells me that she is disappointed in me for calling HR and my write up will stand and if I do not sign it then my employment will terminate immediately.
From that day forward, I never received a performance rating above “average” despite leading the department in every metric and holding numerous additional responsibilities. My boss was transferred to a different department under threat of termination if she refused. I was assigned to a manager who was best friends with the mid level manager that pulled all of this shit. I was placed on the worst possible shift with no option to bid out. I applied to numerous other positions within the company to break free of that department, and every time they extended an offer the mid level manager withdrew my application citing inability to release employee due to staffing shortages. They quite literally forced my hand in quitting after two years of constant psychological and emotional distress under this manager. I called HR numerous times to report workplace retaliation, and each time they immediately closed the case as “no evidence”.
What the actual fuck does HR do? This whole bullshit ordeal tainted a nearly decade long tenure with a company where I thought I could see myself retiring on a cushy 401k and pension plan. I still lay awake at night sometimes and wonder what I could have possibly done differently to salvage my career and I just don't know.