Dream Company, Nightmare Boss — Part IX - Retaliation

With coaching, Greg Everage was becoming more tolerable. He didn't treat me better by choice, though, which sours the sincerity behind each interaction. Regardless, I finally saw a glimpse of normalcy in our dynamic. You can forgive, of course, but you can't forget how someone treated you in the past. There would always be a lack of trust between us.

In June 2016, I had my annual review. I acknowledged that I agreed with the written contents. When we discussed my review over the phone, Greg said that the incident on January 22 impacted my bonus and negatively affected my reputation to upper management.

I was shocked. An incident—where I reported to management that I felt harassed and bullied—impacting my annual review screamed retaliation. The other comment just hurt.

I took a moment to process the implications of what he claimed—wondering why I kept fighting further.

Katherina. Katie. Kate. Stop. Nothing you said changed anything. Nothing changed. Stop fighting.

Despite knowing the results would likely not be in my favor, I decided to pursue based on the company guidelines. It did not make sense that my bonus would be impacted because I raised a potentially discriminatory issue to the powers that be. My approach was to have Greg elaborate about the impact by asking how that incident related.

"If you feel you, or any other employee, has been discriminated against or harassed, you should immediately speak with your supervisor, any member of management, or a member of the HR... You will not be subject to any retaliation for reporting the complaint."

Greg and I chatted in person. He said that the incident caused disruption at work—that's why my bonus was impacted. Other people were affected and the office suffered because of that. I didn't want to challenge him. I only wanted his confirmation that the situation negatively impacted his review. As much as the continued conflict drained me, I set up a meeting with HR to convey that Greg was retaliating against me.

 

 

I explained everything to HR. I reinforced that the incident was handled—in good faith—as outlined by company policy. And the incident was being used to retaliate against me, via my bonus, with Greg confirming as such. HR said they would speak with Greg to get clarification on how he factored it in.

A week later, I received an update from HR: 

• Greg told them that it didn't monetarily affect my bonus. 
• That doesn't make any sense. If it negatively impacted my bonus, what other way is there than monetarily?
• They held their ground saying it didn't affect my bonus because he told them it didn't. It was just an incident that occurred during that review period.
• I held my ground saying if it was part of the bonus consideration, it had impact—and it shouldn't.
• HR then asked if I felt I was harassed on January 22. 
• I said yes. 
• HR said the incident was possibly not investigated properly. (To be fair, this particular person was not working for the company at the time.) 

HR stated they would initiate a more thorough investigation. I was surprised they didn't in the first place.

A few weeks later, another meeting with HR. The rep said, "I asked Greg point-blank if it was retaliation, and he said 'of course not,' so it really wasn't about that."

My goodness. No one will admit to retaliation if you spell it out like that. When I inquired about how they felt regarding his continued condescending and discriminatory treatment of women, the response was: "Greg has a wife and daughters. Do you really think he would discriminate against women?" 

I was shocked—absolutely floored by that response. Greg has a wife and daughters, so everything that happened to me and other women...was invalid.

My hope depleted, I was more determined than ever: I had to get out.

Next up: Escape From Shit Mountain