When your Employment becomes the source of your harm

When your Employment becomes the source of your harm

Isolation hurts. Exclusion and abandonment hurts. Threats to your livelihood are scary. Statements about privacy policies are mechanisms that employers and government use to silence concerns. When sharing your workplace concerns results in isolation, exclusion, financial threats and employers are only concerned about your response to the situation and not what caused it. The environment is one of coercion, manipulation and lack of safety. If this happened in our homes, it would be considered abuse, but what if this happened at the hands of your employer? Would you consider this abuse? When women face aggression and violence at work and are punished for speaking out, it silences their voices and perpetuates fear. Accepting violence is not part of our duties. A statement heard far too often by helping professionals. Being fearless and taking a stand against workplace violence, doesn’t mean we aren’t afraid. Hopelessness isn’t always followed by tears, speaking out is a form of courage. Words that were uttered to me ….”if you were so afraid, why did you engage?”

This type of response to workplace concerns is a form of gender-based violence and it not only happens in our homes (domestic violence/ intimate partner violence) but at our workplaces and within our communities. When women request help, and this request is ignored, and they face hardships for standing up and telling their stories about the violence and aggression they experienced, this response fosters silence and acceptance of said violence and aggression. A permission. It is an example of narrative flipping. These responses help explain why women fear reaching out for help, because of the punishment and judgement they face for speaking their truth.