Starting a new job, especially in an office, can be stressful. Not only are you in a new environment with different tasks than what you’re used to, you’re thrown into an office full of strangers who expect you to like them.
A company’s CEO, a long-time employee, the human resources department – these are all people you’ll meet in the early stages of your new career. But just when you think they’ll accept you, you might find out that they’re not as far from your high school enemies as you thought.
That’s what happened to a woman who learned a not-so-pleasant secret at work.
A woman searched her name on her company’s Slack and noticed that her co-workers were making fun of her.
A woman named Delo shocked her followers in a video with a horrifying discovery she made in her company’s Slack, a messaging program that employees often use to communicate.
“Search your name in Slack. You’ll be surprised at what people are talking about in public channels. You can read it! I saw my notes from when I was interviewing. I also saw a group chat where people were talking about “I was the butt of jokes in that group chat…I was name-dropped over and over again,” Delo said.
Many people immediately commented on how unnerving it would be to search for their name in Slack and find names similar to Dero.
Ms Delo claimed her “strangeness” led her colleagues to joke about her.
“In context, I’m a weirdo,” she quipped. She took a corporate position and found herself in a seemingly very professional environment, which she said she “did everything in her power to maintain.” [her weirdness] under secrecy. ”
However, she admitted with a laugh, “When I ask personal questions, it comes out.” A reminder that it’s almost impossible to hide your personality when you stay true to yourself.
When remote work began and she met all of her colleagues online, she was willing to put aside her “weirdness” and bluff a forced introduction. Like the pro she is, that’s what she did.
“They asked me horrible questions: What do you enjoy doing? I don’t remember what I said. I just lied,” she said.
However, her colleagues were not always envious or ready to start new friendships. A conversation on Slack revealed that her co-workers as well as her manager were jokingly theorizing about what she did for fun.
“They were just talking about that moment,” she said of her brief introduction to the team. One manager said, “Oh, she’s going to party. She’s definitely going to party.” Other colleagues joked about her mullet-style hair.
Sounds too much like high school gossip to ignore, right?
Rude, bully-like behavior from co-workers is a subtle sign that the workplace is toxic.
A toxic workplace is one in which “the environment has a significant impact on the well-being and productivity of employees; experienced, characterized by a pervasive negative atmosphere.”
In Delo’s case, she wasn’t a victim of other symptoms of a toxic workplace, such as poor communication, lack of boundaries, or overwork, but she did appear to have been bullied, albeit not face-to-face.
Many in the comments urged her to file a lawsuit, but it is unlikely that Derro will find a solution by doing so. Because while there are federal laws against bullying and harassment, unfortunately it’s not illegal to make fun of your girlfriend’s hobbies or her hair.
Fortunately, Mr. Dero explained that this was his previous job and not the one he currently holds. And she seems to have ignored it ever since. However, employees who find themselves in similar situations may be best served by going to human resources to report bullying or harassment or finding a job that treats them kindly.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news & entertainment writer at YourTango, focusing on health and wellness, social policy, and human relations articles.
