BULLYING AT WORK AND OTHER SHARED EXPERIENCES

BULLYING AT WORK, INTIMIDATION, SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND DISCRIMATION are touching lives around the world.

Bullying at work is most often used to describe a form of harassment perpetrated by someone who is in some way more powerful, physically or socially.

For the term bullying, the following criteria must be met:

1. the behavior is aggressive and negative;

2. the behavior is carried out repeatedly;

3. the behavior occurs in a relationship where there is an imbalance of power between the parties involved

4. the behavior is purposeful

Intimidation is the use of violence or threats to influence the conduct of another. Frighten someone into submission.

Discrimination is unfair treatment of a person or group on the basis of prejudice such as racial, religion, over weight, sexual orientation, etc.

SHARING STORIES OR EXPERIENCES

To share your story, please go to the tab CONTACT US.

When you share your stories, please let me know if there is any help you had, that I can pass along to other adjusters, whether it be a book, a doctor, an attorney or a governmental agency.

I am looking forward to knowing you, sharing with you and supporting you as we move forward in our careers.

One of my co-workers, whom I admired very much, became a target of our manager. I won’t get into specifics because this happened over many months and there is still an ongoing investigation. It affected me deeply and there were some days where I would be watching all of this unfold and I would become internally angry.

I will tell you this about my co-worker and me. She is black and I am white. Was this racially motivated is a question I contemplate. To me it appears to be that way.

The reason why I say that is because all the things she was getting written up for, I was not doing and I was being told I was doing a GREAT job.

Through all of this my co-worker has become my very good friend. I did not bail out on her and I stuck with her through thick and thin.

I started documenting and keeping a daily diary of the harassment and bullying and the e-mails that would prove I had not been doing the same things she was not doing and I did not get written up for them and she did. She was receiving unscheduled audits and no one else was. She was being docked for coming in later because being a single mom she would need to be there for her son or daughter or even an emergency at home such as the roof leaking or a plumbing problem. The funny thing about it was that most nights she would stay a minimum of 2 hours past her quitting time, at least 4 days a week. I would come in late and I was not docked. Scheduled audits would take place and she was picked apart file by file and then it was all displayed in an e-mail to her with attitude showing through and the e-mail I rec’d from the same person had no tone and just a few items which I needed to check on even though I personally also had some of the same issues on my files as my co-worker did but it was never mentioned.

After many months of bullying, harassment and discrimination my co-worker/friend finally was able to leave and move on to another job. I on the other hand became the victim and was eventually forced out also. My promotion and raise I was given was reneged on and the writing was on the wall.

I know this story will be similar to many others. If management wants to get rid of someone all they have to do is start auditing the adjuster’s files. I don’t care if you are the BEST adjuster on the face of this earth. If management wants you out, they can take every single one of your files and find something wrong with it.

A very good friend/co-worker was having problems with her supervisor. No matter what file he looked at, he would make a note in the file and send her an e-mail questioning why she was handling the file in this manner. These claims were bodily injury claims which my co-worker/friend had been handling for many years. Over time this supervisor pushed harder and harder bullying my friend even questioning how long she was in the bathroom. Micro-management at it’s best.

My friend/co-worker was in such emotional bad shape that she started seeking help from her doctor who in turn told her to quick her job because she felt that was what was best for her patient.

Just before my friend left the company, something very interesting happened.

The file set-up at this insurance company was the auto adjuster’s handled the property damages and if there were any injuries, then a liability adjuster would also get assigned to the file and handle that part of it.

My friend/co-worker who was handling the liability end started getting phone calls from the claimant regarding the auto adjuster not returning their calls. The auto adjuster was also a friend of mine.

This same supervisor rec’d a call from the claimant and told my friend/co-worker to help the claimant which she did and made notes to that effect. The auto adjuster did not like the fact that the liability adjuster took his role on his file and came over and had words with my friend/co-worker. The words became heated and the supervisor came over to check out the situation. The supervisor took the auto adjuster away from the liability adjuster’s desk with his arm around his shoulder and told him something as he led him away.

The next day the auto adjuster came to me because he was bothered by what had happened the previous day and shared with me what had happened because he knew that I was also friends with the liability adjuster.

I took my auto adjuster friend over to my liability friend and they both made apologies to each other and cleared the air. However, I will tell you what this supervisor told the auto adjuster as he led him away with his arm around his shoulder. He told the auto adjuster that Mexican women are always so emotional.

Bullying and harassment issues had been happening in our department for too long and human resources started making visits regularly.

Just before my friend, the auto adjuster left and went to another company, I asked him to share this story with human resources and he did.

Long story, short of it, is that this supervisor had been let go from his previous job because of sexual harassment.

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