@haz
You have the right to speak up for what you believe in, just understand that there are consequences for your actions. You'll most likely be alienated, and made to feel bad. It's just how passionate you are.
The problem in sort of scenario is that you've been working there for long enough for people to get use to you. Especially the ones you wen't to university with. They don't see you as being offended by this sort of thing, so you objecting to their behavior will be a lot more sour than had you introduced yourself to them with those convictions.
I have a real life example. I am a really laid back guy. Things rarely emotionally affect me. I started my job about a year ago working for my local hospital as a medical records analyst. My wife had worked their previously and had warned me about the people there being very snarky, ratty, and just old women that liked to gossip. I was okay with this, because hey, whats that matter to a guy who does his job right? Well, wrong. For about the first 8 months, I just ignored their comments, their constant turning me in for not doing things properly (which, seemed more like them covering their asses the next morning since it was easy to scapegoat the night shift guy). Well, around the 9 month mark I just got fed up with it. They had seen me as a very chivalrous, gentlemanly type of person since they had met me. If anything, they had probably gotten use to my laid back ways and used that as a crutch and excuse to be the way they were around me. Safety.
So, one day I just told them how it was. I walked back to where they all worked, and told them they need to back off. I wasn't rude about it, just very blunt. I pointed several of them out, and made sure that everyone knew that they were affecting my very livelihood, and that it wasn't proper. I made it very clear that I was sick and tired of being brought into my bosses office to be reprimanded for things out of my power, things that had nothing to do with me, and the constant gossip that seems to flavor my bosses view of me.
Suffice to say, that little stunt did a lot more damage than good. Not only did the gossiping not stop, but it got worst. I became an intentional target, instead of just a layaway one. I actually came into work an extra day (I worked weekends), and no one knew or expected it. I had been accused of not finishing a very important piece of paperwork/filing for the past couple of weeks, so I went over to check and make sure everything was correct. Low and behold, my paperwork was missing. The same paperwork I had remembered doing the past night. So, I decided to open up our recycle/trash bin and find it. After about 20-30 minutes of searching, I came across my work, that someone had thrown away intentionally to get my in trouble. It was a shitty revelation, but if people see you as this nice guy, and then you turn sour, its a lot worse than if you just introduced yourself as sour and standoffish. That way, people see you as the guy you don't mess with, instead of the guy that blew his gasket.
Moral of the story: be careful. I know it might seem small, I certainly did, but even level-headed communication can rear its ugly head when its done to spiteful people.
PS: I just wanted to point out that the paperwork they threw out to get me into trouble would have been a felony had I turned them in. Discarding medical paperwork with sensitive information, especially if the patient was a trauma victim, or had a very serious allergy, is a huge offense. Not only is it immoral to do so, its extremely lethal. If a doctor does not have the paperwork to reference a patient pre-surgery, or any other scenario, it could cost a person their life. Just wanted to make that statement as an example of how far some are willing to go.
Log in to comment