Harassment. This is something that I had always taken as a sort of afterthought. Since I am not someone that will harass anyone ... for any reason, it is shocking to me (albeit due to my own naivete) that I am currently mired in the swamp of harassment.
I currently work for one of the towns here on Cape Cod as Overnight Security / Assistant Harbormaster. I work my shift alone, and overnight. As you can well imagine there are certain risks associated with working at one of the busier harbors on the Cape ... especially alone. Recently, a coworker of mine (I will keep her name to myself due to my personal professionalism) began spreading lies and innuendo about the harbor claiming that I am unreliable and that I shouldn't be trusted with my overnight duties. Now, in my opinion (an opinion shared by my boss) she has no basis for these statements. However, these statements can cause undue difficulty when performing my duties. Whether it be from the constant fielding of questions from boat owners and interested parties that do business at the harbor, or from other town employees asking what I did to deserve this treatment, her allegations have caused a definite loss of respect both for myself and the harbormaster's office.
Being a "nice guy" I've let most of what she does slide. That is until this last stunt that she's pulled down here. See, I'm a big guy ... overweight, but working on it ... and she has taken to going through the garbage to "see what Matt's eating." This coupled with the lies she's been spreading are quickly causing me to reevaluate my choice of employment. I am also considering filing a harassment charge against her with the local legal eagles. It's been a daily siege (work days anyway ... I tend to leave work at work as best I can), always something new that she's doing to make my life difficult on the harbor. She has repeatedly told coworkers that she hates me and other such vile crap.
Please don't get me wrong ... I've dealt with bullies before. I've gone through my supervisor and asked him to intervene which I believe he's tried. But to no avail. It is abusive, and verging on insane. It's also constant. I have sent my boss an ultimatum of sorts. I explained that her actions are causing me to reevaluate my employment choices and that something has got to be done this time. I have also informed him that should things continue he would be receiving my notice. I don't think that I'm being unreasonable ... especially since this has been an on-going issue since last season.
So, here's what I'm doing about it today ... I've put this ad on Craig's List (http://capecod.craigslist.org/res/2476156631.html) It's nothing that will get me in trouble ... but I sincerely hope that it will help me get a job doing something that I really love. If you feel you can help me get a job in radio ... please do help. I'm at the end of my rope where I am.
Sorry for the rant, I'll be back to normal posting soon ... I hope.
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