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"I drew this to show what my experience felt like—I walked in so excited. I walked out destroyed. In between, I was targeted, ignored, retaliated against, and thrown away. The union had evidence. HR had evidence. Nobody cared. This is what the system did to me."
These are snippets from different participants' stories that align with the message of this art piece
"I didn't realize it was bullying... for the first year, I was actually talking to myself, like, what did I do wrong?"
"I started to doubt myself... I used to think I was giving something unique to my job, but then I thought, I know I'm very replaceable."
"I went to the proper channels... I went to the people you're supposed to report to... I was told, essentially, 'oh, well, we've all worked for tough bosses.'"
"I no longer felt like a team member or employee; I felt like someone just trying to survive."
"Giving me horrible assignments... shutting me out... after I give my idea, I will be called in the office for something else. So, like, trying to put me on a hot seat."
"I literally had, like, a 57-page email of proof and, you know, my story... I literally thought I had everything lined up for these people to support my case."
"It's in my bones, it's in my body. We know what trauma does to people... this experience has destroyed my health."
"I felt like I had been… stripped naked in front of my other two supervisors. I felt very exposed, you know what I mean?"
"I felt… like I was in an abusive relationship. It was like being a battered woman. But not with the scars, but emotional battering."
"I was nothing. I was nothing."
"Once you have a target on your back, it does not get resolved. You cannot get rid of that target."
"The challenging part with my bullying, it was so covert. And it was so… there was so much plausible deniability."
"I had a psychotic break, I'd lost my job, I lost my income, I lost my security, I lost my safety, and not only did I do that, but it was 10 months of absolute torture of me waking up every day and being forced into meetings and self-advocacy, and to defend myself, and… And being afraid every day, and never being good enough, and being written up every day, and being told that you are not… you are sick, and you're not good, and we hate you."
"I want to recover my energy and confidence... to get out of survival mode and reclaim my passion for my work and a connection to my career."
The Takeaway
Workplace bullying is not just about a difficult person—it is about how the system responds.
This story shows how someone can enter an organization with hope and commitment, then slowly be pushed into survival mode when bullying is ignored, minimized, or protected. When leaders fail to act and others stay silent, the harm deepens. The result is not just stress or conflict, but psychological violence that strips people of dignity, confidence, and belonging. They become survivors, not employees.
But survival is not where they want to stay. They want to heal, reclaim their confidence, and reconnect with the work they once cared about.
The real question is: will the system keep failing them, or will it finally change?
Understand the Research Behind This Story
Learn about organizational sensegiving, sensebreaking, epistemic injustice, and how to take action.
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