Is it possible to work at a manufacturing company that some of its people wants to push you out? Make you quit? I believe so. I’ve had ties to this company for most of my life through one person or another, finally including myself, working there. Before working there the second time it felt like family. I was so excited to be once again employeed at this company. I was so happy. People told me, “Oh wait! You’ll be cursing. You’ll be this. You’ll be that. All before you know it too.” People also told me, “If they want you out, they’ll get you out one way or another. Meaning a clique of people band together and gang up on one person until that person quits.” I thought “No. Not this company. This company is better than that. It wouldn’t let that happen.” Boy! Was I wrong. I believe it happened to me. They were right, unfortunately. Once working there the second time around it quickly turned into a man-eat-man world. And it’s sad too.

People thought I was being favored meaning not getting in trouble because my husband had an office job and part of his job was looking over the documentation that was turned in from each shift. If anything was incorrect on the documentation, then he started the process of corrective action being taken. I made my share of mistakes, had my share of corrective actions handed to me. A member of management ran a report that actually showed I led the pack on the amount of mistakes (including slap-on-the-wrist ones). Not that that changed how I was treated. The few that took the time to get to know me, like me. We’ve become friends.

The department I worked in after I transfered plants within the company has to be one of the top most physical, heavy lifting job there. Maybe not the best job to pick, but I loved it. It kept me busy and I loved learning things. I loved it until I switched shifts. Getting to know someone when you don’t have to work with them is one thing. Working with them and they aren’t who you thought they were is another. I thought I was making friends. I wasn’t there to make friends, but if it happened, a bonus. Switching shifts was like turning off a light. I went from loving my job to just trying to survive. One co-worker yelling and cursing at me when they didn’t get what they wanted which was going home early that time because I chose to instead. I was highest senior partner out of our work group. That person was the one good at trouble shooting equipment compared to the other one. While the other one, I thought I was becoming friends with, used the cursing person because they’re not good at trouble shooting. The cursing person quit within a few months of my being on that shift. That left the other person vulnerable. Ms. Vulnerable had to find someone that could replace Ms. Cursing. She did and it wasn’t me. It didn’t take her long to show her true colors. Ms. Vulnerable started being catty towards me, only me from what I could see. Working with a catty person becomes unbearable over time. I tried defending myself.

One thing that I couldn’t get people to see, was one cannot run out Priority One when the main conveyor track was busy. The main track had priority. I couldn’t change it without causing myself a headache and more work anyway. But Miss Catty kept telling them that I would always run out Priority One causing my main line to back up and not stop when she told me to. By her not stopping she meant I didn’t put it in standby like she liked it although I had it stopped long before she even noticed my side. And when there’s no boss over that department on your shift Catty had the freedom to do what she wanted and became the mafia boss and had other co-workers bullied into helping them bully me. Catty wouldn’t communicate with me, only to the other co-workers. I tried getting management to watch the videos. I was down right miserable. Unhappy was an understatement. Anxiety was building up. Running wasn’t helping. I found myself getting anxious about my first day back after some time off every single time. I dreaded going to work. Going through everything, thinking back on everything I asked myself and my husband, “What did I do wrong? What could I have done differently?” We couldn’t come up with anything.

The ones that have left after years of being there have said they are much happier and should have done it sooner. I don’t know about sooner, but I do agree with them on the happy part. I am much happier.