Profiled As Mentally Challenged Based On My Appearance

by Aricha
(St. Louis, Mo)

This incident of workplace bullying took place last year when I worked for an installment loan company in St. Louis, Missouri. I started working at this company from February 22, 2018 and quit June 15, 2018 because I was being abused.

Every day I was being screamed at and cussed out. Humiliated in front of other people including customers. They called me bad names like ugly, goofy-looking, stupid, retarded, garbage, and a waste of space. I'm at my desk shaking and crying. My occupation working for this installment loan company was clerical office assistance and collections. Here is the type of workplace bullying I faced working for this company:

In a way, I was perceived as mentally handicapped by the office managers based on appearance. However, they referred to me as slow, called me ugly, and said I was retarded. They misunderstood me on purpose that I can't catch on quick enough. Deliberately overlooked my accomplishments and constantly picked on me because my looks were giving them the creeps.

The office managers were very hostile towards me and deliberately tried to confuse me. Other types of harassment was tampering with the computers behind my back. A few times before I started my shift I couldn't turn on my computer and got yelled at for asking for help. I was accused of bothering people when I tried to get help to turn on the computer so I can do my job. Accused of breaking the computers by one office manager and threatened me if I damage anything in their office it will come out of my paycheck.

I was wrongfully accused of slamming the phones so hard and screamed at all the time. "GO TO WORK!"... HANG UP THAT PHONE!"... "YOU ARE BOTHERING PEOPLE"... "YOU DON'T KNOW NOTHING!" They saw me standing there needing assistance and was completely ignored on purpose but accused of doing nothing.

I wasn't getting a kind word at all. For example, they gave me dirty looks and the silent treatment. The only first word that came out of the office managers mouth was: "WHAT WERE YOU DOING BETWEEN 8 AM TO 9 AM?!" Then I tried to explain and she kept cutting me Off: " WHAT WERE YOU DOING BETWEEN 8 AM TO 9 AM?!" Then she threatened me again: "HOW PRODUCTIVE ARE YOU?!"

She tried to get me to confess that I am worthless. Before this happened I have been repeatedly verbally abused so bad that I went in the bathroom crying. While I was in tears they sat there and ignored me. Didn't bother to apologize.