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Workplace bullying.

needsleep24New Contributor22 May 2025, 1:00 am AEST

Workplace bullying.

Workplace bullying and not being supported during my recovery from a workplace accident.

I have a 2nd job which is an OSHC, it's casual and I don't get the same shifts each week. Recently I've been getting less shifts and shorter shifts or always being the one who gets sent home early, rather than her unqualified daughter who also works there and also her boyfriend.

I had a workplace accident at the end of last year and have had to go through WorkCover and have various chiro, neurophysio & remedial massage appointments to support my full recovery. This has made my availability to work quite restricted at present due to having to book these appointments in advance to get the times I need. However the director will assign me a shift but then change it last minute. If it clashes with an appointment she gets angry because she has to find someone to fill my shift.

Last night during my shift she questioned my availability and not being flexible. When I mentioned this was due to appointments rather than being supportive of my recovery from an accident that happened on her site, she told me I will no longer get shifts as I don't have flexibility in my availability. This was all done in a very manipulated way in front of the children in our care so that I couldn't get angry or emotional.

I left work feeling useless, angry & undervalued. I haven't done anything wrong but I feel so excluded. I had previously questioned if she still wanted me as part of the team as I was feeling that she was pushing me out but she replied that wasn't her intention, it was purely down to availability on my behalf. However she doesn't give me shifts even if I'm available.

I've struggled to get on with her, the previous director was great and she has made digs about the previous director and how rubbish she was. I am the only staff remaining that worked with the previous director. I have tried to get on with her because I love spending time with the kids but she is making it so hard.

After our CHAT yesterday I couldn't sleep last night with the conversation going round & round in my head.

What do I do?

1. Walk away?

2. Continue to do a shift if I get assigned one and ignore how she belittles me and stresses me out?

3. Lodge a greivance?

2 replies

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In response to: Workplace bullying.

Ru-beeModerator22 May 2025, 2:49 pm AEST

Re: Workplace bullying.

Hi @needsleep24 and welcome to the forums

What a hard and frustrating position to be put in! This behaviour of removing your hours due to appointments that are due to a workplace accident sounds like they could be leaving themselves open for some issues here if you were to pursue this. Maybe it would be worth looking into this with fair work...

Ultimately though, you need to decide what feels right for you and your life. Is there any option that you're leaning more towards out of those 3?

One thing I will say, regardless of what you choose, is that it doesn't hurt to keep a dated record of these sort of events just in case you ever need them.

In response to: Re: Workplace bullying.

needsleep24New Contributor22 May 2025, 7:51 pm AEST

Re: Workplace bullying.

Hi, thanks for your response.

The OSHC I work at is on the site of the primary school I also work at but is run by the YMCA.so completely separate business.

After chatting to the well-being mentor at school when she overhead a concerned teacher who had witnessed the last incident ask me if I was ok.She spoke to the school principal on my behalf and then I had a chat with her. As the OSHC is run by the YMCA the principal can't file a greivance because it's not her business as such but has said she will support me in my decision and be my support person if I decide to a file a greivance report.

As I've given in more thought over the last few days the one thing that sticks in my mind is my principal saying, you may not be the only one she's treating this way and maybe if you speak up no-one else will go through what you are.

I'm leaning to filing the greivance once I found out the correct information. I do have return to work rep that I can speak to for advice.

It's a shame that I feel this way because I only ever went to work there for the children which is YMCA' s ethos, but she has soured this experience into something negative and I've realised this is workplace bullying! So in the words of Tom Curtain (Dolly's Dream) Speak up even if your voice shakes!

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