By Cory Wright
During the current explosion of mental health realization and the ensuing identification and care, we cannot ignore its impact on the working environment. Employees should be able to seek care and consultation from the competent staff within Human Resources but what if this staff is led by a person that also displays mental health symptoms? Basically, good luck! In the upcoming blogs we will discuss many instances of bad HR practices and the correlating effects it has on the work environment. Creating a hostile work environment is an OSHA citable offense, yet the ability to identify such violations is where everyone’s knowledge needs to be improved. This requires courage, facts and pinpoint accountability. To some degree integrity, humanity and morality can offset the knowledge skillset, but many use their perception of institutional power as a basic code of conduct. This is where Inkblot enters to illuminate the masses. And to the purposeful violators, PARDON MY BACK!
A disgruntled employee of Medgar Evers College CUNY decided to create propaganda and randomly distribute false information at 5am in a building on campus that does not have operational camera surveillance. It is obvious to logical people who may have been interested in identifying the culprit that the employee was either a Custodian, an Operating Engineer or a Public Safety Officer. These are the only personnel in the building at this time. A Custodian is NOT going to spend all night cleaning their post (assigned work area) just to litter it at the end of their shift before the Supervisor comes to inspect the post area. That would not make any sense. Moreover, if the extreme litter (hundreds of 8.5”x11” paper) was thrown on the floor during their general cleaning, they would clean it up which would be a wasted effort of the disgruntled employee. The Public Safety Officer cannot abandon his/her post until there is coverage from a rover or else the building would be at risk. Even a restroom break requires protocol and another officer would have to relive them for such a break. It is also common practice for an Officer to radio the local Custodian and ask them to watch the post for a quick restroom break, whether right or wrong it is done and the building remains safe guarded. So I guess that leaves an Operating Engineer as the lead suspect, easy. There is obvious protocol to follow for investigations and thinking “gossip” is the correct path will only lead to misinformed staff, miseducated staff and escalated workplace hostility which in essence is workplace violence. Let’s spill some tea.
There are 20 colleges in CUNY. I can’t confirm if its normal practice but in 2013 the sitting college President had all signatory powers revoked from the university. A Vice President from another college (RIP VP Scott Anderson) went to Medgar Evers College to handle the day to day operations part time. So basically the current sitting President was in attendance only to sign the graduating students diplomas. Whether a common practice or not this is disrespectful on many levels and supremacy ideology reigns undefeated yet again. The 20 year distinguished VP (acting President) told the HR Director NOT to acknowledge any anonymous letter or communication until the “coward” put their name on it. He told her it is busy work, trash and addressing items of this nature is a waste of taxpayers’ money. But this goes against the “Gossip Girl” preference of an HR Director whose top 3 blouse buttons NEVER FASTEN. This visual testimony given by an exhausted over matched brassiere also constituted workplace violence. The condition is both unprofessional and unconsented intimacy.
My Assistant Vice President and I were called into the HR Office for an emergency meeting regarding these anonymous letters. Both the directive and objective shared by the respected long standing VP is irrelevant now that the HR Director reports to a new President that mirrors her level of feminine petty. My AVP has already seen this letter via email so this great unveiling is squarely my privilege. I am given the 2 page propaganda and overcome with an immediate feeling of disgust. By the author of this manifest of course, but more so by the media vehicle (HR) that purposely fuels the flames in search of someone that can be blamed other than the author. Three disgusting entries were made that stand out even to this day that astounds me yet inspires me to assist in the systematic change at MEC. First, my female Administrative Assistant described was having the face of an animal. Second, my female Executive Assistants’ birth choice on whether she should have conceived or placed the sperm externally, specifically orally ingested. Third, several members of my staff having their full social security numbers placed on the bottom of page 2. I internally struggled over the next few minutes at the logical reasoning as to why a female HR Director would find the humor and satisfaction with items 1 and 2, as apparent by her smiling and silly giggling. What this member of the female gender found most humorous was the President’s Secretary being described as Monica Lewinski. My AVP and I didn’t see the hilarity but then again we were not privy to the intimacy of the President’s Office or his actions with close staff. He has been rumored to be inappropriate and would even have an affair or marry a subordinate, tea spilled yet again. Subordinate may be male or female, no judgement. We both silently accepted her fondness for this type of humor as a personal observation of truth. Shout out to loose women, stained attire in need of laundering and the proficient career advancement to the unqualified female population. I didn’t comment on any of it and handed it back to her as it was supposedly confidential despite its building wide public distribution in restrooms, classrooms and public hallways. Clearly a very discreet delivery system intended for a select few eyes only.
I decided to speak, but in a table turning manner. I addressed her mismanagement of the human resource, our coworkers. “Did you check to verify if these social security numbers are legit before you decided to scan them into your computer and illegally distribute them electronically? I’m sure you know it’s a federal crime and that’s why we deliver timesheets to Payroll via snail mail courier, right?” She didn’t answer as her melanated olive color turned chalk white. Her mouth opens yet no words come out as she stares blankly and has immediately lost her vibrant soundtrack contained with laughter. She feverishly types into her computer as we look at her in short silence, “Um,you can’t recall the emails if the recipient opened them already”, I informatively tell her. “I guess you didn’t think about confidentiality or the law during your excitement.” She stares at me but doesn’t answer. Just minutes ago the author’s depiction of the President’s secretary as Monica Lewinski delivered unbridled joy, as if she wished she were the author. A new mood has overcome the bearer of this manuscript. “What you should do is contact all your coworkers as you contributed to their potential identity theft, apologize for your contribution and advise them to call their creditors and bureaus to safeguard their info.” She looked up again as the recall functions all failed. Shout out to Outlook. “I will be headed back to my office and try to de-escalate the volatility purposely inserted into my staff. Hopefully they will be able to ignore this gossip they have been unjustly subjected to and focus on the excellent work they do. It’s critical that I protect the human resource. That’s a critical point of emphasis in my department.” In my lived experiences honest communications like this by a black man directed towards any agent of supremacy is always viewed as resistant, uncompromising and/or rebellious.
The contents above are unfortunately based on true events which can be verified by at least one dozen coworkers, which probably includes the psychotic author as his attempt at employment longevity via the destruction of others was an epic fail. It’s an absolute shame that a public entity that swears by having a zero tolerance policy on workplace violence not only allows but promotes and supports such behavior at the executive level. When your HR Department is the producer of abuse where does an employee go to seek justice? When bullying, incivility, intimidation and retaliation are the norm, the workplace environment can only be toxic and in immediate need of re-balancing. Lastly, women are underrepresented, under compensated and undervalued in the workplace yet will not hesitate to professionally destroy her female counterpart with angst to appeal to her male hierarchy to prove she is one of the “guys”. When your soror at Central Office is your shield accompanied by continuous illegal hires, wrongful terminations and unqualified hires at the whim of the President you have professionally decided to forego protecting the human resource and instead bend a knee to accommodate the insecurity of executive management. Soul sold at retail. It’s not a shock that the Director’s entire staff strongly dislikes her, has no respect for her and refuses to do satisfactory work for her. It’s no coincidence every qualified understudy in the college HR Department leaves, transfers, or quits.
Understanding and identifying workplace violence should be a priority in every organization as it sustains lives. The value of life should not be understated by mediocre executive administrators that use incivility and bullying as a means to disguise their professional insecurities as if it is difficult for coworkers to identify obvious administrative bankruptcies. Those affluent in power should not punch downward and the university should never be complicit in these actions. To confirm university complicity do a FOIL request and see the PESH (Public Employee Safety and Health) and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) complaints with ensuing resolutions. Very few CUNY employees know about the CUNY Inspector General (Clinton Daggan, 180 Maiden Lane, NY NY 10038, Tel 212/825/5483 Fax 212/825/2506) as this information is never made available and the use of this use is not transparent. CUNY is not allowed to police themselves, yet most employees do not know the CUNY Inspector General is an enforcement authority to provide oversight. Understanding your rights as an employee is critical in the proper identification of the frequent and various types of executive administrative staff abuse towards uninformed staff. Never stop documenting as it makes a big difference in showing the consistent patterns of abuse. Please visit our website g04.900.myftpupload.com for advocacy services for employees that are wrongfully terminated. We will be offering free 15 minute consultations on Occupational Safety and Health, Facility Management, and Public Health. Email us for future blog topics and/or inquiries as we are ready to assist the American worker in all aspects of workplace safety at [email protected]. #inkblotlife #careermix
