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“Two new girls are going to join us” announced my colleague even before the interviews for new trainees in his project wrapped up. What if he was wrong, I asked. Turned out much to the chagrin of his teammates, his lecherous boss was infamous for favouring pretty faces over qualifications. True to his reputation, that day too two new girls became trainees in our company.
As the #MeToo movement gained momentum and lots of skeletons started tumbling out of the closet my mind kept going back to this creepy boss. He had power and authority and was adored by newbies for the onsite opportunities he frequently got them.
My colleagues/friends advised me to steer clear of his way at all times.“Don’t look at him directly”, “mind your dress when he’s around” and such similar ‘helpful’ pointers made me roll my eyes in disdain. I heard stories of him screwing up careers of women who didn’t fall in line with him. Surprisingly, I also observed girls fluttering their eyelashes and turning to mushy pulp in his presence.
What if I’m ever transferred to his project, I often wondered. Would I tolerate his perverse attitude to climb up the corporate ladder? Was letting my self-respect fade out for the sake of my career aspirations an option at all? Should I carry a pepper spray to work daily, just in case?
Incidentally, before the misfortune to work with him struck me I took a post-maternity career break. Although my well-laid defensive tactics remained untested and futile, I lauded myself for my strong not-buckling attitude. He might be a scum but my actions were my choice and responsibility, right?
Men or women in power often misuse their position to exploit and curb people working for/under them. They may seek whatever but giving in to their demands is an individual preference. After picking a side, right or wrong, one has to own up the consequences too. Better or worse, your actions are yours alone.
‘What if’ holds promise and hope as well as sadness and regret. Our way of seeing things makes all the difference!
Agree with me? Please do share your thoughts.
‘This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’
Blogger. Author. Editor. Content creator. Mom.
19 comments
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varsha.bagadia@gmail.com
Hi Varsh,
I agree with you. We always have the option to choose whether under pressure or free will. Once you have chosen something, we should own it. We cannot just blame others for our misfortune because as much as the other person is responsible, we are also equal partner to it.
Thanks for sharing this post. Have a good day. ?
You are right , Varsha.. I wonder , why Looks and favours often take precedence in a professional set-up. Is it because of their incapability or insecurity? It is so frustrating to see an ‘idiot’ getting away with a better appraisal than a deserved professional. I doubt if this scenario will ever change though.Sigh!
Sad but that is so true and it happens in so many companies. Sometimes it might just be a pat on the back but they could make the pat feel not friendly and welcoming. Glad to see so many stories cropping up in the metoo series and women opening up about it.
I’m glad you’ve said this. Women should be aware of the consequences of their choices, and not blame men retrospectively, where the blame does not lay purely on the men.
What if is always a mystery for me. But I have this firm belief that once a task is opted by me, their ought to be no window for the regret to come in.
Yes Varsh, as you mentioned “People misuse their position” is absolutely right and this is the situation in some corporate office. This article is very useful for young girls who will be starting their career. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for sharing this with me, such a motivating post ..we have to choose right for ourselves..no one choose the better then you.
I so agree that it’s our way of seeing thing that matters in the end. Such a work environment is going almost everywhere. It’s totally up to us what path we chose for ourselves.
I know these bosses! Sometimes they treat women employees so bad and pervertly! I hope more and more women stay strong and deal with such people with courage!
Work and performance pressure is sometimes tough for people to handle. If your boss is a scum, you have the option to talk back, walk away but what if this job was what got brad on the table? What if you loved your job and had worked your ass off to get? Sometimes these things stop you from strong actions or maybe even the fact that you are not string enough to confront an issue.
You have spoken out my thought. We should stop thinking about what people will think, should I wear like this or that, like these things. Everytime we shouldn’t blame ourselves for everything . Really very nice write up. Loved it.
Making a choice is definitely in each individual’s hands and it is something that must be done with caution. Blame game is just for cowards.
Loved reading the post, the best idea I liked was we are equally responsivle for our corporate life, will definitely share the blog with my friends too, tjant you for sharing
I completely agree with you Varsha. Although there are monsters like your boss everywhere…how we behave and conduct makes a difference.
Oh yes this is very true and men and women both misuse their power often. At work front though we can excercise our freedom to work or not but this thing should in itself be shunned down.
Thanks Varsh. Your experience how you maintained your actions when you might face or not #Metoo moments. Every actions is in our control. But sometimes we slip but that is not excuse to not to protect ourselfs. This is really a motivating article.
Nice post. One should have the courage to say no and complain if things go beyond a limit. Easier said than done. But there is no other way.
Hey varsh..a long time…hope all good..
As u said its our choice and the result also.. But feel pity on those fellows doing “anything” for a career growth
What you shared is my belief too, Varsha. However I get a lot of flak for saying so.
A thought provoking post.