by Nadine Odo

Created on: August 13, 2008

There are several possible reasons for leaving a current job. Maybe someone is bugging you. Or maybe someone's coming on to you. Maybe you're getting canned anyway. Or, maybe you just plain hate it.

Someone is bugging you

The workplace, like the school yard, is populated with bullies. We've all had to endure insults and snide remarks from coworkers and bosses. Some bullies take credit for your work, while others hide information from you so that you end up making bad decisions which could damage your career. I once worked with someone who was so underhanded that she made changes to documents in my computer while I was out of the office (yes, I have proof). A friend of mine was in a worse situation. When her boss was out of town, he ordered his employees to meet in the conference room so he could talk to them over the speakerphone. Turns out, the only reason for this conference call was to humiliate one particular employee for a minor slip-up in front of dozens of his coworkers. If you can relate, you can probably feel your ears burning, your heart beating faster, and your mind reeling with murderous thoughts.

The Workplace Bullying Institute (workplacebullyinglaw.org) defines bullying as, "repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators that takes one or more of the following forms: verbal abuse, offensive conduct/behaviors (including nonverbal) which are threatening, humiliating and/or intimidating, or work interference (sabotage) which prevents work from getting done." The Institute suggests documenting incidents, including dates and details of what was said and done. They urge bullied employees to go to the human resources department, and if HR doesn't take immediate action, to contact one's employee assistance program or a lawyer. Of course, there is the possibility that your bully won't receive a pink slip, so you may have to leave if you want to keep your sanity.

Someone is coming on to you

Another reason for leaving your job is sexual harassment. The EEOC's definition of sexual harassment: "Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual naturewhen submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment" (www.eeoc.gov/facts/fs-sex). Sure, HR should help you with this sort

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>