Stay Open

The time has come for you and Matt’s HR mediation. Bring your original incident timeline, corroborating witness emails, and puppy — but most of all, bring an open mind. Yes, it may be your experience that reporting The Opportunity was inappropriate and speaking up led to being removed from team emails, which led to feeling lost in an accountability echo chamber, but for the sake of congeniality have you even considered the Rashomon of it all and thought through this from another point of view, specifically Matt’s, because he’s also your new boss?

Smile

Congratulations on the transfer to your new department! It’s a lateral move and the Generalist assured you it would be a good fit, but you’ve noticed some distance from the team’s social gatekeepers and the Assistant is allergic to dogs. You’ve also noticed you’re ignored or talked over despite wearing your best yoga pants, but that could be the effect of all the scones on your silhouette. Before escalating matters to a Carefrontation™, the next time you’re in a meeting make sure to smile. Smiling is a great non-verbal cue that shows you’re gracious, approachable, and definitely not oversensitive. When co-workers ask if something’s wrong because you’ve frozen in full Cheshire, tell them you’re just happy to be part of the team.