Fast track karma? Mirror?

Hey, you all. I've been without Internet for the past couple of weeks.
Got back on TODAY! Under Merc Rx of all things.

I dunno if I'll be able to catch up with every thread ... but was reading about karma and mirroring .. and how my life always seems to present the strangest situations. I swear I do not ask for these.

I've got a new part time job. I was hired by one national company and attended orientation, but was very turned off by the "supervisor", so I never started that position. They spent more time on their "sexual harassment" policy than any other topic. I got a job with another national company. Same type of thing in training. "Sexual harassment" seems to be a big item. I haven't worked for large companies for quite some time and was surprised by the amount of time they spend in training for this one issue. Must be important. Right?

So, the store manager at my location brought in a crew from one of her prior positions. One is a young guy, about 18, and she made him day manager. So in the morning I went in, and when he gave me my change bank, he said, "thanks for last night". Smirk. I thought, he's a kid, what does he know. However, I had to be out of the store for about an hour and when I came back, he had his little tv or whatever on in the back room. We aren't supposed to be watching movies or using electronic devices. The scene that came on just as I walked up was a woman washing a window with her wet t-shirted breasts. There was one other male employee there. I asked if that was porn? Mgr said no. I said she was washing the car with her "breasts". He said, no she was washing a window. I asked, didn't ya'll read the part about sexual harassment? Yeah, but that's not porn. Whatever.

If there had been just one instance, I probably would have let it drop. But, two on the same day told me that maybe this kid has some problem with women and if he is going to act as manager for a national company, maybe he needed some additional information. So I reported it to the store manager. I didn't call the corporate headquarters as instructed in the employee manual.

The next morning, he confronted me and demanded to know what I had told her (store manager). The other employee had already notified him that she was mad. I told him. Suddenly, my schedule hours dropped dramatically. I waited a week to see if that was going to stick, and it did. I talked to her last night and she told me that because I went and talked to him after I talked to her that he and I could never work at the same time. He's still manager with the same shift.

So, I had to call corporate today. I may end up fired. Even though that's completely illegal. I have an interview next week with a much better opportunity, so I'm not that worried about that part.

What concerns me is why am I put in this position so often. I do not like whistle blowing, if anyone does. There is definitely something askew in the situation. My part was I did have some schedule change requests because I'm just not sure what I'm able to do just now. But, I never agreed to work 1.5 hour shifts. I can also understand needing to schedule labor. But I'm the ONLY ONE who gets sent home after 1.5 hours.

Last night the store manager suggested I "let it go". She said that's my problem, I don't let things go. That may be. I'm an INFP, and that is one personality trait. Maybe I should let it go. But, when I've done that in the past, I get royally screwed in the end. I've changed my protocol for handling things like this.

I just don't know why I still feel icky.

You did the right thing calling him on it. I think you should have followed protocol by calling corporate first thing as stated because they obviously have had quite a lot of trouble with this in the past and have mechanisms in place. They probably have experienced more than their share of law suits to justify their training focus.

You are in the drivers seat. For all they know, you will press charges too. I guarantee that that manager you spoke with is not sleeping well this week as it happened on her watch. The young guy needs to be fired now.

Why you are experiencing this? Maybe you are saving some young thing too timid to speak up from suffering from it. You did the right thing. Good on you.

It was really hard to report it to her. My first tendency is to avoid all conflict. I trusted her to do the right thing. But in hindsight, you're right, I should have called corporate first. When I spoke with them today, the HR Manager did mention they would be discussing it with their attorneys! I have no plans to pursue damages UNLESS I get fired and he gets to stay on. But, honestly, I wouldn't even know where to start.

They may not be able to adjust my hours, but it is simply unfair to limit my hours to times he isn't there due to his ignoring policy.

Thanks for the kudos!

btw, the store manager told me she had been suspended once for something she said to another female employee who was complaining about men "bumping" into her at work. She told the woman to "get over it" or "get used to it". I guess suspension didn't teach her how to relate to someone who has been offended.

I had something similar happen to me. (It wasn't sexual, but it definitely was harrassment.) I have worked for my company a long time, and I decided that I, as a long-time employee, needed to speak up because it could happen to a new person who reported directly to the person.

I think that you'll have lots of good karma coming to you for doing this. Maybe you've just decided to work off a lot of karma in this life. I've read that some people decide to incarnate and take on several lifetimes' worth of karma during that incarnation. All I can say is that they're braver souls than I am! :scared:

It's not right that it happened, and that company really needs to deal with this situation now before they have a serious case on their hands. The problem is the store manager; she needs to be fired if she's letting things like this happen and is telling women to get over it or get used to it. My company took my situation very seriously and treated me with respect. Because of that, they weren't liable, and they continued to have a happy, dedicated employee. They didn't make me feel as though they resented my complaint. (That was over a decade ago, and I still work for them.)

I've always been "fearless". Or at least appear to be. I have felt fear deeply. But, I bet no one I know would guess. I did come into this lifetime with a bonus amount of stubbornness (tenacity) and ability to take fearless action. Many, many times foolishly so. Taking the cautious road sure looks good from here ;)

young manager was watching is the absolute definition of a "hostile work environment". And you did do the right thing to report it. Clearly there is a reason these companies are spending so much time on sexual harassment.

Don't wait to get fired. Go out and get another job. You already have an interview lined up, and there's no point in staying somewhere that an 18 year old is allowed to get away with such behavior.

I will be looking. (There are so many things I "cannot" do w/o Net. Amazing. I haven't been w/o it for the past 10 years.)

I hope he is not allowed to get away with it. The HR manager asked what I wanted done. I have no idea. Never been in this situation. He said I would not be informed of any disciplinary action. Or not. How will I know if it's resolved? I know I'm going to document. I don't dwell on these things and details can be easily forgotten.

I fully intend to do other work, but I cannot walk away immediately unless things get a lot worse. My job takes me out of the store for a good part of the shift. Meaning, I'm not around them most of the time. I just want a fair shake at making a living. What anyone wants in a job.

I suggest you continue to push for more hours; it's bad for the company if they don't have the flexibility to schedule employees when they need them because a particular manager can't be around a particular employee.

If anything happens again, with the kid or the woman or any other employee, first use your good words, just like they teach kids in kindergarten: "Please don't do that/talk like that/treat me like that, because it makes me uncomfortable and I don't like it." That's a criteria for sexual harrassment suits, you have to have made it clear that the behavior is unwanted.

Document everything. Keep a log and keep a record of any incidents, all your scheduled hours, etc. If there is a pattern of reducing your hours after you ask a manager to stop the unwanted behavior, you have a case. For a lawsuit you have to be able to show that there was an adverse impact, that they reduced your hours, moved you to a different job, took away responsibility, especially if those things impact your paycheck.

I say get a lawyer. This company clearly does not know how to stem the tide of sexual harrassment. Appalling, in this day and age, that stuff like this still goes on. I feel incredibly blessed to work where I do. Every single person who works in my very large organization has had to take sexual harrassment training. People here are very conscious of NOT doing anything that might be misconstrued.

It's what people who don't take responsibility do. Projection, denial and acting out. They always go hand in hand. Surrendering it up to your favorite deity and surrounding yourself inside and 10' in all directions with gentle golden flame may also be helpful. All the best to you.

I haven't really talked to anyone about this. Tells you how much I trust this forum (sometimes against my best judgment ;) ). I described it to one friend briefly while driving in traffic, and just kind of blew it off. Although I told her at the time that if my schedule continued to be adversely affected, I would have to take further actions. Bringing it here and taking a little look around the 'net has informed me that I also feel violated.

What you say is true. Even though the store manager told me 3/4 of the work day was unavailable to me because of something "I" had done, this kid was already talking about it, feeling insulted, and his other buddies from his former employer were bad mouthing me. At the time I just said in their general direction that anyone who wasn't there was in no position to judge the situation.

So, my sexuality was violated. It really was. I'm not a prude, but I don't go to work at a kat house and don't appreciate being spoken to like a prostitute, even in jest, especially by someone with a MANAGER title. I had just been cautioned a few days before the the store manager to never say "no" to a manager. She had told me one thing and one of her underlings told me something else. So that wasn't very clarifying, but I got the message. GO ALONG. The movie would have made me blush on a first date. I'm just that naive I guess. What about a work setting! Completely a new scene for me. I learned to work in the old days when we didn't even take personal calls during work hours. Now they talk on the phone more time than not while on the job. And watch jr. porn.

The store manager has been with them for 26 years. Off and on I guess because she worked with these kids at a different brand store. She is a strong woman and I like her. I bet she told them "no" a time or two, but they were never aware of it. She lives outside of town, and has that small town feel. She could be intimidating to some, but I'm lion headed enough to hardly ever feel intimidated. Plus I'm old now, so what are they gonna say? I'm here long after a lot of people I've walked with. It makes sense from this side of the fence. Fuddy duddy stuff I guess.
...
well, btw.. At the time, I was actually more offended by the ageist comment he had made the day before. He said when he was 50, just take him out and shoot him. It was over for him. He would be worthless at that point. I've been female a lot longer than "old" (society's definition), so that did cut my feelings quite a bit. Somehow I feel that I chose to be a woman, but would never choose OLD! I swear. But the day after, when I had the encounters, I was so upset when I left that I was shaking. Felt very uncertain.

ANYWAY. Yes. I feel their blame and it came right out in verbal communication when my manager laid the blame at my feet. Shut up and sit down is never a good thing to say to me.

I'll go for the flame, although I have an amazing amount of peace about the situation. Everyone else is getting their undies in a twist. Maybe I've been through so many crisis situations in the recent past that nothing fazes me now. I feel somewhat detached, like a bystander. I didn't make this. But if I did, there must be a "reason", no matter I'll never understand why.

The lawyer who came into my company to discuss harrassment told us that anyone over 40 has protected status.

You said in another post that your company said that you wouldn't know what happened. That's ridiculous. You should at least be informed that the guilty parties have been reprimanded.

Also, remember that retaliation is also considered harrassment, so if you think that they've been reprimanded and they are making you "pay" because of it, that's illegal, at least based upon what the aforementioned lawyer said.

You apparently have a clear understanding on the situation and where and who you are. I hope you get resolution in a manner that Goddess knows best. You're a light in the world and it's their loss if they're blinded by their stuff. And, as Dream says, ageism is against the law.

:hug: What a draining situation this must be.

:hug: I applaud your detachment.

:hug: :hug: :hug:

I agree with the other posts--you DEFINITELY did the right thing. You are RIGHT and they are WRONG. And if they don't get severely reprimanded (the young guy should be fired), then the entire company is at fault, and you could take legal action if you wished. (Although I've been there and I know what a hassle it is--that's why so many cases aren't pursued.)

I do believe you are taking the karmic fast track. Also, are you an indigo scout, like I am? Scared on the inside but more bullheaded and insistent on correct action and justice, which all overrides the frightened part? Do you often end up the victim, or are you often targeted as being the cause of someone's unhappiness, even though you had nothing to do with it? I think those are the hallmarks of being on the karmic fast track and being an indigo scout. I've often joked that I am the cause of the fall of the Roman Empire, the sinking of Atlantis, the start of WWII, the disappearance of Amelia Earhart, and anything else anyone feels like hanging around my neck--for some reason I always end up being the "bad guy". I think that's part of my karmic fast track, my urge to see justice done at all times, and possibly an echo of my lifetime during the Burning Times (how the witches were always blamed for everything from crop failures to bad weather to animals getting sick and dying, etc. etc. etc.)

Whatever the reason, keep your shield up during all this crap. Watch out for clues from the Universe--when to speak up, when to REALLY speak up, when to tough it out, and when you've completed this segment of your karma and it's okay to move on to a more peaceful workplace.

Hang in there, VSM. We're here for you. :grouphug:

I wondered where you had gone. Needless to say, they need to fire the guy. I wonder if he told them the truth about what he was watching. Do you suppose he denied it? I'm glad there was another witness. I wouldn't want to work there if he was still there.

I have no idea how you are supposed to "get over it" when they cut your hours. That is very strange advice.

If they had asked me what I wanted to have happen, I would say, I want my hours back, and I never want to see the guy there again. At the least they should cut HIS hours to accommodate YOU.

was that Dirk movie or something? I've never seen it, but did see it come on cable after that. It may have just been the one scene in the movie, I don't know. How ironic that I would walk up just as the boob shot was on. He kept saying he didn't remember that was in the movie, or he wouldn't have brought it to work! No one was supposed to be watching movies at work ANYWAY. However, if it had not been sexually orientated, I would never have said a word. None of my biz.

After the store manager did her faulty "investigation" (she never questioned me), I am going to be asking for his dismissal. I didn't want him fired before, but if I'm being lied about and punished due to his misbehavior and now lies, then yeah, he needs to go, imo. I may have another job before everything settles. I haven't been back since I called Corporate. Am going in tonight. Even though I have something like a migraine at the moment, I don't dare miss a shift.

I don't know. I've been thinking my issues with the truth being exposed are linked to my Libra Moon.
Is your's Libra?

Scapegoat certainly fits. It was my childhood home designation, and I struggled for years to free myself from that. I finally did. I washed my hands of the family and their grief. They still blame me, but I'm not around to feel it. (The message was always . here's your abuse and you deserve it.) I feel very nostalgic when I watch a movie where a daughter is loved and cherished by her family. It is completely foreign to me, and something I would have loved to experience. Not this time.

And, yes. It does repeat. At the unfortunate house this summer, I finally told them all, just go ahead, put all your blame and sins on me (as Christians you would think they had a different solution, but, no). I'll carry the sins into the desert and then you can slay me or whatEVER! Being with people who accept no self responsibility is EXHAUSTING. But, hey, really, if they need me to blame, then go right ahead. It doesn't faze me any more. It's like this deal. I'm being portrayed as the bad guy and I have done nothing wrong.

If it's compacted karma, I'm okay with that. I gives me comfort to think that I'm burning off a bunch of stuff, and I can walk with my head up even though people whisper and connive. Whereas not that long ago, I suffered in silence, those days are over! I'm not a fighter, per se. But any more, what I need is worth fighting for if I have to.

I do love this new experience of being so detached that it doesn't scare me in the slightest. I have faced the Abyss. NOTHING is darker. No one can compete with the depths I have surveyed with their little petty BS. I lived through it, and will continue to thrive no matter what circumstances are present.

Thanks for your welcome home! I sure did miss this forum! It was wonderful getting back last night and reading all the exciting news!

Hee. Even if I just can't wrap my mind around astrology, I really should at least learn my own chart...

Yes, scapegoat. Pin it all on us and whack us on the behind. Yeppers. I don't rightly care much anymore either--after more than 40 years of this shit, I can just go to my happy place and let it wash over me. Well, most of the time. ;)

I've met someone in RL who also says she has always been the Scapegoat! MG, I cannot tell you how much shame I have had about that. The poor goat doesn't want to be bad :(

I've also concluded, that whatever an Indigo Scout is, and the karma fast track, may be due to being a very young soul. I have always been very naive' and trusting. And I take things Literally, as young children do. I heard NPR discussing how to talk to children about the economic crisis, and parents were cautioned that children take things literally. Me too. I never made that connection before. The world is so full of wile and guile, and I am no good at it. I'm no good at hiding my feelings.

Also, for any prior life stuff, nothing has ever predated the Middle Ages, with at least two being fairly modern history settings. What do you think of your past lives? Old?

They're indigo people who were born before the large wave of indigos (who would be in their mid to late 30s about now). I'm 42, so I wasn't too far ahead of the curve, but indigo scouts have been around for centuries, in sparse numbers. Are you acquainted with indigo and crystal kids? If not, shoot me a PM and I'll send you a link to an article I wrote. It was mostly about crystals, but I had some info on indigos in there. Doreen Virtue has written a book about each type of child as well. (I got to contact her for some quotes for the article.) And of course there's info online.

As for lifetimes, I can recall quite a few, but I don't know if I've had more or fewer than the average bear. Plus I don't know if spending a whole lot of time on Earth makes you a more experienced soul or not. Was it Matthew or somebody else who said that there are other ways of garnering experience--other dimensions, or even learning in what we term the Otherworld?

I'm lousy at hiding my feeling too. Well...I guess. But then again, some people have called me stonefaced or stoic, so I don't know. I know that I FEEL stuff very deeply and have been accused of being "too sensitive" as though it were a bad thing. My son is the same, and now I know it's not a bad thing--just different. I would never presume to try to order him to "toughen up" like people did with me. I know he'll come into his own, in his own time, like I did. But if I can prevent him from taking on world karma as a scapegoat, I certainly will help him avoid that! Yuck!

I also tend to suspect that wearing our hearts on our sleeves isn't an indication of being a young soul or an old soul--just that we have chosen to express ourselves, and view the world, in this way, in this lifetime.

...Does that make any sense?

P.S. I read your update post--so glad some justice has been done! Do you think you've untied a karmic knot or learned the lesson you wanted to learn, and now you can move on to that job in your field? :D

I'm going to do it once things settle down for me. :D

Thanks, vsm.

a warrior personality? I've started the course, and at least to begin with, it is about reclaiming the part of me that warriors for Integrity. Not just for myself, but for the entire world. This is not an easy path. People do not like to be stirred up. I have frequently felt myself a messenger for karma, and I wanted no such job! What kind of arrogance! So. I'm feeling hopeful that there is a way to carry on without feeling that I'm disruptive.

It has taken me a long time to learn to pick my battles, but when it needs to be done, I do it. It's not something that I enjoy, but I can't stop myself.

I try to conduct myself in the world in a way that I am a part of the same team with anyone with whom I'm working so that there are no losers. That person's win is also my win. When that's not possible and something still has to be done, I then make the decision as to whether this is actually a fight that should be fought. If my gut tells me yes, I do what's required.

However, I had to learn to not stay in warrior mode. That must not be my default. In fact, the exact opposite is my default way of conducting myself in the world.

policy, you had no choice but to turn in the guilty parties. And you probably will get fired. The exact same thing happened to me in 2006. I can only hope that some policies were changed at the company I worked for, as I was certain the Universe put me in that place at that time to do something to force them to face their problem.

Tell the Universe not to put you in this situation again, and do what you can to avoid putting yourself in it again (listen to your enormous intuition when it comes to weeding out terribly broken places of employment...which, I know, is most of them).

I'm feeling so strong today as I stand up for myself. Each time I go through something like this, I must come through stronger.

Here's a class description from a teacher I greatly admire. Gives one something to consider.

Description of class:

Interpersonal relationships are possibly the most profound, challenging and rewarding way that we realize and experience our growth. The contrast between who we really are and who we think we are manifests through our relationships demanding our attention or locking us into frustratingly repeating patterns.

Many believe that humanity is transitioning through the greatest spiritual/evolutionary shift in recorded history, but what does this mean and how will this affect relationship? Is it already happening? Where is the evidence? Shouldn't relationships be getting easier?

In my own journey, spirit has been gently (and not so gently) guiding me toward greater understanding of the shifting role of relationship as we ascend and transcend.

The Shifting Role and Purpose of Relationship in the New Energy

In this class, I will discuss my (ever developing) theory of the great shift and what it means to us individually. I will discuss the shifting (evolving) role of all interpersonal relationship helping us to more consciously attain higher ways of expressing (discovering and creating) who we really are (in relation to everyone in our lives).

They have started giving me more hours. I think the kid was put on suspension, as his schedule had "x" for every day this week. The store manager wasn't even there the last two nights I worked (Mon/Tues). She may have been suspended too. The HR manager has been calling, but I've missed the calls so far.

I was offered a new job today in the field for which I am qualified. I also interviewed for the same type of work with someone else Tuesday, and have yet to hear from them. So, I will be moving on with my employment history intact, etc. :bounce:

I hope this is an example to others to speak up and stand up, even if you feel that you are "guilty" and feel shame. Bringing it to light expels the shame.

:woohoo::woohoo:

That's such good news all the way around! Good for you!

you spared someone else by speaking out as you did. Thank you for doing this.

:)

You have given us a "lesson" in manifesting.