Through the blindfold. A story inspired by true events - ebook

PREFACE TO ENGLISH EDITION

Magdalena Bobbe has penned a story inspired by true events. Like a fly on the wall, the reader follows a series of vignettes that slowly unfold, revealing the machinations of a toxic organization. The vignettes begin at the top, starting with the evil of a banal refusal by the leader to consider another person’s opinion, underscored by a disengaged yet superior attitude. Instead, the owner hires the self-serving general manager for a distant factory based on gut feelings and the assumption that they want the same thing. The owner then delivers his vision to a new HR Manager without ensuring that everyone is on the same page with an actionable plan.

This lack of leadership engagement fosters a treacherous and undermining behavior that ultimately affects all hierarchical levels within a distant production plant. This context sets the stage for an unfolding tale of bullying, chaos, and the undermining of competent employees who genuinely care about their work. Ironically, this factory has an anti-bullying and harassment policy in place. Despite these policy safeguards, it is also a tale of a refusal to acknowledge the reality of gender differences, instead perpetuating the worst assumptions about female staff members, one of whom is the main protagonist. The vignettes then center on the progression of a replacement HR manager’s harassment, undoing, and struggles with her male colleagues in general management as they indulge in toxicity and enact double standards and sabotage behind her back. They follow our protagonist’s undoing and her attempt to obtain justice for the damage. At the same time, management works to bury the problem and makes her the scapegoat.

Those of us who have been mobbed and bullied, and support those who are bullied, know this as a familiar tale. No matter where workplace bullying unfolds, the story is remarkably similar. We need these stories, as they illustrate the reality of the mobbing and bullying situation beyond the statistics. We need these stories to make it clear that targets are not just numbers, but individuals who struggle with the physical, emotional, and financial damage that this moral injury extracts from our self-esteem and well-being. We need it to expose the bullies who make our lives miserable by being who they are, because they should not get away with it.

Still, it is common for significant others, friends, and bystanders to struggle to understand, or to reject outright, the experience of mobbing. This struggle to understand means we need these stories because these problems are not just “made-up” accusations of our over-sensitive imaginations. Ultimately, we need others to hear stories like this one so we can all work together to improve the work environment for everyone.

Thank you, Magdalena Bobbe, for your courage in writing and sharing this story.

Nan Cowardin-Lee, Ph.D.

Support Coach and Consultant
Essential Business Behaviors

Author:

10 Steps to Overcome Workplace Bullying:
From Recognition to Resilience;
and
How and Why to Tell Your Bullying StoryPREFACE

This was not an “easy read” for me because of its subject matter. I deal with workplace bullying and harassment issues daily and am well acquainted with many such stories and their consequences for victims, their families, and loved ones.

The so-called “employer” or “organisation” (a very clever and convenient term, as it remains impersonal—“an organisation” rather than naming individuals) is, in fact, specific people—known by their full names, and these specific individuals, who can be identified by name, are responsible for the “organisational culture”, for destroying others “within the organisation”, and for failing to respond to bullying and harassment.

Destroying another person in the workplace is evil in its purest form. Failure to act against such evil is equivalent to condoning it. Bullying, harassment, and destruction of another person requires a response that is always aimed at protecting and supporting the victim. ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing’ – Edmund Burke.

Miłosz Hady, Legal Counsel,

Employment Relations Specialist

‘Leaders are the product of the system
that promotes them’

_Ken Blanchard_

‘A toxic organisation can be compared to a tightly sealed jar. An immature leader can make this already hard situation dramatically worse. As in any company, many different types of people add to the unique make-up of the organisation.

There are those who are committed to the organisation’s development and share ideas. There are others who may not be exceptionally creative but eagerly engage in implementing interesting projects started by others. There are also those who simply carry out tasks and find fulfilment elsewhere.

Over time, in such a sealed jar, everyone slowly becomes drained of energy and eventually suffocates from the lack of oxygen. They feel that everything they touch progresses slowly, and it is difficult to complete tasks.

The worst, however, is the chaos: initiating projects, then abandoning them, and picking them up again. Lack of up-to-date information. In these pressurised situations, people experience inexplicable hostility towards each other. Over time, the natural need to support the organisation’s development is blocked, leading to frustration and mutual blame for the failures. And so, the organisation becomes stagnant.

The organisation accurately diagnoses what supports and what hinders its development, but overcoming a rigid organisational framework is difficult. No one is in a position to interrupt it. The empowered ones can’t see a need for letting air into the sealed jar; they are content with the organisation as it is. However there are also those who see the need for change, want to make a difference, and know how to do so, but are not sufficiently empowered. And so, passively and inertly, they are still trapped in a sense of powerlessness and helplessness, sometimes for years, caught in the company’s futile dance. Each to their own rhythm and melody.’

Magdalena Bobbe,
_Scheda po niedojrzałym zarządzaniu ludźmi_,

_Magazyn Rekruter_, 25 July 2022.PROLOGUE

Kuba Kamiński ended his conversation with a headhunter who had called him with a job offer. Some time ago, he reached out to his recruitment contacts to let them know that he was interested in new career opportunities. Kuba had worked for interesting brands, it made his job title sound ambitious, and over time, he learned to say what others wanted to hear. As a result, usually sooner rather than later, one of his recruitment agency contacts would get in touch with him. He also had a reputation as an ambitious manager, consistently climbing the career ladder, so recruiters were happy to have his profile in their database.

More and more often, he realised that it was time to leave his current organisation. Recently, the company’s headquarters had received a photo of him with a swastika on his forehead, this had led him to be wary of his current circumstances. He began to seriously worry that audits would soon follow in the department he managed, and that his reputation, which he had worked hard to maintain, would suffer. Although he learned about the incident informally, through a colleague, and officially the company does not deal with anonymous tips (the photo had been sent from an anonymous account), the situation caused unnecessary concern. Moreover, recently, when he handed a termination notice to a team member, they left with the remark that he could smile while stabbing someone in the back. The way they said it made their words echo in his mind to this day. It seemed like nothing, as that person no longer worked there, and it was unheard of for anyone he parted ways to cause any fuss, but the strange feeling of losing control lingered. A superior from headquarters also started asking uncomfortable questions about the projects he had given for completion, which were either not progressing at all or not being carried out according to plan. For now, he managed to brush off the unflattering comments. Eventually, they knew what kind of people Kuba had to work with, and he was not able to do everything himself.

More and more often, he was overwhelmed by the feeling that he was walking on thin ice. He did not like feeling that way. The job offer, however, sounded interesting, and Kuba realised it had come just in time.

*

‘I don’t like this guy,’ said Camilla Andree, Chief Financial Officer at the company’s headquarters. She was with Peter Toorn, the company’s owner, during a recruitment meeting with the candidate.

Peter, on the other hand, was certain that Kuba Kamiński was just the person he was looking for. Three years ago, he invested in a factory in Poland. During that time, he became convinced that the current general manager was not someone with whom he could pursue his vision for the company’s growth. Lately, they weren’t getting along at all. Peter was happy with where he was now: five factories in Europe, with the biggest one in Poland, and several sales offices around the world. But he still wanted more. His dream was to turn the factory in Poland into a modern, process-driven company, and he had the ambition for his company to become a leader in its industry. The current general manager restrained his ambitions. He did not like that. Besides, he would soon retire anyway. In this case, he needed a successor! He expected someone younger with a fresh, broader perspective. He was convinced that these attributes would take the company to the next stage.

‘I don’t like this candidate,’ Camilla repeated when Peter did not respond. The interview with Kuba Kamiński left her with a sense of discomfort, the cause of which was hard for her to diagnose.

‘Why? He might not be the best, but he has something we’re missing. I liked him,’ Peter replied. He couldn’t understand why Camilla opposed Kuba Kamiński’s candidacy so firmly. She was usually reserved, especially when judging people.

‘I didn’t like that, even when I asked him a question, he would give his answer to you. He treated me like I did not exist,’ the CFO explained.

Peter thought that Camilla was overreacting. Only two people met, who thought alike and were on the same wavelength. The man quickly understood what Peter meant and had excellent suggestions for his ongoing issues.

‘He limited cost optimisation to redundancies,’ Camilla insisted. ‘As his first step, he would get rid of the secretary, because, as he said, anyone could make their own coffee.’ Camilla was so outraged that she could barely recognise herself. ‘This is blatant sexism. He didn’t bring up reorganising any processes, and instead, he planned to drive efficiency by increasing people’s workload.’

‘You’re exaggerating! The secretary was just an example.’ Peter did not understand her reaction. ‘You know very well that production performance and cost reduction are the two main issues we’re dealing with in this factory. We need fresh blood and modern thinking, and this candidate is a guarantee of all that.’

He liked this guy; it had been a long time since he met someone with whom he at once “clicked”. He believed that the conversation flowed when he met the right person. Although some of the examples shocked Peter as well, he mostly attributed them to Kuba’s young age and cultural differences.

*

‘Kuba is not capable of managing the factory. He’s too young, immature, and focused on his own success.’ Camilla tried to convince the boss that hiring Kuba for such an important position was an ill-advised decision.

‘I know, he’s not perfect, but we don’t have anyone better,’ Peter replied, having also developed some doubts after his second interview with the candidate. However, he was certain that no one else could understand his vision for the company as well as this young man did. The other two candidates had no idea what he was talking about. When talking to them, he felt as if they wanted to hold back his plans for the future. He almost felt attacked when they asked probing questions about how he would implement the vision for the future of the company. Kuba, on the other hand, did not ask unnecessary questions. He was able to understand everything on the spot. He got the picture exactly and was confident of it. ‘He’s young, I know, immature, but he’ll keep an eye on the business; he’ll have a strong personality from the HR department backing him up. He’ll develop, and that person will be our eyes in the factory.’

‘Why do you think he’s such a good fit? We’ve only met with three people!’ Camilla continued to try and talk Peter out of giving Kuba such an important role, although she knew this was the moment when she should back off. When Peter sets his mind on something, no one can persuade him to consider an alternative solution to a problem. He believed that this was the prerogative of the business owner.

Peter was becoming irritated with Camilla’s attitude. He needed freshness, new ideas, and abilities, and he saw all of that in Kuba’s approach. In addition, Kuba shared his sense of humour, and his ease and appearance impressed Peter.

‘We’ll hire a smart HR specialist to keep an eye on him,’ Peter repeated, and Camilla knew the decision had been made. ‘The person will report to the CFO at headquarters, which means you. What’s the worst that could happen if we hire him?’ Peter asked.

Camilla realised that her fears were irrational and accepted the fact that Kuba Kamiński would be appointed General Manager at the factory in Poland.

*

When the recruiter called him with the good news, Kuba was not even surprised. He and the owner sparked a connection from the very beginning. The only surprise was perhaps how quickly everything was happening. He knew that his job interview had gone well. The owner even accepted the salary level that Kuba had proposed. Forty per cent higher than his current salary! It was quite an achievement! Now it was clear how much he is worth. All those who underestimated him will see him in a different light once they find out how much he earns now.

*

The same recruitment company Peter had previously worked with when searching for a general manager for the factory found the right candidate for the position of head of HR. He was convinced that he had built a team to lead the company in the direction he had always desired.

Alina Krelska, who was to take on the role of HR manager, met all the requirements and had the qualities Peter was searching for: experience in a company with a similar business profile, charisma, passion, enthusiasm, and strength. It looked like he had found the final piece of the puzzle.PART I

_Three years later…_

Peter Toorn was not entirely sure what had gone wrong. However, he no longer intended to focus on this. A friend recommended an excellent recruitment agency, which he tasked with finding an HR Manager. This time, he looked at the candidates more closely. It definitely had to be a strong person, as he suspected that working with Kuba Kamiński was not easy. Kuba was demanding, perhaps a bit too uncompromising, and stubborn. Well, a man after all! High testosterone. As Peter believed, all of these were the attributes of a winner.

In fact, none of the candidates particularly impressed him during the interview. He ultimately followed the headhunter’s recommendation, and Lena Bilka was offered the job. She had worked for many companies in various industries. She successfully faced tough challenges, and Peter believed she would thrive in the factory. Although Kuba assured him that they would manage without an HR Manager, Peter had doubts. The business was doing well, but he found it difficult to diagnose the problem inside the factory. Social media was filled with negative reviews of the company, which he could not believe even after a rough translation by Google Translate. Kuba claimed that there was nothing to worry about, as it was just nonsense, and people say all sorts of things. Furthermore, the platform removed some posts after Kuba’s intervention because they damaged the reputation of specific individuals. Besides, the anonymous mail had also arrived recently…

He did not intend to hide anything, so he informed the candidate that the factory was managed by a young and dynamic person who lacked sufficient people-management skills and needed support in this area.

‘We are looking for a strong person who won’t be afraid to be a “sparring partner” for the General Manager. What do you say?’ Peter concluded his explanation of the key challenges the HR Manager would have to face.

‘Well, I’ve worked in various companies, and the most essential thing was the tasks we did together. Different approaches are desirable to build something interesting and unique,’ Lena was confident that experience, authenticity, and honesty fostered inspiring relationships. ‘And I like challenges...’ she said with a hint of irony.

‘My dream is a technologically and process-wise advanced company that will be a first-choice employer on the local job market,’ Peter continued. ‘How are you going to support me on this journey?’

Lena felt as if she were in a state of trance. She was brainstorming ideas, and they were discussing them, especially the proposals that Peter found incomprehensible. She had not felt this way in a long time, as though she had won the lottery.

‘We expect autonomy, as you will be a doctor here, and this organisation will be your patient. You’ll be the one telling us what to do, knowing where we need to get,’ Peter concluded metaphorically. ‘So, how about it... Are you getting on this bus?’

‘Sure!’ Lena did not hesitate at all. She felt as if her greatest professional dream was just coming true: a boss with a vision, aware of the need for development, and eager to take her along for the journey!

*

‘Peter decided to hire that blonde who was here recently,’ Kuba told Filip, the Financial Director. There were ups and downs between them, but lately, he wanted to firmly believe that they were a strong and efficient partnership.

‘It was an incredibly expensive service. I’ll check, but we’ll probably have to pay the recruiter around eighty thousand. Maybe it can still be stopped?’ Filip was ready to challenge it. He had two or three friendly recruitment agencies and used their services. They definitely will not price the service as high as the one Peter found.

‘Yes, it’s expensive, but Peter insisted. She must have something special, some unique skills,’ the General Manager said quite ironically.

‘Definitely. I don’t know what she’s capable of for that much money,’ Filip continued in his colleague’s joking tone.

‘Give it a break,’ said Kuba, though the joke still amused him.

*

‘Your predecessor had yellow papers,’ said one of her new colleagues.

Surprise mixed with disbelief appeared in the eyes of the newly hired HR manager, so Filip added the following:

‘Yes, she ended up seeing a shrink. You can ask your colleague from the department about this. She used to bring sick notes from the psychiatric ward.’

‘We broke her,’ Kuba crudely laughed. ‘People end up badly here—better watch out.’

And again, that laugh.

‘People are just people, they’re the same everywhere,’ Lena said, more to herself than to her interlocutors.

‘You’re wrong. Here, in a small town, you can’t expect too much of them. They have their limitations.’

‘It depends a lot on the managers, whether they can lead people in a way that helps them overcome their alleged limitations. My friend says, “_If you treat people like monkeys, they will behave like monkeys_”. ‘Perhaps that’s true here as well?’ She asked, more rhetorically than anything.

Both men exchanged meaningful glances and smiles. Could she be another potential mental health patient?

‘By the way, your predecessor used to inform on people to headquarters...’ Kuba gave her a pointed look, and she did not know how to hide her emotions that were starting to reveal themselves on her cheeks and neck. ‘Anyways, she wasn’t truthful. She was fired overnight.’

Lena’s first day at work came to an end. She believed that not much could surprise her, but she had experienced something like this for the first time. The first thought that came to her mind was that she should not be a “snitch”. Only much later, long after the event, did she realise that Kuba Kamiński had tried to manipulate her in this way. She did not know how yet, but she was sure she would break through the wall of mockery and ignorance built by the two most important people in the company. She was most focused on building and implementing the vision of the company that Peter had instilled in her. She will certainly come up with something. There had never been a case she could not handle. With that resolution, she returned to her office. Besides, she wanted to start from scratch for herself.

*

‘Hey, I hear you’ve got a company phone for me,’ Lena smiled at her colleague from the IT department.

‘Well, the phone is ready, but we don’t have permission to give it to you,’ he replied, slightly embarrassed.

‘How come?’ Lena responded in surprise.

‘Go to Filip,’ the IT guy replied, uneasily.

‘Why Filip?’

‘According to the organisation chart, the IT department reports to the Financial Director. Have him send me an email, and we’ll give the phone to you. We don’t want any trouble. Sorry,’ he concluded.

‘Okay. I’ll go.’

Filip’s office was nearby, so she dropped in. He was on a call and appeared to be very busy.

Lena waved to signal that she would come back later.

*

The next day, Lena met her team. It was not large, with only three people. She did not know much about them yet. During the recruitment meeting, she learned that Tomek had “historically” held the same position. Two people in charge of payroll processing and HR reported to him. And that was everyone. She was supposed to focus on the development, processes, and procedures.

‘Hi,’ she greeted the team as she entered the room where the HR department was located. ‘Where are we meeting: here or upstairs in the conference room?’ she asked.

‘Here,’ Tomek replied. ‘Give us a moment, the girls are finishing up something, and I need to finish a letter to the Social Security Institution.’

‘Okay. I’ll wait,’ Lena looked around the room. The room looked full, with boxes everywhere. From the labels, she could tell they had all sorts of items inside them, but they were always, to some degree, related to the department’s tasks. Her own “office” was in a different location, right next to the boss’s office. Aside from the two rooms occupied by Kuba and her, the rest of the space served as conference rooms.

‘Hi,’ Filip appeared in the doorway of the HR department. ‘Tomek, you were looking for me yesterday, she says. What’s up?’

‘Right,’ Tomek looked confused. ‘We missed one part of an employee’s salary, and I wanted to make sure it gets paid this week. I don’t want to wait until the next payday,’ he spoke as if each word caused him pain, and he expected some kind of punishment at the end of his sentence.

‘Alright,’ Filip replied. ‘Just send me all the details.’

‘You’re great, Filip!’ Tomek almost shouted. ‘Awesome! Our director! The best!’ he continued.

‘Depends on who’s asking, but for you, always,’ Filip said, as he left.

‘What was that about?’ Lena was both amused and surprised by the situation. Lena thought that Tomek’s reaction was over the top for what had just happened. It was as if they were re-performing a play where they knew their lines all too well.

‘We didn’t process the transfer of five hundred zloties to an employee. Of course, the production department didn’t inform us,’ Tomek explained as an excuse.

‘But why did you act like that?’ Lena asked, her curiosity clear.

‘He’s the director, after all,’ Tomek began. ‘Besides, I wanted to push it forward, and that’s the only way to do it.’

‘Why is that the only way?’ Lena still did not understand.

‘You know, Filip can sometimes be stubborn, and who wants to deal with problems? But if you approach him nicely, compliment him just right, he’ll look at the matter more favourably,’ Tomek tried to explain. ‘However, there’s a rule that anything not paid out in one salary must wait until the next payday,’ clarified a colleague from the HR department.

*

‘Hi!’ Lena said, standing in the doorway of Kuba’s office. ‘Heading to the production roundup?’ Lena asked. It was her first time attending a daily meeting where current issues were discussed.

‘Yes, I’m heading there now.’ Kuba got up from his desk. ‘Let’s go then.’

A moment later, they were in the conference room, where approximately 20 people were waiting. Lena did not know all of them.

‘Hi,’ said Kuba. ‘I guess we’re all here, so let’s begin. Marian, you go first,’ he addressed one of the attendees. Marian headed the largest production department.

‘We haven’t completed the full order for the clients from the States…’

‘Full?’ Patrycja, who handled clients from that area, interrupted angrily. It was clear that she was outraged.

‘About half is done, but we had no time to produce the rest. We had some rework for Hungary,’ Marian explained in his defence.

‘But this order has been postponed several times already. How am I supposed to talk to them? It’s a big client! You know what, next time I’ll redirect them to you.’

‘What can I do? We can put it into production today and ship it by plane if the pressure is too high.’

Lena looked at Patrycja. She suspected that such incidents were quite common.

Overall, the meeting unfolded similarly: someone had not prepared anything, and someone was dissatisfied. Lena began to worry about whether the business was even functioning properly. There was a lot of shouting, blame-shifting, and proving that things were this way and not otherwise. However, few conclusions were drawn regarding process improvement.

Finally, Kuba pointed to Lena and said:

‘This is Lena, our new HR manager, not everyone knows her.’ Kuba glanced at Lena. ‘Would you like to tell us briefly what matters to you?’

‘Hi, once again,’ Lena said, a bit hesitantly. ‘We’re just getting to know each other, but what matters to me is open communication,’ she said. ‘It doesn’t have to be nice, as long as it’s honest and genuine. And also, collaboration…’

‘See what collaboration we have here!’ Patrycja interrupted, still very upset. ‘There’s no collaboration! Perhaps you should look for a different job,’ she added.

Grzegorz, the customer service manager, gave Patrycja a nudge.

‘Stop it!’ Lena could read from his mouth.

‘Let me at least try,’ she said, kindly. She did not hold it against the girl.

On the way back to their offices, Lena asked Kuba

‘Are all meetings like this?’

‘Meaning?’ Kuba asked, confused. He did not understand.

‘That there are so many problems, so many unfinished products, even though they should’ve been completed according to the schedule.’

‘See the kind of people working here. There’s nothing you can do. But if you’re worried about whether we’re growing, I can assure you we are. Year on year, a growth of about twenty per cent,’ Kuba said confidently.

‘I missed information about changes in processes. If something isn’t working, we need to improve the process so that mistakes do not recur in the future,’ Lena did not back down.

‘Kajetan is with us to take care of this.’

‘I also think Patrycja is burning out... She’s running on fumes,’ Lena said cautiously.

‘What are you talking about? That’s just how she is. Do you think this is her first outburst? She’ll moan and moan, and then stop,’ Kuba reassured her, and after a moment added, ‘but they do need one more person in the department, so once she gets some support, she’ll calm down. It’s all in your hands now.’ He smiled and walked into his office.