This type of abuse so often goes unseen (maybe even more so than romantic partner abuse or child abuse? It’s hard to say). It’s also incredibly important to blow the lid off of abusive workplaces, because our capitalistic work-to-death culture is like a macro version of it! It fosters this type of situation so thoroughly through our very very real fears (read: terror) about poverty and deprivation.

Having experienced abusive bosses in two blue collar jobs, I can say that these are the kinds of places abusive management thrives. The workers make less and are therefore viewed as more vulnerable and unable to seek recourse, and the abusive bosses thrive on the overly authoritative (not to mention demeaning) structures of service industry/retail workplaces.

The more we discuss this, the better prepared employees will be to see, call out, and hopefully dismantle the abusive behavior they encounter. Thank you so much for sharing your story and providing information, insight, and hope for so many of us out here!