I wish I could speak my mind!

We cannot speak our minds at work, out of fear of being fired, of being laid off, of losing a positive work reference and of burning important bridges.

But man oh man, do I wish I could speak my mind!

SO much is boiling up inside me....

I want to march into my CEO's office, and tell him that what our manager did yesterday was entirely unacceptable behavior for a professional work environment. I want to tell the CEO, "if you don't fire him for that, I am walking out the door right now!"

I want to tell the CEO that we have extremely poor leadership, and that's because he places people in roles for which they are very ill equipped.

I want to tell the CEO that he runs the business poorly himself! That he could make far better business decisions and run the place SO differently.

And I want to tell them ALL where they can go, with all their unprofessionalism and toxic ways.

But of course, I wouldn't DARE say of these things, except keep them to myself and write them down here.

So, I suffer because I have to hold all of this inside of me, when I am bursting to just SAY IT like it is.

Instead, I will keep my mouth shut, keep my head down, do my work, and be a good little worker bee like the rest of them.

It sucks doesn't it? I should just work for myself.

Do you work in a field that would lend itself to having your own business?
If you do...seriously consider this.
Or, on the other end, a field that has remote work or travel work opportunities?
Then again, you may be one of those who outlasts the CEOs and vagaries of New Management/shifts...(does that still happen?)

Thank you for your reply! I do work In a field where I could run my own business but it would take funds that I don’t have, unfortunately. I wish I could!!! There are remote work opportunities which I am applying for. That’s a distinct possibility!! I am applying and hope to be able to leave ASAP.

I am sorry you are in this difficult situation. You are obviously going to need to get a new job, one way or the other. Sending you strength and support. You can do it. It just may take a little time.

Thank you sooo much! I need all the strength I can possibly muster!

I'm sorry you're in a toxic work environments. Hope you can get one of the remote positions you're applying for.

Thank you! Yeah, it sucks where I am now!!! SUCKS. I hope I can get a remote job too!!!!

I am sorry you are experiencing appalling work conditions that are affecting your health.

Except any self-respecting CEO who runs their business expecting professionalism from their managers would welcome your writing.

Never write contentiously; always be polite and to the point. Explain your manager's unprofessionalism and poor leadership qualities are impacting on you and your co-workers, affecting workplace morale.

You should request your name remain anonymous for reasons of losing your job because your manager is a bully in your workplace. Then thank your CEO for his time and sign your name.

Recently I resigned my doctor's career lest I had a nervous breakdown. Though I was harshly criticised for resigning immediately, I have no regrets because otherwise my family would have suffered along with me.

In the position you are in, you owe it to yourself to write to your CEO. In the meantime, look for another job in your type of work because your job is affecting your health. To not do so could cause you a nervous breakdown, and then you wouldn't be able to work anyway. You should consider working remotely if you find another job, but take your time looking for work that could suit you.

I believe you can do this!

Thank you for your thoughts!

I did read your post about resigning -- I am proud of you for doing so!!!!

I am not nearing a mental breakdown myself. I feel pretty Ok lately (over the past couple weeks I've been OK). I was at a breaking point a few weeks back, but I recovered.

There are job boards where you can write supposedly anonymous reviews of your company. But I recently read an article that states your review can be traced back to you by the employer, if they so desire.

So I will not write an anonymous review.

I won't say anything in fact, because I know it won't do any good and I do fear losing my job. My CEO will fire people and has.

I just have to stick it out and find another better job for myself. That's my only option.

There must be other co-workers who feel the way you do....Could you (all) go and speak to the boss?

I am sure there are. I have been on thin ice there myself (they almost let me go when business went downwards), so I am in no position to complain in any way. They will fire people who come across "not fitting in". And "not fitting in" within my company means speaking up and being a complainer. They're the type of company that ignores problems and brushes them under the rug. They don't want to acknowledge or even address the big glaring issues. The problem exists with the CEO and runs throughout all leadership in the company.

My only option is to seriously just look for another job and leave as soon as is humanly possible.

That being said, I plan on having one HECKUVA exit interview! Then I will very diplomatically state the facts of the matter and will give my constructive criticisms and two cents!!!! Oooh, am I really looking forward to that day!!!!

I'm glad you're not nearing a nervous breakdown like I was, and apologies for inferring you were.

Yes, anonymous reviews can be back-traceable, so it's good knowing.

I think you've made the right decision then in not writing to your CEO. Instead hunt around for work like you said. Maybe putting a postcard in a town shop that encourages personal ads could be helpful.

Thanks for your compliments about me my resigning my job. My partner and our children helped me do that. We are a strong little family, and I'm glad for having the courage to leave.

I wish you well.

I know how you feel. My former employer was like that. Edicts were always handed down with no input from anyone that had to adhere to them. No consideration was given to how these changes would reflect our workflow. I realized after some months that any attempt to speak out and suggest ideas was useless. I lost count of how many times I sat in meetings and saw newer co-workers become frustrated because nothing they said was listened to by our team leader or her boss.

Turnover was really high. People either got frustrated with our manager and/or the constant senseless policy changes and quit; or, they were let go for reasons no one really understood. I think it was to make people fear their jobs and discourage anyone from speaking out. When I was let go, it was two of us in one day, which really made people nervous according to a former co-worker who is still there. For me it was a huge relief, but I am very lucky that I live in a country with more worker protections than the US and I received a good severance package.

Hugs! I wish you the best of luck in your job search. I hope something comes up soon. Just know, you are far from alone in dealing with this situation.

Thank you! I wish you well too! You definitely made the right decision!!!!

Thank you @rechu!

That sounds like a terrible work situation, and very similar to my own! They fired people where I am, I think for the same exact reasons! And it DOES instill fear in all of us about potentially getting fired. My work place also has a very high turnover rate. Not many people last that long.

I've given up on all hopes for positive change there. All I know is I need to get out of there as soon as I possibly can... but that could take me months! The jobs I need are far and few between at my level and in my field. Working remotely opens up more job possibilities for me, so I'm applying to anything applicable to my skill set.

In the meantime, I am just kind of coping. I've even given up trying so hard, as I realized I was getting nowhere in doing so.