How Do You Handle Discrimination?

[total-recoil]

To get to the point quickly, I believe I'm being discriminated against by a boss at work. Some of the time I get on with him but then he has phases of getting on my case, so to speak. I notice that if I make a small mistake, he exaggerates the whole thing and makes a big drama about it. For example, on Sunday I was sticking labels on jeans and working fast as we were busy. I somehow missed 3 pairs of jeans out of the 8 or so boxes that were done. Maybe they got mixed up somehow and fell in the box but in the past people have made made worse mistakes. It seems to me that if someone else makes a small mistake a joke is made about it and no big deal. Yet in my case this guy opened up all the boxes I had packed and found nothing wrong. On Saturday he accused me of incorrectly packing some clothes and after a lot of time lost unpacking it was found it was all O.K.
Incidentally in one case I noticed the labels we were all using were wrong which would have meant thousands of items being incorrectly marked so I saved them a lot of money by pointing it out. So, yes, I can make small mistakes and try my best to avoid doing it but what a drama over just three pairs of trousers out of 1000 packed correctly! And what really gets up my nose is I know a lot of people do cut corners and not do the job so well and nothing is said to them at all.
Anyway, not really sure how to handle it. I've experienced this kind of thing many many times before but there does come a point now where I no longer shrug it off. Of course, I know there is a fine line between using aspergers as an excuse and also an awareness that aspies are often singled out and not treated the same as everybody else. If I feel the fact I may seem a bit weird or spaced out is provoking discrimination, it makes me angry. If I think there is an actual problem with my work I try to deal with it but expect it to be discussed fairly and the same standards applied to all. Hope this makes some sense and wondering if there is a way to deal with it.

 

[Aalo]

I really don't handle it. Mostly I try to avoid people acting such, and can be surprisingly creative on being flexible. But if it's a superior in question the only way to avoid them might sometimes be quitting. That might not be what I want to encourage you to do. It seems that your boss doesn't do this to anyone else, have you talked to others to find out if they've also felt slight mistreats? Or would knowing that make any difference to you, make you feel relieved or more angry to him?

 

[total-recoil]

Don't really have an option to quit but I do have to prepare for possible unemployment. A lot of people besides myself have had issues at this place as management skills are poor and people are bullied. Some light sexual discrimination too. I try my utmost not to lose my temper and hope to handle it by using my brains but really it's difficult to find an angle how to handle the situation.

I really don't handle it. Mostly I try to avoid people acting such, and can be surprisingly creative on being flexible. But if it's a superior in question the only way to avoid them might sometimes be quitting. That might not be what I want to encourage you to do. It seems that your boss doesn't do this to anyone else, have you talked to others to find out if they've also felt slight mistreats? Or would knowing that make any difference to you, make you feel relieved or more angry to him?

 

[Aspieistj]

Total--

If you have a union, tell the rep. Even if there is no union, keep meticulous documentation of every "good" and "bad' thing you do at work and how the boss reacts. Record as much as you know about how he treats others, both the good and the bad. Be the perfect employee, always on time, never wasting a minute, never doing anything that might look like slacking off. Call in sick only when you are so sick you have to see a doctor, and bring back a written excuse when you return to work. Try to get along as well as you can with everyone you work with. In other words, be perfect and keep a daily record, date, time, place, who else is present, etc. I am telling you this because I fought my boss who tried to fire me on a trumped up charge, and I won. I was in the habit of keeping a pad and pen in my pocket and every day, when I was alone I wrote a short note about how things went. I was brought in and sat down with my boss and the director of personnel and when I realized what they were accusing me of, I pulled out the diary and read then all the facts. I was a supervisor who wasn't well liked by the people who worked for me because of my Aspie personality. I didn't know I had AS then so I couldn't use it as a defense and I was management so I couldn't get help from the union. Fortunately, the "hearing" took place over two days and I had time to save myself. The next thing I did was find a job in another department with a boss who didn't hate me. I volunteered for the night shift because I knew that position was hard to fill. She took me immediately, even after I told her what was going on with my current boss. The nasty boss and personnel woman conceded that I didn't have to be fired but I would have to complete a "plan of correction" which is a huge humiliation. I smiled and said I would not be doing the plan because I was going to another department. I am someone who really has a "take this job and shove it" story to tell. Good luck.

 

[orlampagal]

I have issues at work also - "interpersonal skills" and sometimes having meltdowns. I have a charge nurse who is always on my case and constantly looking over my shoulder. She frequently calls me on the phone and finds me to ask if I need anything.... I think she realizes that this throws me off and then I lose my spot. She actually went to where I was sitting, turned the monitor on (I had turned it off to attend to a patient) and then closed the charting I had almost finished - not saving it. She does little things that are total annoyances. I am fixing to either resign or request a leave of absence... or at the very least be transferred to a smaller, quieter unit. My 3rd write up in 3 months was in February... and they are still trying to figure out if I actually did anything "wrong"

 

[DC1346]

I did not have my self diagnosis for Asperger's confirmed until last April. Armed with the knowledge of my condition, I have requested "reasonable accommodation" from my employer under the Americans with Disabilities Act. I made this request after having had several negative interactions with the office manager. The office manager has previously berated me while also physically blocking me from leaving because I "had to" listen to her.

The school administrator has since told the office manager that she may NOT initiate contact with me. She is also not allowed to physically block my path.

You may want to familiarize yourself with your rights under the ADA.