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I'm sorry that I didn't respond to that question. Yes, there were two employees that witnessed the incident. One is a close friend of the jerk, and he is a new hire, so I do not expect back-up from him, as he won't want to assist in getting his friend into trouble. Also, his comment after the fact was, "well, he's of Italian descent, so you've got to expect that."Originally Posted by Cinder
It does appear that you've covered your bases.
Several people have asked whether anyone else actually witnessed (or heard) the confrontation, and it sounds like they did not. Your office manager's support is apparently based on a previous incident and I have no way of knowing whether that has been documented..
EXCUSE ME????
The other employee is a female that has stated that she needs to "tiptoe" around the jerk to avoid any rage issues. She has also spoken to the office manager about it, but I do not believe she has documented anything in writing.
My office manager's previous incident HAS been documented - she saved the email that the jerk sent her in apology for that particular outburst.
Because the slamming and throwing of things ocurred after I left his office, I did not see what he was doing, but the sounds echoed through the office, and my other coworkers were witness to those sounds.Originally Posted by Cinder
You have never really described the incident so I'm not sure if throwing things means wadding papers up and throwing them in the wastebasket then slamming his pen on the desk, or bouncing stuff off the walls, kicking the copier, etc... I also think that *what* he said has a great deal to say with how the situation will eventually be resolved by management. Ex, if he yelled "Damn, I wish they'd just program this crap right to begin with. I'm sick and tired of having to reprint...blah blah blah" Or if it was more like "No one asked you to come in here and stick your nose in my business, now get out and mind your own freaking business...blah blah blah". Either way, inappropriate, but the disciplinary actions taken could and probably should differ.
I cannot repeat here the things that he yelled due to the nature of them, as this is a forum where off-color language cannot be used. And honestly, it isn't so much *what* he said, it is the manner in which he was yelling at me.
The venom on his face - you'd have thought that he was a 4 year old and I'd just taken his favorite toy away. He attacked me verbally with great malice, and my walking away from it only served to escalate his misplaced anger.
I have detailed the incident in writing to my office manager and have forwarded that accounting to my boss. I wish I could remember what he said when he was yelling at me in MY office, towering over me as I sat with my back against a wall and no means of escape if he had decided to physically act out against me, but I was in shock and he was completely irrational. Again, what he said matters much less than the manner in which he assaulted me. It WAS an assault, in the eyes of the law, and I've done the very best I can to cover the bases.Originally Posted by Cinder
You also said he came into your office and yelled at you, but you were too upset to really know what he said. I would try real hard to remember cause it might make a difference whether they discipline the guy or fire him. If he yelled, "I don't appreciate you coming into my office an hour before I leave for vacation and causing me to have to reprint all my reports" is one thing, but if he threatened you, then he should be history.
I guess I'm just saying that being specific is very important. Come Monday your coworker is going to present his side of the story, which apparently begins with you going into his office.
About that slow, level tone of voice...My employees used to laugh at me cause the more irate a client/customer got, the slower I would talk. I think the color red progressing up my neck and face was also a pretty good indicator.
I should also mention that I am diagnosed with PTSD, and an anxiety disorder as a result of my daughter having been the victim of an attempted murder in 2001 - her throat was slashed and she was left in the woods to die when she was just 15 years old, by her former boyfriend. Thank God she survived, we are so blessed.
I am also a former victim of domestic abuse, and when a man over 6 feet tall (I'm only 5'2") yells at me in pure rage about ANYTHING, I cannot help but cower in pure fear. I can't help it - I really wish I could, but I was absolutely TERRIFIED, and I don't think that not remembering what he was yelling at that point should be held against me in any way. I was a victim of a man's misplaced rage - why should I take ANY responsibility for that???
All I said to trigger his explosion was, very specifically: "You didn't choose the monochrome setting for the printer." That's all I said, and in NO WAY does that comment warrant such a vicious verbal attack.
Whatever my coworkers story will be on Monday, I have at least one witness to corroberate my story, and an office manager with a documented incident of her own with this jerk. If for any reason I wind up having my job be in jeopardy as a result of this, a lawsuit WILL occur.