Human Resources: A Corrupted "Safe Space"

The employee is not their concern - the Company is

AI-Generated Image: Black women in an office, sitting at a long table, in a meeting. The photo is black and white. The women are poised, have natural hair, and are dressed in business casual or business attire.

Filing a report to HR was the last thing we wanted to do

But after we sat with the words used in the meeting on Thursday, March 13, 2025, for over a week — we realized something must be done for the slaughterous word-vomit dumped all over us. Our Training Manager would be coming to town the following week, so my co-worker and I agreed it would be a great idea for me to speak with her one day during her stay.

I did. Our conversation took place on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at 6:30 PM.

After sharing with her snippets from an email I composed intending to submit directly to the women of HR, she advised me to move forward — that something had to be done about what we experienced.

Firstly, I have never had to file a report with Human Resources regarding any of the jobs I have ever been affiliated with or employed by. I am saddened that I have to do so now.

Secondly, we had our first meeting with our new supervisor, this past Thursday, March 13, 2025, at 1:00 PM, to which blanket statements and worrisome comments teetering on the edges of discrimination and racism, were made. I was not comfortable during the meeting and the more I think about it and it is allowed to fester, the more it hurts.

The above was a part of the introduction to the email. I spared no detail. I was as thorough and as forthcoming as I could be. I recollected the events to the best of my knowledge and shared them hoping I would be heard — believing I would be seen. I will share just a couple of points here with you. Five in all were listed, with a full intro and closing remarks as well:

3. She advised us to use the pockets on our scrubs for the placement and securing of our phones, and not to secure our phones in our bras. (Again, not applicable. This is something I would not think to do and couldn't even fathom to do.) I know where my cell phone should be placed on my person.

4. She also told us to make sure our overall appearance was clean and not unkempt and to be sure there are no food stains or bleach stains on our scrubs. I am overly neat and clean. I am extremely particular about how I present myself, and I am always dressed appropriately in my scrubs. They are clean and lint-brushed every morning before I leave my house, and I even have sneakers (Brooks) in three different colors and styles that mesh perfectly with my scrubs.

I poured my heart out. I was foolish to believe this department would take my words, allow them to wash over them, apply empathy, and conduct a thorough and appropriate investigation. I received a response shortly after my submission stating someone would reach out to me to schedule a meeting and to keep the information that was shared confidential. The email submission was on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.

I assisted my co-worker with her email by proofreading and editing it once she had composed hers. She submitted her email about an hour and thirty minutes after I submitted mine.

We waited for our scheduled meetings that were a waste of our time

Our respective meetings with HR were on Monday, March 24, 2025, at 1:00 PM (for me) and 3:00 PM (for my co-worker). To have something as serious as a meeting with Human Resources on Teams felt informal and lacked substance. These women seemed busy and not too concerned with the information they supposedly read. If I can be transparent here with you all . . . it felt like I was taking up valuable time from them with my worries and concerns.

there is no peace now
one person has damaged us
our higher ups f a i l e d
a meeting brought out our beasts
an unsolved problem lingers

One was putting words in my mouth while the other took copious notes to get a clearer understanding of what took place. I had to bite my tongue several times, but I stood my ground with my explanation, and the pain and anguish I felt was palpable. I could see myself morphing into a defeated human being and at that point, I sparked up and gave them two, three, and four cents and every single piece of my mind.

Their responses were out of hurried preparation and a want to get a quick resolution — not of actual concern for my well-being or my pain.