Expert: Joanne Chang - 9/9/2010

Question
four years ago I had amajor emotional breakdown. I did not have to be intuitionalized and had a lot of support from family and friends. unfortunatly my job was involved and had to deal with frantic phone calls and out burst of tear. now that I doing better, on medication and regular visit to my doctor I still have the stigma of being unbalanced at work. There are many clicks and gossip abound it just seems that i can get ride of their past judegment.I work in a major health institution and it seems as if I cant do anything right. It's very involvedTheses are petty things,nothing life threating.Yet there are those nurses' that have a power trip. what do I do?

Answer
Hi Katrina,

I'm sorry to hear of your current difficulties but am glad to hear that you have a good support network.

Certainly, it feels awful to be judged by others unfairly based on our past. You might want to consider the following:
1) It has been 4 years. Have you shown enough through your actions that you are stable enough to manage your work responsibilities well?
- if yes, could it be time for you to start afresh at a new workplace? (please see number 2 though)
- if no, what could you do more of to show stability? (e.g. less absences from work, completion of assignments on time, making valuable contributions, etc.)
2) You used the word "petty" to describe their behaviour. No workplace is without politics. To put it crudely, every village has its idiot.
If you feel that their behaviour is not justified / has no basis, could you keep a distance from them and seek refuge / support from the colleagues that you get along with and trust?
3) if they do treat you unfairly in a way that you would like addressed, are you able to assert yourself in a professional manner or do you have a senior colleague you can seek assistance from?

I wish you all the best in the coming days. Please stay encouraged!
Joanne :)