Corporate Truth Bombs: My Boss' Scolding Reduced Me To Tears And I Almost Peed In My Pants

When you work in corporations for a long time, you develop a thick skin and become immune to workplace toxicity. We’re living in a day and age when most of us have normalised many toxic workplace practices. I too used to consider myself as someone who had developed immunity to tolerate censure, affront and many other toxic workplace practices over the years. I used to think nothing worse could happen that would push me against the wall and make me feel helpless. However, I was mistaken, and how!My boss never liked me and would always find reasons to make me feel bad about my competence level and calibre. Job market had been bad for a long while and this is why I had no other option except to put up with everyday toxicity. However, one day my boss’ downright obnoxious behaviour reduced me to tears in view of everyone else. I was mortified to the core. My face had turned red and I literally shivered.I work in a media house and meeting deadlines is key. On that fateful day, I was particularly unwell and was not able to work at an optimum level. Hence, I got late in breaking the news. When my boss found out about it, she stormed out of her office and walked up to my seat to shout at me at a really high decibel. Her words 'HOW DARE YOU? WHY DID THE STORY GET DELAYED?' continue to ring in my ears till today.I was so shocked and humiliated that I was just this close to peeing in my pants. I started crying. Not profusely, but yes I was reduced to tears. As much as I wanted to hold back my tears from trickling down my cheeks, the embarrassment that I felt was so poignant that tears couldn't stop rolling by.I couldn't shout back or give a retort to my boss. However, the only thing that I did was pack up my stuff and leave the office. I never went back. I mailed my resignation on reaching home. I didn't know where the next paycheck would come from, but I was clear that I wouldn’t work under a boss who was so callous and inhuman. Some colleagues did check up on me and from what I heard from them, my boss had no remorse for behaving in the way she did. After that incident, my self esteem issues have quadrupled. I am constantly second guessing myself and feeling too diffident in my skin. I learnt one of the life's important lessons a very hard way and that is to never let anyone trample your confidence and pride.