I was an employee of Ross Dress for Less in Carbondale from December 2012 until October 2013. I ended my professional relationship with Ross after being bullied at the hands of my Store Manager. She has gone out of her way to berate me in front of during rally meetings, while customers are in the store, and also privately. After suffering from an anxiety disorder and panic attacks, and also being diagnosed with Bipolar I Disorder, I discussed my situation with my Store Manager, encouraged by Ross' open-door policy. After that day she went out of her way to make my life a living hell. Once while I was 12 minutes into my 15 minute break, my Store Manager left the fitting room and indirectly accused me of taking a longer break than entitled to. Once I corrected her, she stormed off without an apology. I felt uncomfortable so I ended my break. Exactly an hour later and 15 minutes before my shift ended I was called into the office and given a verbal write up (written on paper that had to be endorsed) for tardies in arriving to work. With the numerous incidents that took place between the Store Manager and myself, along with gossip about my medical information reaching every employee in Ross and being subject to slurs such as "the voices in my head", I resigned. The person that I was supposed to be able to confide in took my feelings of worthlessness, guilt, anxiety, hopelessness, and isolation and used them against me. The Store Manager's behavior has made me fearful to ask any questions pertaining to my job out of fear of humiliation of her sarcastic and unnecessary remarks. I did not want to leave my job but, had no choice. For many people living with mental illness, working is sometimes essential and is therefore part of our recovery. After my resignation I contacted Ross' corporate office. I left a voice mail on November 6, 2013 and as of today my call continues to go unanswered. Ross is supposed to be a company in support of employees with mental illness, even having an alert line but, this management makes you feel the complete opposite. I am thinking about starting a support group for people who have been bullied due to their medical condition.
