Minisode 004: Navigating Corporate Chaos: A Journey into the Absurd
Aug 02, 2023Season 1Episode 29
Nicola and Gina
Have you ever heard of a boss in Nike's and sweatpants, running a charter school office like a high-school popularity contest? In today's episode, we sit down with Nicola and Gina, experienced in the corporate world, to discuss toxic workplaces. They share their first-hand encounters with such environments, digging into the signs that should raise red flags, such as favoritism over merit in appointments and a blatant lack of accountability. We also delve into the compelling yet challenging role of whistleblowing and its potential repercussions. So, come along as we expose the underbelly of corporate culture, laced with humor and a sprinkle of surprise.
As if the first half wasn't thrilling enough, buckle up as we head on a detour through some bizarre workplace incidents. Picture this: teachers smuggling alcohol into schools in mason jars, or a colleague running a scam in a charter school! These stories, and more, make up the second half of our conversation, taking us down the rabbit hole of unbelievable workplace tales. So, join us for this rollercoaster of an episode, filled with laughter, cringes, and gasps of disbelief. You won't want to miss it!
Find us in these places! Instagram Linkedin Newsletter YouTube ___________________________________________________ This podcast does not constitute professional advice (financial, legal or otherwise) and you should seek your own professional advice where required. By listening to and/or accessing this podcast , you acknowledge this, and you acknowledge that no warranty, guarantee or representation is made as to the accuracy of any information featured in this podcast.
Any action you take based on the information contained in the Podcast is strictly at your own risk, and Hosts and guests will not be liable for any losses or damages in connection with the use of the Podcast. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of any organisation they are employed by. The material and information presented here is for general information and entertainment purposes only.
Have you ever heard of a boss in Nike's and sweatpants, running a charter school office like a high-school popularity contest? In today's episode, we sit down with Nicola and Gina, experienced in the corporate world, to discuss toxic workplaces. They share their first-hand encounters with such environments, digging into the signs that should raise red flags, such as favoritism over merit in appointments and a blatant lack of accountability. We also delve into the compelling yet challenging role of whistleblowing and its potential repercussions. So, come along as we expose the underbelly of corporate culture, laced with humor and a sprinkle of surprise.
As if the first half wasn't thrilling enough, buckle up as we head on a detour through some bizarre workplace incidents. Picture this: teachers smuggling alcohol into schools in mason jars, or a colleague running a scam in a charter school! These stories, and more, make up the second half of our conversation, taking us down the rabbit hole of unbelievable workplace tales. So, join us for this rollercoaster of an episode, filled with laughter, cringes, and gasps of disbelief. You won't want to miss it!
Find us in these places! Instagram Linkedin Newsletter YouTube ___________________________________________________ This podcast does not constitute professional advice (financial, legal or otherwise) and you should seek your own professional advice where required. By listening to and/or accessing this podcast , you acknowledge this, and you acknowledge that no warranty, guarantee or representation is made as to the accuracy of any information featured in this podcast.
Any action you take based on the information contained in the Podcast is strictly at your own risk, and Hosts and guests will not be liable for any losses or damages in connection with the use of the Podcast. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of any organisation they are employed by. The material and information presented here is for general information and entertainment purposes only.
Speaker 1:
This podcast may contain adult themes.
Speaker 2:
This podcast is for entertainment purposes only.
Speaker 3:
The views and opinions in this podcasts are expressly our own.
Speaker 2:
Honestly, every time I try to do something fun or exciting, you make it not that way. Is it okay I kick your boss's ass. And that won't affect your workplace. I'm not sure will it. Alright. Who did this? I'm not mad. I just wanna know who did it so I can punish them. When I get into the workplace, I like to fuck shit out. Welcome to Let's Breakout, toxic workplace stories, but listed by me, Nikola,
Speaker 1:
and me, Gina, both with many years working in corporate roles. Come along as we interview some awesome guests
Speaker 3:
from around the world about their experiences with the requisite workplace.
Speaker 2:
Sharing lessons learned and providing safe, supportive place to share their stories with those who might be experiencing similar situations.
Speaker 3:
Each week, we will provide tips and ways to identify some of
Speaker 2:
the challenges associated with talented workplaces in today's episode.
Speaker 1:
I think what I was saying before was perfect. Like, basically, you know, we I wanna thank you for sharing your story because it was I mean, this is, like, my fourth fifth, I'm hearing it. And even more I've gotten even more out of it because it's truly, like, probably, like, very, very clearly how toxic it Like, you had people who were inexperienced in positions of power -- Yeah. -- no no accountability. Right. Corners being cut, not knowing when to ask for help. Like, you know --
Speaker 2:
That's what you say.
Speaker 1:
-- hiring people because they're your friends, not because they're actually fit the role, which I think is terrible.
Speaker 2:
Yeah.
Speaker 1:
You know, and you were the one who got swept up in the results of I don't
Speaker 2:
think that.
Speaker 4:
I was the whistleblower basically because I wrote in complaints about that he was putting hands off students and texting them appropriately and that
Speaker 1:
Yes. And I mean, that's all
Speaker 4:
happened because he found out which he is illegal that she had told him.
Speaker 2:
I just realized that you've got, like, like a stumpy dick microphone in your picture.
Speaker 1:
Yeah. And it looks like, like, I'm, like, banging my head on my
Speaker 2:
head. Ridiculous. To oh, there we go. Oh my god.
Speaker 4:
And he was, like, he was in, like, these track pants, like, greatest wear pants, and, like, show me that he was, like, turn on. Like, he didn't, like Who's He didn't show himself, but he, like, outlined it with his hand. And I was kinda, like, wear those sweat pants.
Speaker 2:
I'm like, I'm just painting a picture here for
Speaker 1:
when he was. That was part of the ensemble.
Speaker 4:
No. Sadly not that day.
Speaker 1:
Oh, bug. Yeah. But he
Speaker 5:
he this guy I'm imagining this guy with the bedzel desk. No. He's got a sweeter on with his deep Nena on
Speaker 2:
the front. And his slam poetry embroidered on the back. No. So what shoe let me go down to
Speaker 5:
the shoes because I need to I need a picture of the shoe.
Speaker 2:
Is he tall, short?
Speaker 4:
He yeah. He's about five, eleven, six foot. K. We used more like Nike's and stuff. Like, he never dressed
Speaker 1:
So he wasn't, like, like, streetwear?
Speaker 4:
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Speaker 2:
Because he's got a he's got a hat on and it's fucking sweatpants.
Speaker 4:
Exactly. Yeah.
Speaker 1:
Those gray sweats. And it's like the men that this is a side note just about gray sweats. The men that you don't want have to be wearing gray sweats are the ones who inevitably Where are you? I know. And then and then pointed out. You know what?
Speaker 2:
A a a good looking man in a good looking pair of gray sweat pants. I'm all up in that business.
Speaker 1:
You know, I don't wear it. The real ones, don't wear it.
Speaker 2:
I'm like, bitch, just play it. It should be your uniform.
Speaker 4:
Yes.
Speaker 1:
I know. But they don't. You get these fucking, like, a Charlie chocolate factory.
Speaker 4:
Oh my god.
Speaker 1:
The actual assault in any of my gosh. The shower.
Speaker 4:
Yes. I'm sorry. I really put my dog wet in my drawer and put so have you ever ordered from Adam and Eve that they send you like a random big sample of random things? Okay.
Speaker 1:
What do I believe? It's like a adult store.
Speaker 2:
Oh, hey. What did you get from?
Speaker 4:
So in the bag, I think an open label that I have it in my dresser, and the dog went into it, and he's now walking around with pink anal beads in her mouth. But it's keeping a eye. Sorry.
Speaker 2:
That can be the best blooper I think we've ever had. So my dogs walking around with pink anal beads.
Speaker 4:
What are the only thing I love Pixie. You know what?
Speaker 2:
I'm glad we started with our disclaimer today of there is adult content, you know.
Speaker 1:
There's a There's a used or or brand new.
Speaker 4:
No. Brand new. Brand new. I didn't touch something.
Speaker 2:
I'm not disappointing.
Speaker 4:
They were in a little I know they're in a little the bad thing, like, these things.
Speaker 1:
Those are those are pretty big anal beads. Wait. Let's see. Sorry. I
Speaker 2:
missed that
Speaker 4:
one again. These are, I think
Speaker 5:
no. There's a Ben Wabbles. No.
Speaker 1:
There's a Ben Wabbles.
Speaker 4:
Yeah. These aren't that you know, pixie, you stay over there. They're not sure where you're paying for it. Yeah. So
Speaker 1:
I think what I would really enjoy is if we veered off this topic and had you end with Another experience really quick and how that worked out for this person because they were effectively scamming a different charter school? Oh my god. It is the fucking mess.
Speaker 4:
I got disability. She said she got COVID, was working for two schools at once. Because you
Speaker 1:
know for a fact okay. So let's so so can we just end on a completely different note still about a very strange workplace happening that this is one of my all time favorite stories that Meghan because it's just so insane. That Meghan had shared with me and I remember that she was texting me and I remember I was in the gym and the texts were coming through and I stopped everything I was doing at the gym and I was just like, what? So prior to this job that Meghan had, she was working at a different charter school and she became really friendly with two of her coworkers, and I always told her I was like, I don't think they're good influences. I don't like them. And Like Megan was like, yeah, you're just jealous that I spend time with them. And I think there was a little bit of that because, like, I'm a Scorpio and we're a little possessive sometimes. But ultimately, I was right. My gut feeling was right. So one of them I used to refer to as grimace. Could she resemble the grimace if anyone knows the old McDonald's character?
Speaker 3:
Yeah.
Speaker 4:
Okay. Yeah. Sure.
Speaker 2:
I have
Speaker 1:
you grimace. So I would be like, what the fuck is Grimm is doing right now? And then the other one was just like a fucking hot mess. Like, it was a well known secret that she actually was not sober on the job. Yeah.
Speaker 2:
And me oh, wait. Okay. So so now we've got non sober teachers. Is that am I just getting it right?
Speaker 4:
Yes. At my at my job before this in the South Bronx.
Speaker 1:
Right. So completely different. And this isn't really about Meghan. It's more about like, just how crazy things can be. So Megan, do you wanna tell them the story that I'm referring to that I remember when you were texting me as it was happening, and I was just like, what is how is it even real? Because she so this woman is contacting Meghan after she went through a personally difficult time period and they were completely unhelpful, but yet they were her friends. They didn't really support her. And they hadn't talked for a long time, and she gets back in contact with Megan under the guise of, hey, can you get me a job? Okay. Egg.
Speaker 4:
So let me set the stage of a. Let's call her egg. Actually, she goes by by say, so whatever. So miss a would bring a little mason jar to school and, like, you know, weather wants to be drunk out of. And her trick was if it's white wine or ice, it looks water down. Anyway, it's just like water or salt to water drinking. And she lived around the corner from a school, so every break she had, which was pretty often, She'd go to her, you know, freezer, and, like, take out, like, or fridge, and take out wine and redo. Now, Brexit, it was not a slowly start with this. So if there's one jumbo thing of, you know, like or a linguist, like, a day, she was always drinking and then she would, like, eat pickles and, like, touch two feet after the kids all knew, and it was so weird. So she was already, like, a disgusting human being. But Okay. I just don't
Speaker 2:
have that idea.
Speaker 4:
Folks. Well, she uses tags though. She own those persons that you define online at, like, and show, you know, gift, but she used it, like, actually. And it was a purse where at the bottom you could lay your bag of wine. You know, you get boxed wine or the bags inside of the
Speaker 2:
trash. I feel like we all need this bag.
Speaker 4:
Yes. So she got that for herself and then would have her wine in there and refill her mason jar at work.
Speaker 5:
At school,
Speaker 2:
Yes.
Speaker 1:
Okay. So this is the person who doesn't support Meghan during a period of time that something personal happen -- Yep. -- and it's a tough time for her. And months go by. And how does she how does she get back in touch with you? Like, randomly via text? Right?
Speaker 4:
Absolutely. And was, like, hey. And remember, I was, like, hi. And she's, can you do me a favor? Can you get me a job at your school? And I was, like, you're seriously kidding me. I had not talked to you. I went through something horrible. And you said that you could have talked to me during this time because it brought my anxiety brought your anxiety up. But now you want a job with me. So she got fired from her job that I left because it was during COVID, and she got a virtual job during, like, while she's also virtual teaching at our school, so she had two jobs at once and told the job that we were at previously that she of was on disability. So she's getting disability, full pay, and she's working for this other school to sign the other school. She's on disability at COVID. So she was not working. She had two full time jobs. And was saying she had COVID and was on disability. Her cousin was a nurse. She was a nurse, I think. And
Speaker 1:
--
Speaker 4:
Yeah.
Speaker 1:
-- her cousin was a nurse.
Speaker 4:
Also, like, forwards to documents, basically. And yeah. So the IRS came after her. New York Department of Labor came after her. She's, like, blacklisted from teaching in New York anyway.
Speaker 2:
Okay. So this is two secret teaching institutions. Yeah. Why are they knowing checks and balances in place?
Speaker 1:
They're charter schools.
Speaker 4:
There you go.
Speaker 2:
Okay. So that so that, like, the wild wigs.
Speaker 1:
Yeah. Basically, it's it's basically the wild wild west because it's not like, publicly like, what we said in the beginning -- Yeah. Yeah. -- have it funded, so they kind of march to their own beat. Yeah.
Speaker 2:
So it should be like an independent board that assesses, you know, the Well,
Speaker 1:
that's what the board should do. But remember Megan went to the board about mister Willy Wonka, and they did fuck all.
Speaker 2:
Yeah. So that's what happened.
Speaker 1:
No. But can we just go back in the gall of this woman?
Speaker 2:
Yes.
Speaker 1:
To reach out to Meghan who has always been gainfully employed and say, hey, by the way, I've been scamming, disability -- Yes. -- I've been teaching at two different teaching jobs at the same time. And when they conflicted, I told the other one that I had COVID and have my cousin forge documents. Say, what if I could do? Her
Speaker 4:
her cousin officer nursing license for votes because of this.
Speaker 1:
And then then so then she decides, oh, Megan. She'll help me.
Speaker 2:
Yep.
Speaker 1:
What is what are people thinking?
Speaker 4:
Literally no idea?
Speaker 1:
And it she didn't even lead with, like, an apology to say, like, hey, I've been thinking about it. Like, what I did was really fucked up. Like, I would at least like, if I wanted to manipulate someone or attempt to manipulate someone, I would at least butter them up for, like, a week before I lowered the boom.
Speaker 4:
Yeah. Do you know what
Speaker 2:
about it?
Speaker 1:
There was no finesse. It was just, like, Oh, yeah. By the way, like, they found out, I'm I'm fucked. Can you help me get a job?
Speaker 2:
Yeah. It's so hand handed. Like, it's not pulled through at all.
Speaker 1:
But I think it was something fucking drunk on Arbor Mist all the time. Whatever happened to to grimace, do we have any stories of grimace?
Speaker 4:
No. But I've I've seen too many naked photos of her.
Speaker 1:
No. For her birthday, for gross' birthday, can you please tell me when you said about the one birthday that she was, like, fucking everyone off of Tinder. I forgot about that. Okay. So she is a teacher of elementary school children. Side note. Go ahead. Yes. Let's have that little jammie.
Speaker 4:
He had, like, She called it a fetish, but I I would call it more an appreciation. She would only have sex with someone or mess around with them. If they had tingling boots, the brown ones,
Speaker 1:
this is such a New York thing.
Speaker 4:
The tingling boots. White yay. It was, like, white two socks basically. They have to keep it on during sex to have sex with her.
Speaker 1:
And she was a big big girl. No. No. No.
Speaker 4:
I said, you can shame.
Speaker 2:
That's not you like things to do right now.
Speaker 1:
No. No. No. No. No. No. If she was at all, off the way it was like,
Speaker 4:
oh, guys. Like, people that weren't even, like, being, like, sex thing her or anything like that. Like, she would talk to people on Tinder. And she's, like, just so you know if you have sex with me, you have to get do you have a pair of Timberlands? Like, would cut to the chase,
Speaker 1:
which I kind of respect. Okay? I respect. Yeah. But I
Speaker 4:
think we're like, what?
Speaker 1:
But So on her birthday, before she came to school, right? She had, like, fucked three different guys off of Tinder with the Timberland boots and the white tube socks.
Speaker 2:
Yes. Mhmm.
Speaker 1:
And then wanted to continue that later on in the evening. All different people.
Speaker 4:
Yes.
Speaker 1:
And I'm not slut shaming. Like, I've done stupid shares. I'm
Speaker 2:
like, whoa. Like, that's something that's like
Speaker 1:
it's like, I can't I can barely find the time.
Speaker 4:
My question. Who has the time?
Speaker 1:
That's my point. Who? But I
Speaker 2:
don't Like, I don't wake up and I don't think
Speaker 1:
let me have sex with three guys before school. And did they say they
Speaker 2:
all have his friends on and Tube socks? Right. That's what I first.
Speaker 4:
They have to have a specific shoe
Speaker 2:
style, and
Speaker 4:
it couldn't be, like, the dark timberlands. They had to be the brown ones.
Speaker 1:
You know, with the That's a very New York thing. It's the brown ones. It's a very It's a very It's a very
Speaker 4:
yes. Alright. But it it was
Speaker 1:
a it's a very New York thing. Like, a lot of guys regardless of age, whatever,
Speaker 2:
where that I I feel like, you know, circling back to our previous conversation. If you're in the gray swift pants and you've got the brown timberlands, we're like It's something up.
Speaker 4:
That is that's what you you nailed it.
Speaker 1:
Grace and especially if you have, like, a flat brim, like, a new era. Oh,
Speaker 4:
she would creep herself she lost her god didn't mind over these. I I would see her, like, people talk about, like, guys.
Speaker 1:
And usually with the dupreg underneath. Right?
Speaker 4:
Always. The silky one too. So -- Yeah. -- none
Speaker 1:
of this polyester shit silk blend all the way baby.
Speaker 4:
And when I go, like, the mosaic around here, they have, like, caught me once that I'm just like, who's getting this? That's why they stay there. And there's a model from, like, nineteen ninety six with that on.
Speaker 1:
So yeah. No. Only the best only the best for Gremis.
Speaker 4:
I would see her cat called Medna. So I've never really seen a woman cat called Medna. We would be in the South Bronx. Like, off of, like We're
Speaker 1:
we're that aesthetic is ripe. Oh, it is ripe. Like, even six year old kids would be wearing that.
Speaker 4:
Mhmm. And she would literally see, like, a construction worker just a random guy with those. And she'd be like, what are you doing later? They're like, oh, she's like, no. Really? Like, I'm going back to my house, guys. Don't come over. Come on. And she'd pull a guy and go to her house, live in front of us, because something
Speaker 1:
Let's go back to me saying, like, I always had a bad feeling about these people.
Speaker 2:
Yes.
Speaker 1:
And turned out I was right.
Speaker 4:
You were right.
Speaker 1:
And it wasn't just the Scorpio possessiveness in me. It was because they were not great people.
Speaker 4:
They were terrible human beings.
Speaker 1:
And not not for the sex thing. Not not even not even about that. Just talus, non empathetic, like, just not nice, people. Yeah. Anyway,
Speaker 2:
No. Horrible.
Speaker 4:
Actually, physically painful. How bad?
Speaker 1:
And I would be I would like bully Meghan into thing. I was right. I'd be like, who is right about grimace and miss a? And she'd be like, you were Yeah. We're done. We were just chatting about our terrible animals. That. Alright.
Speaker 2:
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Speaker 3:
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Speaker 2:
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