I told my employer & workmates about my plans on transitioning several months ago.
My workmates are fine with it & are starting to feel comfortable enough with it to ask questions or even have a good natured bit of banter about it but i'm starting to feel that my employers are making life as difficult as possible to force me to quit.

For at least a month now i've been constantly harrassed by my direct manager, every other person gets allocated a job for the day & for the most part they are left to get on with it but i'm constantly being moved from one job to another, it's got to the point that my workmates have noticed it enough to comment & ask me how i'm able to put up with it, I just tell them that I can't afford to lose the job as I have to stay employed throughout the transition.

Over the weekend I slept badly & have had a really bad back since then, I went into work monday & told my boss that I wouldnt be able to do any heavy lifting for a day or two so I was put on packing (light duties), as I was packing I was chatting to the woman next to me & one of the blokes but after an hour or so I was moved to feeding the machine (heavy duties lifting bundles of magazines), after 2 hours of this I was moved to very light duties but by then my back was split in half.
Later in the day I was called into the office by my manager & told that the HR manager had complained that I was talking too much but the 2 people I was talking with recieved no reprimand, I was also told that if I didn't get a doctors note about my back then they wouldn't be able to accomodate my short term problem but as I finish at 6 pm & start at 6 am it would be impossible to get one without taking time off!
Today the 2 people I was talking to the previous day chatted constantly for 3 hours to the point that it was slowing down the work but nothing was said about it, suprise, suprise.

I've reached the point that i'd be happy to take a job at minimum wage just to get away from it (i'm only just above minimum wage so it wouldnt make finances much harder).
The union rep said he will be getting more union application forms at his next meeting & will give me one as soon as he gets them, he is one of the most supportive people in the place & has said as soon as i'm in the union he will do all he can to help me & I trust him to keep his word.

Considering that i hate the job (minimum wage, maximum effort expected) i'm torn as to what I should do, on the one hand I feel that it would be best that I find another job as the company isnt doing well & I was the last to be hired so if redundancies happen i'm the first out of the door so maybe I should find a new job before I fully start the transition.
On the other hand I feel that I should fight this because the company shouldn't be allowed to get away with this but I don't know that I have the energy to fight this as it's taking most of my strength to deal with my family & the snails pace of the NHS.

What would you all do in this position?

I can relate because I'm having similar problems. I didn't come out at work and I don't want to because I get enough grief as it is and I really hate that place. I think if you can find another job, you should because most probably nothing good will come out of this. That job is not worth your time, your energy and your health. You could fight, but what will you gain? The best case scenario is that you'll have the same job, which you hate and you'll have to work for the same people who treated you so badly.

Are you a member of your union?

Unions do a good job representing people in the workplace. Whilst they're not without their faults they can really help. Given that due to societal prejudice we're even more vulnerable in the workplace than the average person it would be worth joining the union before problems occur.

It's a crappy minimum wage job.  That being said, the turnover in those positions is at or near 100% - no one typically lasts more then a year...because its a crappy minimum wage job.  You can fight the good fight, claim its a "hostile" work enviroment, but that's hard enough to prove.  If you're not happy, find another job and move on.  As for the union, it blows my mind that they're dragging their feet about adding you to their membership - that alone suggests that they're a paper tiger and probably won't be all that effective in fighting the good fight for you.  About all they'll do is pocket your hard earned money.

Better yet, invest yourself in getting a better skill set and find something better then a crappy minimum wage job.

I would say find a new job if you can, but also contact the UK equivalent of the ACLU if you have one, or whatever organization you need to to file a complaint. Even if they can't do anything about it for you, there may have been other people who have filed complaints on other issues in the past or may in the future and your complaint against them will be added to the list. That may, over time, give them enough to go after the company. If a lot of people have had issues of being mistreated but don't say anything about it, then organizations like the ACLU can't do anything about it. Companies count on people remaining silent and submissive when they mistreat them.

Also, if you quit, leave a flyer somewhere that says something to the extent of: "You have discriminated against and exploited your employees. This is a violation of human rights. We are Anonymous and we do not tolerate this. Expect us." If nothing else, it will make them worry that they'll be hacked or protested against in some manner.

When it comes to corporations the ACLU is a paper tiger, much like the Better Business Bureau.  Whine to them all you want, there's really nothing they can do to help you.  Most employers that are intentionally causing a "hostile" work environment are smart enough to cover their tracks.

As for threatening "flyers", sign your name, no sense being "anonymous" or it really isn't a fight you're interested in fighting.  Threaten your former employer and not only watch your future job prospects disappear, but don't be suprised when you're the subject of legal action.  Further its hard to claim a "hostile" enviroment when you're the one creating it.

Again, if you're unhappy, find another job.  Why are you fighting so hard over a minimum wage job anyways?

I am not a big union supporter, but if you are in the union, use them.  They are there to protect the workers.. If you are not, start looking for a new job and then when you find it, give your old employers 24 hour notice, same amount as they would give you.

I'd say start looking for a new job (obviously without anyone at your current place knowing about it), and until you get offered one just tough it out the best you can and take whatever help the union rep can give you. Once you get a new job, you're gone. "at-will" employment works both ways...

Well, it's not a threat, that's the point. Anonymous is an activist group. Being an activist is not a crime. The only "threat" it could be said to imply is that of a peaceful protest, which is not a crime. Anonymous, while acknowledging that some of their members do resort to hacking methods, don't condone illegal activity or violence of any kind and they reiterate this continually. And the argument of "organizations like the ACLU are paper tigers, so roll over and take it" is precisely the reason why they're getting away with it. And obviously if one were to decide to leave such a flyer they would want to make sure no one saw them leave it. That's just common sense. But believe what you want.

Valyn, in a perfect world I would absolutely agree with your position.  However the real world is far from perfect.  It's a minimum wage job, better yet, its simply a job in an economy that doesn't have alot of those to go around.  "At will" also means the employer can terminate you at any time, for any reason.  When people are lining up just to apply for a minimum wage job, its not the time to be considered a problem employee.

whatever municipality you live in, check and see if gender identity is a protected class in  legislation.........there are quite a few in the US where gender identity is a protected class.

Whatever course of action Jane chooses is obviously her decision. I was merely proposing an option. I'll defend my argument and my position because I think it is not an invalid one, despite a lousy economy. However, in doing so, I am in no way implying this is what she should do, or that this the only "right" course of action.

           I can relate as I have had to deal with problems when I let my hair grow out.  I was "teased" forever on end by my co workers.  They were posting pics of wooly animals and putting my name on them.  There was a pair of shears that someone put my name on.  Even haircut clippers were handed to me.  The management was a part of it.  I had a talk with my supervisor and he just asked why I can't take a little teasing.  This is after 6 months.  He would never admit to it being harassment.  He did tell them to stop.  Now I am having problems with some of my co workers as one tries to bully me and a few others.  The boss is always trying to turn it around as if I am causing the problem.  The union is no help either (so far).   I need the job in order to get my bills paid and to afford transitioning (ie. electrolysis).    Enough on my problems.  I hope your union has your back.

Thanks for the feedback everyone, you all seem to mirror my own feelings that it's not worth fighting for this job.

The union rep gave me an application form today & told me he would love to help me fight this as he hates the manager who's been giving me such grief, he was one of the ones I was talking to when I got dragged into the office, he told me that him & the other woman I was chatting with talked non stop the following day to hold up the line on purpose to see if anything was said & as nothing was said about this he said this will be used should I decide to fight. I trust this man as he's always looking for a chance to stitch up this manager but I don't think i've got the energy to fight for such a crappy job.
I'm thinking of waiting until i'm ready to hand in my notice & then go straight to the company director, anyone who's given me grief will be dropped in it from a great height.

I've been asking questions & have found out that my department isn't making a profit, the company has had people around last week to value the building so it would seem that they are trying to cut costs, I was the most recent person to join here & we all know the saying "last in, first out" so even if they dont manage to force me to leave they have the option of saying that they have to make redundancies so it's bye bye Jane.

I don't work on fridays so first thing in the morning i'm going to pay a visit to the job center.

I now have to make a different decision, if I get a job interview then do I tell them about my upcoming transition? Right now i'm thinking it would be best to be up front because the last thing I want is to go through this again in a few months & whilst I have a job I can afford to be choosy even if it means I have to put up with crap from my manager for a while longer.

Quote from: Jane on August 18, 2011, 03:45:55 PM
I now have to make a different decision, if I get a job interview then do I tell them about my upcoming transition? Right now i'm thinking it would be best to be up front because the last thing I want is to go through this again in a few months & whilst I have a job I can afford to be choosy even if it means I have to put up with crap from my manager for a while longer.

I can all but guarantee you will not get hired if you're upfront about your transition plans.  Employers don't want to hire someone they percieve to be a future problem employee and knowing nothing else about you, they will only see a potential employee that will be a future headache for them.  You need to do your research, find out what their diversity policies are.  Interview ONLY with companies you feel secure in transitioning at.  After you pass your probationary period with them, then do you say anything about transitioning, until then say NOTHING.  Even then, don't threaten them with your transition.  Approach the matter as this is something you intend to do, you realize the impact it will have on your employer and you want to sit down with them ahead of time to work out a plan to meet everyone's needs. 

Human Rights Campaign (www.hrc.org)  has a pretty good size listing of companies that gives a brief overview of the discrimination, harassment policies the company mandates. What the insurance covers as for those that are transitioning. Just select Issues then workplace. You can also find state laws to see if you state has gender identity written into their discrimination policies and such. But remember the hrc isn't absolute law and such but its good to get a general idea on what companies to avoid if possible and what protections the state can offer if any as in terms of discrimination and such.

I know the company I work for takes its seriously. Last year they didn't have a transitioning policy/guidelines for HR, management, and the employee. After the CEI review HRC put out, the company actually come out with one. Overall, based on the company I work for it pretty accurate.