Story 179
I worked in a senior role at Citi delivering programs that supported thousands of employees.
Over time, my workload increased significantly while opportunities for advancement and recognition stalled. The narrative around my performance began shifting in ways that did not reflect the work being delivered. Decisions affecting my role were increasingly made without transparency.
Eventually I believed the situation involved discrimination related to my disability and how my medical circumstances were handled in the workplace. After raising concerns internally without resolution, I filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
My claim involved disability discrimination, unequal treatment compared to peers, and retaliation tied to raising concerns.
Anyone who has gone through the EEOC process understands how difficult it is. It requires documenting months or years of communications, performance history, and workplace events.
After reviewing the case, the EEOC declined to pursue it.
What many people don’t realize is that the legal threshold for proving discrimination is extremely high. A decision not to pursue a case does not necessarily mean an employee’s experience was not real — only that it did not meet the strict legal standard required for federal enforcement.
I’m sharing this anonymously because many professionals go through similar situations and feel isolated when formal processes do not move forward.
Speaking about these experiences matters. Silence only protects systems that rely on employees believing they are alone.