To Story 252: know that you aren’t alone—and you aren’t “crazy”. The “gaslighting” of an altered performance review is a classic corporate tactic used to create a paper trail for future termination or to justify withholding bonuses/promotions. 1. Ensure those screenshots and logs are saved on a personal device.2. Send a firm, professional follow-up to…
To Story 251 and all the others: I am so incredibly sorry that you’re going through this. There are few things more stressful than feeling like a “tracked animal” for months, knowing the axe is coming but being forced to wait for it. What you are describing is part of Citi’s M.O. leading up to…
I am a VP based in Florida with Citi. This is my first “real” job out of college. Last year, I filed an HR complaint after noticing that my annual review had been changed from neutral / positive-ish to decidedly negative, after I had acknowledged it. I was shocked. I included screen shots of before…
A couple of months ago I submitted story 83, and I’m coming back here to report that I was laid off last week as part of Citi’s ongoing round of cuts. Unfortunately I can’t say I was surprised by the layoff though it was still a jarring experience. Since the start of the year, my…
To Story 245: What you describe closely mirrors what was reported in the Financial Times coverage of Citi’s CSIS division. Employee raises a concern and is quickly surrounded by lawyers who present themselves as fact-finders, but in reality are focused on gauging how firmly you intend to stand by your account—because if you do, you…
To Story 246 / 247, and to this forum: Thank you for your extension. It added something your original response couldn’t carry alone — the self-implication, the long road, the honest accounting of what it cost you to get here. It allowed me to hear you differently, and I’m grateful you shared it. I want…
To the Queen who wrote Story 246: As a lifelong “short short” essay obsessive, you nailed it. The art form asks the writer to do less so the reader can feel more. Excess is forbidden; every word carries weight, every sentence must move the idea forward or deepen it. What’s left unsaid is the point….
On Staying in the Room — A Response to Story 242 and a Continuation of 246. I responded in Story 246. And now let me be clear about what I am doing. Very early in my career I was almost always the only woman in a pack of men. I was put off by women…
To Story 242, what you have written here is brave, and I want to honor that. But I also want to name what is living beneath the surface of this reflection, because you have already named it yourself, even if you pulled back from its full weight. Angela Davis said that “we have to talk…
The Day I Became a Threat What happens when you do everything right — and it’s used against you I have spent my career being the person who follows the rules. Not out of timidity — out of principle. I report what needs to be reported. I document what needs to be documented. I show…