#violence in the workplace

[employeesproductivityhub]

Creating Safe Spaces: Managing Workplace Violence

Violence in the workplace is a serious issue that can have devastating effects on employees and businesses. It can range from verbal abuse and threats to physical assaults and even homicide. As an employer or manager, it's crucial to take proactive steps to prevent and manage workplace violence to ensure the safety and well-being of your employees. In this article, we'll explore how to prevent workplace fierceness, who needs to be involved, and strategies for managing these challenging situations.

Understanding Workplace Vehemence

Workplace brutality can occur in any setting, from offices and factories to retail stores and healthcare facilities. It can be perpetrated by co-workers, customers, clients, or even strangers. Common forms of workplace savagery include physical assault, threats, harassment, and intimidation. It can have a significant impact on employees' mental health, job satisfaction, and productivity.

Preventing Workplace Severity

Preventing workplace cruelty starts with creating a culture of respect and zero tolerance for violence. Employers should establish clear policies and procedures for reporting and addressing workplace disturbance. It includes providing training to employees on recognizing and responding to potential threats. Employers should also conduct regular risk assessments to identify potential hazards and take steps to mitigate them.

Who Needs to Be Involved?

Preventing workplace disturbance requires a collaborative effort involving various stakeholders. It includes attendance monitoring, managers, human resources, security personnel, and employees themselves. Employers should ensure that all employees are aware of the organization's policies and procedures regarding workplace furiousness prevention. Managers should be trained to recognize early warning signs and respond appropriately. Human resources should provide support to employees who have experienced or witnessed violence. Security personnel should be trained to respond quickly and effectively to violent incidents.

Managing Workplace Brute Force Incidents

Despite efforts to prevent workplace aggression, incidents may still occur. In such cases, it's essential to have a clear plan in place for managing the situation. It includes ensuring the safety of all employees, contacting law enforcement if necessary, and providing support to affected employees. It's also important to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the root causes of the incident and take steps to prevent future occurrences.

Preventing Future Workplace Ferocity

After an incident of workplace brutality, it's crucial to take steps to prevent future occurrences. It involves implementing changes to policies, procedures, and practices to create a safer work environment. Here are some strategies for preventing future workplace fierceness:

Enhanced Security Measures: Review and enhance security measures such as access control, surveillance systems, and security personnel presence. Consider implementing panic buttons or emergency communication systems to enable quick response to potential threats.

Employee Training: Provide regular training to employees on recognizing and responding to potential violence. It should include de-escalation techniques, conflict resolution strategies, and how to report concerns or threats.

Encourage Reporting: Create a culture where managing remote employees feel comfortable reporting concerns or threats of violence. Establish clear reporting procedures and ensure that reports are taken seriously and investigated promptly.

Supportive Work Environment: Encourage a friendly work atmosphere where staff members are treated with respect and feel appreciated. Encourage open communication and address any issues or conflicts that may arise promptly.

Mental Health Support: Provide access to mental health support services for employees who may be experiencing stress, anger, or other issues that could lead to violence. It can include counseling services or employee assistance programs.

Regular Reviews: Conduct regular reviews of workplace severity prevention policies and procedures to ensure they are up-to-date and effective. It should include soliciting feedback from employees and making adjustments as necessary.

Collaboration with Community Resources: Establish partnerships with local law enforcement, mental health professionals, and community organizations to enhance workplace vehemence prevention efforts. These partnerships can provide additional resources and expertise to help address potential threats.

Zero Tolerance Policy: Implement a zero-tolerance policy for workplace savagery that clearly defines unacceptable behavior and consequences for violating the policy. Communicate this policy to all employees and enforce it consistently.

By taking proactive measures to prevent workplace cruelty, employers can help create a safer and more secure work environment for everyone. It's essential to remain vigilant and responsive to potential threats, as even seemingly minor incidents can escalate if not addressed promptly.

Conclusion

Workplace outrage is a complex issue that requires a comprehensive approach to prevention and management. By creating a culture of respect, providing training and support to employees, and collaborating with stakeholders, employers can help create safe and secure workplaces for everyone. Preventing workplace violence requires a proactive and ongoing effort, but the benefits are well worth it in terms of employee safety and well-being.

[profoundbondfanfic]

The Big Afraid

The Big Afraid by apockalypsis Rating: Mature Word Count: 38k

Dean likes to mind his own business. Between juggling a daytime job as a mechanic, his secret identity as one of the City's masked vigilantes, and trying to repair the relationship with his brother, Dean doesn't have time for much else - let alone relationships, romantic or otherwise. Castiel is the superhero Dean keeps running into and whose mind seems to be set on befriending Dean, whatever it takes.

Who doesn't love a superhero fic? The hidden identities, the twists, the peril... The bonding over a shared goal? Everything that I love in a superhero fic, this fic has.

Dean is a down-on-his-luck mechanic who moonlights as a vigilante superhero whose power is in healing people. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of money in the gig, so most of his family and friends, including potential girlfriends and Sam, think that he's just a deadbeat who likes to get into a lot of fights. The only person who seems intent on forming a relationship with him is his rival superhero, Angel -- who seems to have a particular fondness for dropping in and pulling Dean out of difficult situations.

When circumstances shove Dean and Angel together, their identities are revealed, and they both begin trying to unravel a tangle of mysterious fires springing up all over the city. Meanwhile, Dean tries to rebuild his relationship with Sam--especially since Sam is getting married soon.

I always love fics where Cas can see Dean's worth, even when Dean refuses to, and this fic delivers that in droves. Dean and Cas learn to appreciate each other's strengths and form a partnership--maybe even a profound bond. This fic is action-packed and has a twist almost every chapter, so strap in and start reading!

[girderednerve]

i feel about the chronicle of higher ed the way people used to (?) feel about the cut's personal essays. here's a piece about an english professor who had a disastrous turn being department chair a few years ago, was investigated for discrimination as a result, successfully sued in response to the investigation's outcome, and is now posting extracts from & commentary upon the resulting set of public documents! it's a huge mess, just like the summary makes it sound, and if you like to rubberneck other people's drama this totally goes. i don't think anybody in it did a good job except the article writer but also i wasn't there

[gideonisms]

latest unhinged work event is that my boss has started gathering us all around at 5:30 in the AM to do group exercises...tbh I really enjoy exercising on my own time, have never had trouble staying active, and have no negative associations with group exercise IT'S THE PRINCIPLE OF MY BOSS TELLING ME TO DO JUMPING JACKS

[neathyingenue]

Live Silvia reaction of when Brett Heroux (of @thedandy-detective) told her about getting beat up by cops

transcription bc it's illegible:

Brett: "--And then the constable landed one but it's fine. I'm fiiiiine"* *hasn't slept in 36 hours

Silvia: GIVE ME NAMES. ADDRESSES. THAT WRETCHED EXCUSE FOR A MAN, NAY THAT WORM SHALL NEVER AGAIN SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY WHILE I DRAW BREATH* *these are empty threats

[rapeculturerealities]

Ohio Sheetz Employee Was Forced to Quit Her Job Because of Missing Teeth Caused By Domestic Violence

Rose Marie Counts, a woman from Circleville, Ohio claims she had no choice but to leave her job at her local Sheetz because her teeth—many of which she are missing because she says her ex-husband knocked them out of her mouth—violated the convenience store’s “smile policy.”

“This company has no idea what I’ve been through,” Counts says via audio of a meeting she recorded with the store’s management. “I lost these front teeth because my ex-husband headbutted me because I forgot to turn the hall light out,” she explains. She posted the audio, accompanied by a written account of her dismissal, on Facebook.

“I was informed that policy states all Sheetz employees must have and remain with a perfect beautiful warm welcoming smile,” she detailed of the meeting with management. “The company defines my smile as unbeautiful because I still have work that needs to be done on them.” Counts has awaited permanent dentures (which Sheetz insurance would reportedly partially cover) for her damaged smile since the incident but claims her plan does not cover temporary dentures in the interim. As a result, she’s been forced to live with missing and broken teeth until a permanent procedure.

“Even though I am good at my job I can no longer be a frontline employee with the company because of my smile,” she wrote. On the audio, the manager can be heard telling her that while she heard “wonderful things” about her from customers, she was not to return to her role behind the register.

[possum-quesadilla]

If one more person asks if my Owl House tattoo is a Zelda tattoo I will. Sigh and say no for the thousandth time

[crash-bump-bring-the-whump]

Whumperless Whump Event - Day 10

Borrowing Evritt's mentor, Thorin, from @whumpr!!

TWs: illness, workplace abuse, systemic abuse

Forced to work while ill / Workplace emergency / “...sit down, I'm calling HR.”

Condition: Must find and keep gainful employment for the duration of supervision unless supervisor permits otherwise. Failure to do so will result in a punishment of imprisonment, a lengthened sentence, and a fine to be determined by the court.

Mariano shivered, the waves of heat rolling off the griddle in front of him not penetrating his skin. He had two masks on, and changed his gloves and washed his hands religiously. An ice pack was tied to his forehead with an extra bandana, beneath the one he used to secure his hair.

He had a cold that he just couldn't manage to shake. His boss wouldn't allow him to go home without losing his job. Thorin was his probation supervisor, sipping coffee and reading at the counter, like he did every night. He was stern. Strict.

Mariano couldn't afford to be sick.

He worked on autopilot, spreading more oil onto the griddle and spreading the pepper and onion mix onto it. They didn't have many customers this late, at least. The diced chicken came next, sizzling merrily as he doused it all in the spice blend the owner wanted them to use. Once everything was cooked through, the eggs came next, beaten and spread thin, before the fillings were placed in the middle and it was all folded together for a final sear along the seam.

The alarm for the fries went off. Mariano didn't remember plating it all or carrying it to the window. Only his manager's voice scolding him for walking away pulled him back to the present. "Ortiz! You know you're solo tonight. Run it, seat three."

Distantly, Mariano thought it was strange that she wouldn't run it herself.

He took off his gloves, washed his hands, put on new ones, then took the plate again. As he exited the kitchen, cold air rushed past him and he blinked in the harsh light. Thorin was the only customer there. Thorin was looking at him. His manager must have disappeared into the office.

They hadn't arrived together. At this point, Thorin trusted him enough to not need an escort to work. He'd just show up and check in with whoever the lead was to ensure that Mariano was there.

Mariano waved as he set Thorin's food in front of him.

"You're sick."

The statement was accusatory. Mariano couldn't think of a convincing lie. He nodded.

"I'm wearing two masks, and I wash my hands and put on fresh gloves every ten minutes and between tasks." He said. "And I'm taking medicine. You won't get sick."

"Why are you at work serving food if you're potentially contagious?" Thorin asked, voice still scolding.

It was a fair question.

"I...do not want to go back to prison." Mariano admitted. "I'll lose this job if I call in sick, and that will violate the conditions of my release."

Thorin's jaw tensed. "...I see. And they have copies of your paperwork?" Mariano nodded and saw Thorin's eyes narrow. "I see. Wait right here."

"I--Sir--" Mariano tried, but Thorin was already standing and walking to the back. He disappeared through the swinging door, and Mariano realized belatedly that he might not have had non-slip shoes.

There was no shout, though. No clatter. Not even an argument. Thorin was only gone for a few minutes, and then he emerged again with a takeout container in hand. "You're free to go home, Ortiz."

"...What?" Mariano asked, blinking in confusion.

"Come on, I'm giving you a ride home. You're in no state to drive. Have your roommate take you to the doctor tomorrow for a note." Thorin explained, reaching into his pocket for his wallet and setting down some money. "If they fire you, let me know. I'll take care of the paperwork."

Mariano felt his stomach turn. "No, no I can keep working, I don't--I don't want to go back, this isn't that bad, I promise--"

"Ortiz." Thorin cut through his panic, looking at him strangely as he packed up his food. "I'm not sending you back to prison over a cold. If it comes down it it, I'll fill out the paperwork explaining that you were fired for being sick. I know you're not faking.

"Now come on. You need to go get some sleep or you'll never get better."

@whump-captain @whumpr @whumperofworlds @lektricwhump @cyberwhumper

@bxtterflystxtches @inscrutable-shadow @honeybees-125 @whumpr

[frostise]

okay so i thought a lot about louise's services lately and not only is she great at interrogation, torture and murder because that's the main reason why she gets hired for a job 100% of the time but she can also provide anyone looking to hire a thermodynamicist! louise used to work for S.T.A.R labs and was noted for being a brilliant worker that made several breakthroughs in the comics. plus, she's known to be a exceptional ice skater in T.A.B because they trained all their operatives to be at the level of olympians. she can easily become anyone's mentor for a reasonable price. kf is a completely different person in that area because she's in her element. definitely be acting like one of those scary, strict teachers that just wants the best for you and the next thing you know you'll have a friendly frost in your hands when you do meet her expectations

[jackie-and-gecko]

Slightly more serious post than usual:

Please keep your local library staff dear to your hearts because boy howdy, they put up with so much strange shit every day. Inner city libraries are particularly crazy, violence is not uncommon, and abuse is ridiculously regular.

I had lots of antisocial behaviour at my library today (UK based), mostly by white teenage boys, I also got assaulted (minor assault but still). We’re a pretty big main city library, we can’t afford security, and we’re often short staffed.

Only ONE library member stood up for us. Out of about 60 people on the top floor where the problems were, an aging, white, academic man was the only person to assist in calling out the behaviour taking place. Nobody in the shopping centre outside said anything when the trouble moved out the doors. Nobody going in or out of the library said anything as my colleague, myself, and the one shopping centre security guard got numerous, horrible curse words and homophobic slurs thrown at us. Nobody said anything when one of the nasty little boys laid hands on me. And nobody checked on me afterwards, except for that one library member and the other staff/security guy.

Guys, you live in a community, I really can’t stress this enough. Your library is YOURS. It’s your privilege, it’s your right to information, and it’s YOUR responsibility to help take care of it. That includes the staff and your fellow library goers. I’m sure most folk would leap to the defence of a librarian or retail worker who was being harassed, but today I got absolutely zip from a huge number of potential allies.

Public libraries are moving stories, grand stage plays, with different players and parts every single day. They succeed or fail depending on how well the fluid players work with the permanent actors (library staff), but more importantly how well they work with each other. We are all responsible for safety and kindness in our communities. Sure, I choose to be paid minimum wage and go to my job. I choose to work in an environment with volatile, vulnerable people every day. I choose, despite having many qualifications that would net me higher paying private jobs, to be a public servant. But I don’t deserve or choose to be treated like garbage, and I really expect better from my fellow humans.

Nobody will see this but I need to vent and there’s a library tag so 🙃

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

International Men's Day because...

56% of victims of violence are men

Men are more disadvantaged in 68% of countries

67% of drugs misuse deaths occur in men

72% of homicide victims are men

74% of suicides are male

85% of those sleeping rough are men

87% of homeless deaths occur in men

96% of work place fatalities are men

[attorney-anon]

Just found out my former boss has apparently told multiple people (including recently) that she wants to beat me up for leaving the firm back in January.

And I hope she does! Suing her for assault & battery would be so much fun for me.

[buttacake80]

Re: Article

I have met twice with the investigative reporter. There will be future meetings. This will be part of a special investigation series not specific to my life, but my background is needed.

I think I will have to go underground when it is published, but that's not likely until next year.

[coochiequeens]

Women were attacked and pepper sprayed by......a group of mem claiming that THEY are the most oppressed group.

By Genevieve Gluck. November 20, 2023

A group of women critical of gender ideology were physically assaulted in Portland by masked trans activists associated with Antifa, resulting in several women being taken to the hospital. Leaders and members of the US chapter of Women’s Declaration International (WDI), which aims to protect “the sex-based rights of women and girls,” were also threatened with death, called “fascists,” sprayed in the eyes with mace, and had their car tires slashed in the middle of the night.

On November 19, WDI planned an event at the Hollywood branch of the Multnomah County Library, quickly cancelling the plans to due to security concerns. Speaking with Reduxx, WDI USA president and author Kara Dansky explained that the goal of the event was to “have a conversation about the importance of protecting women and children in society” and voice concerns about gender ideology.

“In the days leading up to the event, we were in communication with security about how to ensure the safety of ourselves, library staff and guests. Hours before the event was scheduled to take place, we were informed that county security would be unable to guarantee our safety,” Dansky said.

The WDI members then decided to take their demonstration to the street, and set up on a sidewalk near the library.

“We chose to take our message directly to the public. We stood on a sidewalk, with a banner that read ‘Woman = adult human female.’ Within minutes, a vicious mob of men first started screaming at us that we were fascists, and then approached us,” Dansky said.

The small group of approximately ten women were greatly outnumbered, with Dansky estimating that there were between 30 to 50 trans activists clad in black masks.

“They started throwing things at us, cans filled with liquid that fell and sprayed all over us. Speaking for myself, someone approached me and sprayed something in my face. The impact hurt my eyes physically and whatever they sprayed got all over my face and clothing, but it did not injure me,” Dansky explained.

“Other women were treated much more brutally than I was. Several of the women in our group were sprayed directly in the face with mace, causing immediate and temporary blindness, and excruciating pain. The men punched several of us and pushed them onto the ground and repeatedly kicked them while they were on the ground. Four women had to go to the hospital to be treated for their injuries,” she added.

“It looked like they were targeting those of us specifically who were filming,” said Sam Berg. “They punched me in the face. When I fell down they kicked me in the hip. They immediately went for the camera, and stole my phone as well. It was very scary. Women don’t deserve this. Men have no right to do this. This has to stop.”

Berg was one of three women who had strapped a camera to themselves to record the event’s speakers. Two of the women fliming had their GoPro gear stolen, and at least four women had their phones stolen by the trans activists. None of their property has so far been recovered.

One of the women that the trans activists sprayed in the eyes with mace described witnessing the men assaulting an elderly woman who was passing by.

“I saw a yellow-orange liquid and I knew immediately what it was, so I closed my eyes. My right eye got pepper-sprayed, it was burning,” Cass said. “As I was trying to turn away, I felt somebody either push me or punch me in the face. I fell down, my glasses broke. As I was walking away, I saw an unrelated elderly woman in her 70’s walking alongside us. They pushed her or threw something at her and she fell down.”

Another woman who was pepper-sprayed, Linda, said that “only one or two” witnesses to the assault attempted to intervene on their behalf.

“I didn’t realize how blinded I was going to be, in a lot of pain. We turned the corner and they just started attacking everybody. I was next to Lierre, and they blinded her, too, and started hitting her and hitting her,” she said, referring to Lierre Keith, founder of the grassroots women’s advocacy group the Women’s Liberation Front (WOLF).

“These brave women kept standing there calmly, and letting these people attack us. Only one or two passers-by tried to help us at all,” Linda said, incredulous.

“While we were being assaulted, several women called 911 as it was happening. No one in the Portland Police Department responded to these calls reporting active incidents of assault, battery and robbery,” Dansky told Reduxx.

After the women’s rights activists returned to their Air Bnb, they again attempted to contact police and officers were dispatched to their location. A report of the attack and thefts was made, but they were told by officers that the department’s official policy is to “not to get involved” in group conflicts “unless there is an immediate threat to life.”

The safety concern that prompted the decision to abandon the library as a venue was a result of a publicized plan coordinated by trans activists affiliated with the political group Antifa, promoted on social media. The trans activists had been threatening to pelt women with pies and tomato juice – a reference to a volatile mob situation earlier this year in New Zealand that saw women’s rights campaigner Kellie Jay-Keen attacked with the liquid.

“Anti-trans bigots and hate group Women’s Declaration International (WDI) are coming to town this Nov. 19th. Save the date to give them the welcome they deserve,” wrote Antifa propaganda artist “No Bonzo.”

“We arrived… and the woman in charge of security said she could not keep us safe, there were too many of them and they were aiming for violence,” Lierre Keith said in a video clip shared by WDI.

“They told us that they were concerned for the library staff. They couldn’t keep them safe. We didn’t want to put them at risk because they certainly didn’t sign up for this,” Keith said.

“So our decision was to go out on the street near the library and give our speeches, because we have first amendment rights.”

They had also been informed by the Workplace Security Director of Multnomah County that a therapist had filed a report of a death threat from a patient. According to the report, the patient had stated, “I am going to the event and bringing my gun and if anyone messes with me I will use it.” The therapist had a legal obligation to report this information and did so. 

Chillingly, the women, who had rented accommodations together, had awoken Sunday morning to discover that their tires had been slashed during the night. They also discovered that flyers with photos referring to some of the more well-known women had been posted in public, calling them “anti-trans bigots.”

WDI’s Declaration on Women’s Sex-Based Rights calls for the elimination of trans people, trans rights & trans healthcare, specifically targeting trans women most heavily. In this work they have allied with the far right and international fundamentalist groups responsible for the end of Roe V. Wade,” reads one of the posters.

Additionally, Rose City Antifa (RCA), which has posted multiple smear campaigns on WDI to their website, revealed that they had deliberately undertaken efforts to discover where the women would be staying.

“Thanks to the work of multiple anonymous community members who infiltrated the WDI-USA event planning process, RCA has obtained a list of attendees and organizers, which includes both WoLF and WDI-USA members — most notably Lierre Keith, WoLF founding member and board chair, and well-documented transmisogynist bigot,” the RCA’s blog post reads.

“In leaked planning materials for the upcoming Portland event, WDI-USA and WoLF organizers openly admit that the event’s stated focus, ‘protecting women and children,’ was chosen deliberately to mask their anti-trans agenda. In order to maintain this illusion of respectable, sympathetic feminist activism, lead WDI-USA organizers have repeatedly told prospective attendees that they should avoid even using words such as ‘trans’ at the Portland event.”

While attempting to portray WDI president Dansky as “anti-trans”, RCA points to an email exchange between her and a reporter named Brandon Showalter, who holds conservative political views. The email was part of an orchestrated deception by the first individual in the United States to have been legally recognized as ‘non-binary,’ who claims that he pretended to be opposed to gender identity ideology in order to forge connections with politicians. Elisa Rae Shupe, 59, formerly James Clifford Shupe, has written in extensive detail about the sexual fetishes that motivated his “gender identity.”

Yesterday’s violence follows a long string of attacks on women vocalizing criticisms of gender ideology.

Last year, British women’s rights campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen held a US tour of pro-woman free speech events which were targeted by multiple incidents of Antifa violence and disruption.

Keen’s appearance in Portland, Oregon, had to be cancelled on October 25 after credible death threats were received. Despite Keen’s absence, a small group of women carried out an unofficial demonstration in the event’s place as an act of resistance. 

As the women spoke, multiple masked men rushed their area and pelted them with whipped cream pies.

Similarly, on October 26, the event in Tacoma, Washington, was quickly derailed by violent trans activists and Antifa. Multiple physical altercations were recorded, with some trans activists showing up wearing brass knuckles and attempting to grapple female speakers to the ground during their speeches.

At least nine people were arrested in New York City during protests that broke out in opposition to the last stop of Keen’s US tour. Like in Portland, Keen had been unable to attend the event as she was not able to get to the speaking podium safely due to aggressive counter-protestors.

[sm-baby]

HAHAHAhah *starts sobbing*

TW: Workplace Abuse, Implied Domestic Abuse

Word Count: 1,849 words 10,151 characters

Silvia, I'm so sawry... Silvia I'm so sawryy🥺!! uwa-😭 *solemnly caresses a picture of her inside a pendant* SILVIA- 😭😭

____________________

My god.

She didn't think it would happen.

      Silvia Blanca became a white servant fully knowing its repercussions. The people weren't too nice to their workers but they fully stayed because they would have a comfortable wage to go home to. Silvia understood that certain accidents may happen in the workplace. But she brushed it off for the pay, thinking to herself that she will simply not make a fuss, not be difficult. After all, she had been working for quite a few years now with a lot of experience. 

     if only she had paid attention to the red flags a little more... 

The living room was deathly quiet. Three maids stared in horror at the sight that took place in front of them. They all tried to look formal and submissive but ended up looking stiff and flinched at the man in the room. 

     The Sir had his hand up, almost hurting from the strike he left on another one of the fourth maid's cheek. She had almost stumbled back, into the pieces of the shattered vase that she had broken. 

     Her head was turned completely from him because of it, and she had been left frozen since. The bruise was starting to form as it burned her nerves… it stung yet felt numb at the same time… She didn't know how to react… or if she could react.

     " Look at me." The loud voice of the angry man said.

     Silvia, the maid, turned her head back at the man, hands politely behind her, and head hung low. 

      " LOOK AT ME." He grabbed her arm, aggressive enough to break her stance and shove her down. 

     Silvia gasped as he forcefully grabbed her scalp to turn her head up

     " This thing that you just broke costs more than your life. " The man pointed at the broken vase on the floor. 

     Silvia's eyes were more than fixated on it as he wanted her to be. But all she saw was an array of mistakes and danger, not a vase. Her instincts were there but all she could do was freeze for the moment…

     " This will be taken out of your paychecks, you hear me? " 

     Tears started forming in the corner of her eyes.

    " You're not deaf, I SAID, DO YOU HEAR ME? "

     Silvia nodded most desperately, closing her eyes shut, sitting in agony and fear about the situation. The man growled and shoved her back, throwing her completely out of balance.  

     Before she could even compose herself, the head of the residence turned to the other maids and told them to clean up the broken pieces. And they did with much shiver, while the fourth maid still stood in shock behind them. They hadn't dared to turn to her until the sir was completely out of the room.

     " You're lucky my son is in charge of you. If it were my way you'd be blacklisted." He said as he marched out of sight. 

And as soon as he was out of earshot, Silvia had started to sob quietly in place, face wet with violated tears. Her cheek swelled up more and more. 

     Near the end of clean up, they turned to her to rub circles around her back, themselves upset for her and the financial consequences of the situation. 

      "I told you we shouldn’t have told him!" 

     They whispered to each other.

      "He asked us! What were we supposed to do??"

     "Uhm? Lie?? Tell him that, no sir, it was broken when we found it…!"

     They whispered and apologized to the sobbing witch in front of them. The thing is… Silvia couldn't blame the sir for being mad at her. Breaking a vase is one thing, but trying to hide it? Maybe she did deserve that reaction. After all, she wasn't an angel either. 

The next day, she was left to do errands for the junior of the household. 

     The Mister, 160 years old, decades older than Silvia, and the only son of the residence. He was the one in charge of paying and hiring the servants in the household. She caught him in the middle of doing busy work in his office; what with his messy long hair and reading glasses, barely even that neatly dressed. 

     "Mister, Your father would like to inform you that-"

     "Don't tell me." The Richman interrupted. "I don't need to hear it. "

The Mister heard all about what happened the day before. What the maid had broken was a family heirloom from his father’s side of the family. He didn’t think his father cared for it much, but that afternoon he noticed his father was more than irritable. The mister retreated into his office for the rest of the night until he felt safe again.

     "Lucky for you, my family doesn't need the money.”  He wrote a quick check on his desk, “I'll be paying for the damages."

      He seemed dismissive of her. He hadn't even made an effort to make eye contact… didn't bother to react to her presence. The businessman just looked tired and didn't seem to have much sleep. 

     "And, " he finished writing the check and stretching his arm out to hand it to her. "An extra."

     "Wh… what for? "

     The first time he made eye contact with her, all she saw was a face, serious and tired as ever, bags covering his eyes. "...To keep your mouth shut about what happened here. "

     …

     Silvia, though hesitated, took the money in her hands, and nodded. 

"What did I tell you? My husband has quite the temper. " Another noble in the household, the wife and mother, hair long and white like her son's. She was sitting in her bedroom in front of a vanity doing her makeup before leaving for the day, fluffing powder on her cheek, her pink pearly necklace hung by her neck. 

     Silvia stood idly by, holding the leash of her lady's resting sheep on the bedroom floor. 

      "Your husband hit me."

     "Hm." The lady scoffed and looked at the reflection of the maid in the mirror." You should not have broken that vase then." 

     Silvia's grip on the leash got tighter.

     "Honestly, how hard is it not to touch it when cleaning?" The lady put a hand on her head, almost disappointed or annoyed, before returning to her makeup. "You know how men are. Had it been for the fact that you were a maid, he would have done much worse. " 

     The maid bit her tongue, a skill she learned after years of doing this service, and with her argumentative and competitive spirit, it wasn't too easy for her. She was tired and upset, she felt like a child being scolded by these people when she was a mature young woman. Despite Silvia's passion for her career, there are times when she wished she could just lie down and not hear from anyone for a while.

     The Lady was preparing to spend the day outside, away from the household, accompanied by her sheep and a servant beside her. When it came time to leave, however, The lady excused Silvia and brought a different servant with her.  The bruise on the maid's cheek was more than visible, it wasn't exactly an attractive trait to have if other nobles came across her. She could only imagine the whispers of gossip! 

Silvia spent a few days being a hidden servant when visitors came around the mansion. She would do her work but would stay in the servants’ hall until they left.

     During their meals, the maids and manservants would turn to her asking what happened. Word spreads fast in the mansion, but there are some clarifications they’d like to ask. She answered all of them and brushed off the situation, some servants were supportive of her while some minded their own business… using her as an example for their future endeavors. 

     After a while, they were taught to move on, and some objectified her as “The poor maid who was assaulted.”

     She hated that reputation. 

     She hated that she was known as that among her peers. She was more than that and she knew it! She was ambitious, strong, and resourceful, and that's not how she wanted to be remembered!

Like she said to the son of the family, she chose to keep her mouth shut about the incident. She took the money which-- she didn’t quite need, but it was an incredibly handsome amount. There was a part of her that felt bad for taking part in the white coven’s antics, but that's just how it is.

     Admittedly, she wasn’t eager to spread the news about it either. For the sake of her reputation and future work. Ever since she left she hadn’t heard of the incident again. It wasn’t the last time she was violated in a workplace environment, each time someone laid a hand on her it ached that she had to keep it to herself. 

     She grew a resentment for the nobles in the white gates. For new hirees, he’d be seen as a cold and strict housekeeper who would punish you for the smallest imperfections, but ask any maid and she will tell you about a woman who cares. A woman that-- once she was put in a higher position where she can afford to make mistakes-- took the blame for those who made their own.

Silvia opened her eyes and found herself, 30 years later,  in the queen’s castle. The servants’ hall was where the Maids and Manservants celebrated after serving a successful party for the nobles. 

     Silvia had a glass of wine between her fingers. She could hear all the people she worked with letting loose, taking off their bows and heels for the day, slouching, and letting themselves be tired. She turned to her right and saw all of the wine the queen gifted them that day, she turned to her left and saw the… people… have a toast.

     Slowly, she felt her shoulders unstiffen, and her jaw unclench…

     That’s right… she wasn’t where she was all those years ago anymore… 

     Servanthood was infinitely less stressful in the castle than it was down at the coven. That’s why so many aim to be her highnesses’ servant. It’s why the castle is often compared to heaven… Her majesty, though distant with her workers, was a little more patient with them and treated them like her children than animals. The workers themselves found a sort of support system and a family within the castle.

     Silvia slightly flinched when a maid tapped her shoulder but calmed down at the smiling look on their faces. The maids looked eager to share with her the wine they found and the gossip they heard from the attendees of the party. Silvia smiled and joined them…

     So many sacrifices for a moment like this. Although there were so many days left to come, she can’t help but think to herself that she made it… 

     God… She was a happier and more fulfilled woman… 

     She made it…

[grits-galraisedinthesouth]

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