Former Nike ETW: Research student survey abt WHQ exploitation re: any employee type
Heads up: this is very serious and also difficult to write about. Please be kind. I'm now a research student, studying adult education and training. A portion of my studies is around leadership and policy. Last year I was an ETW at Nike in a management role. I recently started coming to grips with what happened to me while I was there. I want to see if others, ETWs or FTEs, might have info about being, or know of others who were, subjected to exploitation/abuse over the past five years (statute of limitations), for any length of time. Note that this post is not about the phenomenon of being overworked. It is referring to a workload and manager so oppressive that is causes the person to feel isolated from peers/family, fearful for ad hominem reprisal, and despite their qualifications, don't feel like they are 'good enough'. - Did you feel targeted for a medical condition you had? - Was your Manager impossible to collaborate with, by way of moving goalposts, underhanded threats, etc? - Did your job become something that you know, for certain, you would not have taken had it been explained truthfully? - Did you work overtime as an ETW, and not paid overtime, despite your manager having full knowledge that you should have been? - Did you feel increasingly isolated from your peers? - Did your workload grow so much, that you were working insane hours and unable to connect with family or friends during evenings and/or late nights? - Did your agency try to mediate or step in to ensure you worked in a safe environment? - Did your manager ever 'stalk' you via shared project apps or 'assign' a peer to surveil you? What about co-opting your work without civil discussion, creating impossible deadlines, and gaslighting you (denying they ever heard that) when relaying pertinent information? Thanks in advance. I appreciate your help with this.
Honestly apart from Intel most companies in Portland , Oregon treat non-white workers that way . It’s a beautiful state but there is a reason why it’s so white .
Are you in Oregon, now? Did you ever work for Nike? Are you a FT or contract employee? I'd like to learn more about your experience. I'm operating on a theory that contractors who have differences like ethnicity, disability, or employee status (contract) are much more likely to be exploited. I agree about Intel. It had its issues, but my team, which was super diverse, was badass to everyone of every color. Even in 'hallway conversations' when you learn how things really are going.
No longer in Oregon . Worked for a company in Lake Oswego and Nike as a contractor . Both were miserable experiences. Basically apart from Intel most Oregon companies just exploit you if you are on a visa . It’s an incredibly white city and apart from the hippies the others just treat you like disposable savages . Especially the managers at Nike and any companies in the Portland suburbs .
Can relate to some of this. Between long hours at work and travel, generally missing out on life. Boss is a bully, manipulative, condescending, leaves me in a constant state of anxiety. Gradually I started to feel isolated from friends and family, became too hard to explain my day to day. First 3 years were fine, last 3 have been hell. Currently interviewing for external roles.
Are you still at Microsoft? Also, are you in a protected class? (Disabled, female, over 40, etc.) It's awful living with that abuse and it's very hard to extract one's self from. I'm sorry you are going through that, too. If you are, then you file a Boli (Bureau of Labor Investigations, I think) complaint with your state. They will investigate and you may be awarded monetary damages.
Yes, protected class but genuinely fear the ramifications of reporting him. He’s extremely vindictive and I’ve witnessed him destroy 2 others that complained. Just want to leave with my head held high and get to a healthy environment for myself and for the sake of my family.
I'm currently at Nike and I have never witnessed anyone being abused because of race, religion, disability. To those who are, or have, and are still at Nike, PLEASE speak with your HRBP or someone else outside of your department if you do not feel safe. We don't need leaders who abuse and belittle, and we're better off when they leave, not you. Know that you have allies at work who'll help and can pass along feedback and descriptions of abuse anonymously on your behalf. I love working at Nike, but we still have leaders who are toxic and need to be forced to leave.
You're a good egg! Thank you so much for sharing this! I was at Nike prior to the this shit show and it was so great that I wanted to return. I couldn't have fathomed something like this happening. There is definitely a brighter side, and I'm heartened that you haven't been affected by a toxic Manager. As a contractor, I tried to talk to people about my situation. While many were sympathetic and concerned, very few people were also afraid to take action. Then there's 'contractors shouldn't be talking to FTEs about employees and such'.
@JohnQ - That’s your personal experience . Did you miss all the news in the last few months in the New York Times and LinkedIn and everywhere about Nike’s discriminatory policies . That was just the tip of the iceberg . Screw Nike - it’s just for frat bros into sports who do well there .
I have a couple of basic questions, why do you think they were so ‘out to get you’? Also why not resign before it has such dramatic effects on your personal life?
Word to the wise: when a person is subjected to abuse, please understand that this line of questioning blames the person who was exploited. My manager was a sociopath. Sociopaths groom their victims so you don't know that this kind of thing is actually happening until you're fucked. Psychological games are subversive. I was there for 90 days. You would think that wouldn't fuck a person so badly, but it does. Didn't resign because I'm the provider for my family. Quitting would have disqualified me from getting unemployment. Was also trying to eke out more time to lengthen the duration of work on my resume. Optics. Also, I was very loyal to my amazing team and LOVE the work I do. I was excited about the overall project. I care about my work portfolio. It would have been easier to bail if every part of the this sucked. Seldom are things all good or all bad.
They’re two simple question really, and I’m not saying don’t sue, I’m just questioning your approach. You control your life, you have options and choices. Always remember that.