I want something that will be more than pesky and mere annoyances. Can you help me, Revenge Guy?

I have an issue that seriously needs addressing. I am currently employed by a wine shipping company. However, I am leaving at the end of the week for another job. I started this job on November 1st. On February 1st I begin my new job. I hope this says something.

I was hired as "Salary Exempt", so that I would not get paid overtime; however I was expected to, and was even ordered to work more than the usual 40 hour workweek ( I was working an average of 60 hour weeks). There is no time clock, so I have no "proof" of my hours. We are not given comp time off for extra hours worked either.

I have a very strong work ethic, and I work quite hard for this company. After three weeks, I was approached about a different position that would be a fantastic opportunity for me. I was quite excited about it.

[in]The supervisor of my department has a few nasty habits, including delegating out all of her work to other people, then taking credit for their hard work; and being a general loudmouth telling everyone in the company everyone else's personal business - as well as professional business matters that are HR issues. It was this woman's loudmouth jabbering to another employee that I overheard, as well as everyone else in my department, that the fantastic opportunity I had been approached with had been taken off the table, but with no reason as to
why.

From this company's grapevine (the only way that the HR manager communicates with the employees here), I found out that I had offended the HR manager (this was news to me, we had only spoken 3 times, and I had always been very respectful to this woman). Her way of "getting me back" was to make sure that I would never advance in this company.

To this day, I do not know what I said, or did, to offend this woman. To this day she will not acknowledge my existence (this is a small company, by the way). But wait, it gets better.

The supervisor of my department has another habit of blowing situations out of proportion, and making more work for everyone, including our clients. On December 15, this woman got an email from a client that was taken out of context, then hung me out to dry with that client. The upshot was that I no longer have permission to communicate with our clients by email or phone calls (I process their orders)- all communications have to go through the Supervisor or one other CSR.

Like I mentioned, I start my new job- which happens to be a better position for me, in a few days. However, my success is not enough "punishment for the crimes" I have endured. I have friends that still work for this company, and they need the jobs. The usual "legal" channels may actually close down this company- so are not the option I am looking for. I want something that will be more than pesky and mere annoyances. Can you help me, Revenge Guy?

-Disgruntled Employee

Hi Disgruntled Employee,

I can see how you were taken advantage of. It's an awful thing when, in this day and age, employers still have the power over their employees this way. Illegal working hours, poor conditions and hateful supervisors should not have to be tolerated. In fact, it is all illegal.

But, how can we get even?

How to exact revenge on the company and those supervisors without endangering the employees that you leave behind, the people you are happy to have worked with and now call friends?

This is how:

Click your way to your state employment agency's website.

Copy and paste their logo into a word/text document that goes something like this (you'll want to make the document as professional and official as possible):

Dear owners of XXX Company,

This letter is to inform you of a scheduled official visit by the Department of Employment Standards on XXX date, XXX time.

We have received certain information from (put the hated HR's name here) and have opened an investigation of Employment Standards Violations.

During our visit please ensure you have the following documents available for inspection:

Employee time cards for the past 5 years to present;

Employee work records for the past 5 years to present, including current and former employees;

Etc, etc.

You see how the letter is going.

Be sure to print out an official looking envelope as well.

Edit my wording as necessary.

This should get exactly the reaction you are looking for, and who knows, maybe working conditions will improve as well!

Best wishes,

RG