Worker Says Her Company Forces Employees To Go Through Public Therapy Sessions Every Time They Make A Mistake
It's like an episode of "Black Mirror."
Ground Picture / Shutterstock Have you ever had that one job that just seemed straight out of a weird sci-fi movie?
Such was the case for Chanelle Howell, who shared that she'd once worked for a company that resembled a dystopian episode of "Black Mirror" and insisted that every day working there felt like she was working in a simulation.
In her since-deleted TikTok video about this company, Howell explained one strange policy that the employees would be forced to follow whenever they messed up or made a mistake with their work.
The company would force employees to go through public therapy sessions when they would make mistakes.
"You had to go through these diagnosis sessions, and basically, a diagnosis session is a very painful therapy session where you are pushed to the point of failure," Howell recalled. She claimed that the company's diagnosis sessions could either be private or public, but they were always recorded.
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During one diagnosis session, Howell's manager had to go through it, and because of that, all of the other team members were required to be there.
The issue that her manager was being reprimanded for was because someone quit the team six months into working there, which isn't surprising if this is the type of discipline and work environment that people are being subjected to. The manager was asked whether this was a hiring failure or if they had simply hired the wrong person.
"Just for some quick context of my boss, she's quick, she's smart, she's eloquent. She is a very strong leader. So, you have to get diagnosed by someone who is more senior than you, and we're all just sitting in this boardroom; my manager is being drilled with questions about who she is as a person, her failures, and her childhood," Howell continued.
For most of the session, Howell's manager was a mess, sobbing and clearly upset about the questions. It was an extremely uncomfortable thing to watch, especially since Howell knew her manager as someone who didn't show weakness in the workplace at all. What this sounds like is pure torture, and for this to exist in the workplace at all is abhorrent.
It's similar to the Apple TV+ series "Severance," where the show's entire premise is a group of people working for a rather corrupt and cruel company.
At one point in the show, many of the employees are told to go to the "break room" whenever they make a mistake or step out of line, and the break room is essentially this diagnosis session that Howell experienced in real life.
To think that a fictional show could mirror real-life workplace experiences so closely is both disturbing and sobering.
At the end of the session, the recording of Howell's manager being questioned was sent to everyone on the team.
After an hour of this, Howell's manager's misery wasn't over. It would actually be used as a guideline for other employees.
Her biggest moment of vulnerability was being exploited, and instead of leaving it be, the company used it as a learning lesson for others on the team.
There's no satisfaction with using fear as a way to keep employees in line. Fear doesn't equate to respect, and any boss, CEO, or other executive who thinks they need to make themselves so big that everyone else seems small won't bring more job seekers into their company. Instead, it will drive people away (and maybe result in a lawsuit or two).
The best way to correct mistakes in the workplace is to use respect — you're not talking to little kids in elementary school but grown adults in a professional environment.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.