"My job requires that staff occasionally go to a nearby office to drop off and pick up documents, usually once or twice a month. Usually whoever is managing a file will be the one to deal with the related documents, but it's not uncommon for us to cover for one another if someone is really busy that day. A few months ago, my ex was hired at the other office. We broke up years ago, but he was mentally and physically abusive and it took me a long time and a lot of therapy to recover."
"Even though seeing him no longer causes panic attacks, I still find it really upsetting and it ruins my whole day. Interacting with him is out of the question. Since he started working there, I've been asking other people to cover for me and have only been to the other office once. My coworkers are always happy to help, but we also have a strong culture of teamwork and I feel like they are starting to notice that I have been avoiding this task. I try to help out in other ways, but I'm worried that they may start to resent me, especially because there are times when I am visibly not busy but still ask someone else to do it."
Staff are occasionally required to go to a nearby office to drop off and pick up documents, and coworkers commonly cover for one another. The employee's ex was hired at that other office; the relationship had been mentally and physically abusive and recovery required significant time and therapy. Seeing or interacting with the ex remains upsetting and ruins the employee's day, so the employee has been asking others to cover and has visited the office only once. Coworkers are helpful, but the employee fears appearing lazy and worries about team resentment and is reluctant to disclose survivor status. A validating response affirms that leaving an abusive relationship and working through trauma are not reasons for shame.
Read at Slate Magazine
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