Anxiety, Injustice, and Fear: Workplace Exploitation

[Joker_J]

Hi everyone,

I’m going through one of the most emotionally exhausting phases of my life, and I don’t know how to process everything anymore. I’ve been working at a café where the owner has been underpaying, delaying wages, and manipulating staff for years. I stayed quiet for so long, just hoping things would improve. But after months of working alone, often unpaid, and being made to feel replaceable and disposable, I’m now being accused of theft — for taking money that was rightfully mine after she promised it to me.

The anxiety is consuming me. She has told people I stole from her, shown footage to others, and threatened me by saying she knows where I live and my number plate. I don’t feel safe. I’m scared that if I take action, she’ll retaliate. But I also don’t want to stay silent anymore. I feel like I’m carrying a weight no one sees. I’ve been trying to stand up for myself, but the fear, shame, and anxiety are overwhelming.

I don’t know if others will believe me. I don’t know if I’ll be protected as an international student. I’ve reached out to Fair Work and legal centres, but the emotional toll is something I can’t explain to them. I keep replaying what I could have done differently, and I feel stuck between wanting justice and needing peace.

I’d love to hear from anyone who’s gone through something similar. How do you cope with the fear of retaliation? How do you move forward when your body feels like it’s constantly in fight-or-flight? I feel like I’m drowning and just need to be heard.

Thank you for listening.

[TrueSeeker]

Hello

I'm so sorry that you're going through this. I can see how hard and exhausting it is for you. It's very hard when we're stuck and can't decide which way to go. It all can be so confusing and unfair. Our emotionality can make it so much harder to decide.

As much as I'd like to help, I can't really make the decision for you as it really needs to accommodate your needs and mental health. Maybe trying to focus on the facts can make it a bit easier. As much as things can feel really scary and big when we look at it in a calmer mood it can start making more sense.

Sometimes just because there is a possibility of very bad things happening, it can feel that it actually might happen. When we look at practicalities of things, it might be very different. For someone to cause us harm, they would have to go to a big effort to do that and will face prosecution and not many people will risk their quality of life just to get back at us.

I hope it helps a little bit, please let us know how you're going whenever you feel like it

[Guest_99244504]

Hi, 

I'm so sorry that you are going through this. No one should be threatened by their boss. Have you put out an AVO/APVO out on her ?(if you are in NSW)? If shes's threatening you that she knows where you live and you feel unsafe you are more than within your right to get legal protection if you feel unsafe. 

To your question of how to cope when your body is in fight or flight, for me personally I imagine if someone has a bad energy or treating me poorly (at work especially) I think of it like dust and you just wipe it off. Try to focus on the real life things that are important and what matters the most. I know that this current situation is unbearable but I promise you that it will pass. 

I hope this is helpful and good luck, horrible bosses are the absolute worst. 

No one should feel scared to go to work or even be at home. 

[mr magoo]

I have been going through a similar situation and a friend told me something that stuck Self preservation not easy if you have people depending on you but it’s important 

[mr magoo]

You are right it will pass and sometimes won’t be a bad as others been best part of 10 years for me and counting