Navigating mistreatment at work

One of my clients recently started a new job. On her very first day, the person assigned to train her was rude from the moment they met. She was left alone for hours to figure things out by herself. Her questions were ignored. The support and guidance she was promised never came.

And because she wears hijab, one possibility we discussed was that racism or Islamophobia may have been at play. Racism and Islamaphobia are a circumstance. Meaning they are objective facts and truth that are not debatable by opinions. They are real things that happen in the world. What we don’t want to do is add unnecessary suffering on top of an already difficult situation.

While we don’t control every circumstance, we do have influence over how we respond to them. Its important to focus on what creates results rather than staying stuck in what has already happened.

My client could have spent all her energy thinking:
“This means I don’t belong here.”
“No one will ever help me.”
“I’m going to fail.”

Instead, we worked on thoughts that helped her stay powerful:
“I can learn this job.”
“I can advocate for myself.”
“I can document what’s happening.”
“I can seek support from the right people.”
“I can decide how I want to show up regardless of how others behave.”

This is not about pretending bad behavior is okay. It’s about refusing to hand over your future to someone else’s actions.

As Muslims, we know that people are responsible for their actions before Allah. And we are responsible for ours.

You cannot always control the treatment you receive. But you can control who you become in response to it.

If you’re facing a difficult situation at work, in your business, or in your personal life and want support navigating it,

Email [email protected] to book your free consultation call.