It seems to me that the lower you go in the chain of command, the worst it gets. To the point that my immediate manager had no idea how to manage or lead. The lack of management was very frustrating and placed the well-being of the residents in jeopardy. Working there was not easy, mainly because of the lack of support from coworkers and management. There are these groups, clans made of people who have been there forever, who if they don’t approve of you, they will make your life miserable until you quit. I have seen many good workers leave because of this reason. Yes, management is aware of this issue. Another problem that made my job more difficult, was the lack of diversity in the workforce. I was the only non-Creole speaking in the entire department. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love to meet people from other cultures and learn about them. But when Creole is being spoken most of the time, including on work-related issues, it hinders my ability to perform my job. And finally, but probably the most maddening factor for me is the “see something, say nothing” attitude of employees and managers. I have seen and reported so many issues. As an example, I reported an employee not wearing a mask or a face shield inside a resident unit. This was in the middle of the COVID pandemic before vaccines were available. That person no longer works at the VI. The dilemma is that there are people who have been working there for 15 years and never see anything.
