I was bullied by my former production manager. This man regularly omitted me on the monthly payroll run, so that finance would have to transfer money to me on payday without tax deductions. I was routinely hauled into the head of finance's office behind closed doors so she could complain about 'that bloody man' and ask me 'what is wrong with him?'.
I was at an end-of-series wrap party thrown by a BAFTA-winning TV production company when my production manager was having a tantrum. I don't know what it was about. I walked over to try and calm him, but he grabbed me by my lapels and said, "You're always wearing that awful cardigan." and then stormed off.
I was mortified. This man truly hated me and it wasn't my imagination. I had to leave the party. The office manager, who sat behind me in the office and witnessed a lot of bullying behaviour toward me, must have guessed something was up and asked me if I was OK. I said nothing and left. One of the few members of my team who I got on with ran out after me and asked me why I was leaving. I just said I had a headache.
I have never been hired by this company again. This is down to the production manager, who is still there. As a long-term consequence, it has made my pre-existing anxiety much worse. With every new job I start, I always worry about bullies and start thinking about how I may have to leave - all before I've walked into the office! I am a female BAME freelancer, so incidents like this are even more terrifying when there is the very real possibility that bullying has a racial component to it. Like many production companies, there is no recourse, no-one to confide in and besides, who cares?