"The manager would act unimpressed if I was leaving work on time."

I was treated badly by my line manager during my time as a runner. I worked in a team of three people and whenever one person did something wrong, the other two of us would also be punished for it.

We were limited with what we were able to say to one another. We would be shouted at in front of the whole office multiple days in a week and no senior freelancer would speak out against it. It was embarrassing and demoralising. The line manager had a favourite who would make most of the mistakes, but whenever this would happen the manager would shift the blame onto me.

I was followed on social media by my line manager who forbid me to talk to others in the office about projects I was doing in my own time but they would make comments based on my posts and watch me dodge awkward questions from my colleagues. Comments such as 'you claim to have a degree but you can't do the simplest of things' would be muttered.

We were forced to use outdated documents which were poorly put together and did not serve their purpose making it nearly impossible to not make a mistake, when I would remake the documents in a way that was easier for everyone to use (and that received positive feedback) we would be banned from using them and forced to use the old systems.

The smallest of errors would be turned into a huge issue, (using the wrong word in part of an email). The line managers anger and rudeness would vary depending on their mood. They were manipulative and one moment would pretend to be friendly but turn on you instantly.

My parents began to notice the effect it was having me and often told me to leave my job. I was expected to stay hours beyond my work time and the manager would act unimpressed if I left on time. I would make note of my overtime often doing 10-15 hours more than necessary. I felt constant fatigue, depression, stress. It was a truly horrible year for me.

Thankfully I was able to escape, but it took me nearly a year to feel confident and happy in work again. I felt I couldn't report it to anyone and when I did officially report bullying, I was told to focus on myself. It has been traumatic revisiting these experiences.