Meredith Holley's Blog

Many employees come to us after HR has done an investigation. Regardless of how the investigation went, regardless of whether they were the one reporting or the one accused, the employee is unhappy.They feel unsupported, unheard, and (this may surprise you but) both sides feel suspected.In this video (below), Rebecca Gwozdziewycz, who has decades of experience in HR and I talk about when investigations are necessary and other options for handling reports in the workplace. At Eris, we always beli...

Many of our clients come to us worried that "things might not be bad enough" YET at work to invest in getting help. What happens when we focus on things "not being bad enough" is that we almost look forward to things getting worse, so that we can finally give ourselves permission to make a change. This can become dangerous in situations where things do get worse, and we don't have the tools to protect ourselves.Instead, we help our clients shift to thinking about work getting better, rather than...

Last year, Grant County District Attorney Jim Carpenter, accessed a citizen’s personal cell phone records without consent, warrant, or suspicion of a crime.Our client is an Oregon business owner, personal trainer, and all-around badass human (see below) who is standing up for herself and others who have experienced abuse of power from law enforcement. Full complaint can be seen here. In Oregon, it is illegal for law enforcement to search your phone without any suspicion of a crime. For white peo...

Employees often come to us and let us know that they reported abusive behavior at work to HR . . . And they never heard back.Or, HR responded, and targeted the employee with an investigation.The employees who talk to us often feel afraid - both because of the abuse they're experiencing and because they feel betrayed by their employer. That's where we step in.In this video, Rebecca G., who supports our clients through IMPACT training, and I talk about this experience and how we've seen our client...

When employees come to us and say they're experiencing gaslighting, it usually looks like this:The employee is doing their job, gettin' shit done, serving the people. Someone else (usually a boss) comes in and says, "I got an email from a client, you ruined everything, and it's all your fault." (I'm paraphrasing, but you get the idea.) Employee says, "I've never metthat client, there must be some mistake." Boss says, "Stop being so defensive andtrying to deflect responsibility." Employee says, "...

A lot of businesses we see, especially well-meaning nonprofits and advocacy organizations, use brainwashing against their employees and clients. Most don't even realize they're doing it. But, it is a key factor in sabotaging their efforts to create an inclusive environment. Could this be happening in your organization?First, we need to ask, what is brainwashing? Is it a problem? If it's a problem, why? How do we immunize from brainwashing in our workplaces and create a truly inclusive environmen...

Often what happens when we experience conflict is we don't want to talk about it. We don't want to make waves or think that it's bad enough to do anything about it (yet).But, that typically makes things worse. It can lead to long-term physical impacts or other people experiencing the same thing. And, it makes talking about the unacceptable behavior worse than the behavior itself (which just isn't true).In this video, Rebecca (an HR expert) and I talk about the importance of knowing when to repor...

Have you ever heard that our intent and our impact might be different?We mean to be kind, but people take what we say as criticism. We mean to self-advocate, but people still think we don't have confidence.We mean to set boundaries, but people don't respect them. When I work with someone accused of harassment or discrimination at work, they often tell me, "I would never be discriminatory! That's not what I meant." When I work with someone who is in a toxic work environment, they often say, "I me...

Local chiropractor, Matthew Freedman, owner of Eugene Chiropractic, is accused of at least 19 instances of sexual assault, groping, and exposing himself to two patients. The patients filed complaints in Lane County Circuit Court Friday, May 29, 2020. The complaints are available here and here. These complaints allege that Dr. Freedman used his position as a chiropractor to "groom" or normalize sexual contact with both women, establishing himself as a trusted person and then breaking that trust b...

I have talked to many, many white people in the past week about racism.Many of us are afraid to say something wrong, afraid to do something wrong . . . and we're afraid of staying silent as well. It seems like nothing we do is the right thing. I get it. On Tuesday, I was overcome with fear about whether I should #blackouttuesday on social media.The black leaders I was seeing said, speak out, end the silence. My white friends said, we need this gesture of community, even if it's just a gesture.I ...