Workplace depression and misogyny

Finance, Career and Edu

Hi everyone,

Not sure whether this belongs under Vent, Advice, or Career, but I could really use some perspective.
I've been working at a listed company since last year, and it recently went public. My role is heavily operations-focused, and throughout my tenure I've consistently delivered on my targets. On paper, my performance metrics are spotless.

However, last week I received negative feedback that seems to have come completely out of nowhere. It's affecting my mental health far more than I'd like to admit. I've been dealing with intense anxiety and have even had some very dark thoughts because of it. I was given that feedback and asked to change my work-stream. No time to improve, no time to defend myself and no clear explanation behind the said review.

My team is predominantly male, and I've often heard colleagues make derogatory comments about women, their appearance, and other inappropriate things. I usually ignored it to keep the peace, but one day I had enough and called one of them out for being misogynistic.

Fast forward to my mid-year performance review (right now) and things have gone downhill. I've been told that while I'm "smart" and "perform well," there's "something missing." When I asked for specifics, nobody could give me a clear answer.

My manager told me he tried to defend me, but others were adamant in their assessment. He also mentioned that whenever I spoke up about following SOPs or pushed back on things that weren't being done correctly, it hurt some people's egos.
At this point, it feels like my growth in this role is stalled, and I may have to leave and start over elsewhere. The thought of losing a year's worth of effort and progress is devastating.

I can't stop wondering: is this how workplaces work? Is this how people who consistently give their best get rewarded? Do I really deserve to start from scratch because I spoke up against something I believed was wrong?

I feel extremely heartbroken, Ive been crying non stop, venting to my friends and family. I know it is not the end of the world, but does feel like it. I dont know what to do, I just dont know. I feel like Im just unlucky, otherwise how do you explain this? Someone who has worked, delivered all numbers YET is getting a career setback because of these comments?

Posted Jun 15, 2026, 12:47 PM UTC

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