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We put out a challenge on Saturday, September 12, 2026, for members of the public to submit pieces on the topic: “What does bullying look like in the workplace”. We received 10 entries. The following is the third-place entry. Writers were offered the option to remain anonymous and nine of the 10 writers requested anonymity.
Here is the third-place entry:
A Piece by The Tree
“Girl, mi juss cyar stan um!”
Sometimes you reach a point where you must ask yourself, “But what really going on here?”
A few years ago, I was just entering my professional realm. I had been fortunate enough to receive a scholarship to study in Barbados just after community college and came home proudly with a business degree. I was ready for the world of work. I was excited to contribute, to use what I had learned and, in my own little way, give back to my country.
I entered the workplace excitedly. I got along with everybody, and I remember thinking, “This feels good.” I am friendly, but I am also quiet. I greet people, I might joke around with people I know, but I am not a party person, and I never tried to force myself into any “in crowd.”
I was young, confident and not bad-looking at all, and I worked hard. Very hard if you asked me. I even gained some weight all the time I worked on projects late at night.
Looking back, I think some of that drive came from watching my mother. She had little support, but she still managed to do an amazing job. I grew up hearing people say, “Your mother is a good worker.” That stayed with me. I wanted to work hard, build something for myself, and create a different life.
I wasn’t trying to outshine anybody. Colleagues would sometimes come to me privately for advice, especially when they caught me on my lunch break. They would ask questions, seek my opinion, or need help getting something done. But once we were back in the office, it was almost like a different story. Around the crowd, they kept with the group.
And that is when I started to understand something about isolation. It is real. When I first entered, I could see that some people were already experiencing it. I could see who was left out and who was being made to feel uncomfortable. But somehow, when things shifted and I became the new target, some of the very people who knew what that felt like seemed to join in.
Maybe they did it to fit in. Maybe they were afraid of becoming the next target themselves. I cannot say for sure what was in their minds. But from where I stood, it was painful to watch people who knew what isolation felt like becoming part of it when it was my turn.
What made the whole thing even more confusing was management. The same people who would come to me privately and ask me to take the lead on projects could sometimes sit with the office crowd and criticize me on petty things. I never understood how I could be trusted enough to lead important work yet somehow become the subject of criticism when I wasn’t around.
I never went around announcing the projects I was asked to lead. Sometimes I even allowed things to look as if somebody else had done the work. But as my name started coming up more because of my work ethic, something seemed to change.
Then came the cut eye.
You know the kind, up and down, sideways, “what she is doinghere?” kind of look. Sometimes mi felt like if looks could kill, I woulda dead already.
There were little comments, the poking jokes and the suddenbursts of laughter. Sometimes I would just be sitting quietly and still feel like I was being deliberately provoked.
And what made it even more confusing was that no matter what I said, it seemed to get recorded, repeated and carried back to the manager. Before long, I found myself having to explain myself all over again. Sometimes mi was confused to the core, wondering, “But what did I really do?”
It felt like there was no right way to be. If I was friendly, it could be taken as me, trying too hard to be friends. If I kept to myself, suddenly I thought I was better than everybody. If I had an idea, it could be downplayed, only to hear the same idea come back later from somebody else as if it was theirs.
For a long time, I wondered if I had a problem.
Years later, I see things differently. I cannot tell you exactly what was in anybody else’s heart or mind, and I won’t pretend to know. But I know what I experienced.
To the women going through something similar, don’t let the behaviour of others make you question your worth. Keep doing your work but protect yourself too. Document what happens, keep your communication professional, and don’t feel pressured to explain yourself repeatedly when you know you have done nothing wrong. Find somebody you trust to talk to, and if the situation becomes serious, use the proper channels available to you.
Because maybe the old people really know what they are talkingabout when they say, “Monkey know which tree to climb.” Sometimes people will test you based on what they think you will tolerate. So, know yourself, know your worth and know when enough is enough.
Most importantly, don’t make yourself smaller just to make other people comfortable.
I wasn’t wrong about working hard. I wasn’t wrong for having ideas. I wasn’t wrong for helping people. I wasn’t wrong for being quiet, confident, or comfortable with myself.
I learned that sometimes, you can do your best, mind your business and still make people uncomfortable simply by being yourself.
And mi juss cyar stan um. These days, mi don’t intend to.
END
Why it stands out in third place:
This piece feels unmistakably Vincentian.
Its title is immediately arresting, and the writer handles the blend of local dialect and polished English with confidence and ease. The language feels natural rather than contrived, while the voice remains distinctly Caribbean. At the same time, its themes, workplace isolation, office politics, jealousy, and subtle bullying, will resonate with readers far beyond St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The reflections are mature, measured, and grounded in lived experience. Rather than making sweeping accusations, the writer focuses on what the experience revealed and what was learned from it. That restraint lends the piece both credibility and emotional weight.
Several lines are particularly memorable, including:
“Sometimes people will test you based on what they think you will tolerate.”
and
“Don’t make yourself smaller just to make other people comfortable.”
These observations extend beyond the workplace, giving the piece a broader relevance and ensuring that its message will stay with readers.
Ultimately, what distinguishes this submission is its strong local voice. It sounds authentically Vincentian while engaging with experiences that are widely recognisable. That balance of specificity and universality gives the piece its character and sets it apart from the other submissions.
END
