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I recently had a conversation with a friend who I will call Sheryl. What happened to her is common. Something similar may have happened to you.

Sheryl works for a Fortune 500 corporation that manufactures and markets office supplies. She worked for them for a number of years and did well; receiving above-average evaluations, no disciplinary record and regular promotions. She had a productive working relationship with her boss and the immediate supervisor of her boss. It was productive because she did as expected; taking care of clients, meeting their needs and servicing and expanding profitable accounts.

Change is inevitable but can be unwelcome if you have a good situation. In her case, new district management ordered changes and realignment. Sheryl took a lateral move with additional duties and was moved to a new team with a new team leader named “Anita”.

The new position also meant working along a regional sales manager named “Mary”. One day, Sheryl had to fill an exceptionally large order for a distributor for several types of pens. The distributor changed her mind about some of the pens, but a quirk in the purchasing system did not allow for part of the order to be deleted. Mary got involved and a shouting match ensued.

“What do you mean you can’t change it? Do I need to find someone who can?”

However, the change could still not be made and the hard feelings persisted. Sheryl told her team lead that the Mary was continually abusive to her and others, making them feel “talked down” to. She asked Anita to step in for her, but she would not do so, telling Sheryl that she was misperceiving Mary. Sheryl replied to Anita that if she would not defend her, then she would defend herself.

Sheryl reached out to “Bob”. Bob is a high performing sales manager and somewhat of a mentor. Bob confronted Mary and told her that people perceived that she had an abusive management style.

So Bob protected Sheryl when Anita, her immediate supervisor, would not. Sheryl applied to transfer back to her previous position in the company.

One day, another team leader overheard Sheryl on the phone discussing her problem with Bob. The team lead told Anita, who issued Sheryl a written warning.

By now, Sheryl had been in this new position for just two weeks shy of one year. According to company rules, her evaluation was due in two weeks. The written warning would serve as justification for Anita to rate her lower. Additionally, no employees are permitted to transfer within the company are allowed if there is any written disciplinary material less than a year old in an employee’s file.

Sheryl’s actual performance was never in question. It seems as though it would have been simpler for Anita to simply let Sheryl transfer to another position in the company where she was a better fit and had performed well before. However, the written warning had Sheryl stuck in a place where she was unhappy, under Anita’s management. Furthermore, this was the second time within six months that someone on Anita’s team had applied to be transferred elsewhere, but was served with a written warning shortly before they became eligible for transfer.

Sheryl wanted the warning removed, so she sought help from Human Resources. According to Sheryl, Human Resources were neither human nor a resource. They simply affirmed Anita’s prerogative to manage disciplinary issues as she saw fit, and that the warning was within company policy.

From Anita’s point of view, she needed to maintain discipline and good working order on her team. Sheryl’s friction with Mary was a disruption. From Sheryl’s point of view, Anita misused disciplinary tools in a way that unnecessarily derailed her career. Both may be right.

People get frustrated with corporate demands for cookie cutter employees which result in cookie cutter solutions. Large organizations can be appallingly bad at capitalizing on the strengths of people.

If your best self does not find an outlet for expression in your current position, then change. Change your situation or change your employer. Or work for the only person who is guaranteed to put your best interests first-yourself!

Figure out what you love and design your own job by starting your own business. Establish a corporation or LLC if you feel that you are on your way out at your current job.

Sheryl has options. Next in the “Corporate Politics” Series: ways to defend yourself, turn the situation around and make it work for you.