VP Physically Threatened Me

~2 months into the job at a boutique M&A firm in a tier 2 city on the east coast. VP chewed me out in the conference room and threatened to punch me with his fist clenched up in my face. Can’t go to HR and file complaint because they have a very good relationship with the VP. I really like the work I do in M&A, but I don’t know how much longer I can take this from him. NEED ADVICE from others who went through the same thing or escaped.

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OP here and I didn’t fuck up “so badly” as you just said. It was an internal analysis that I made a very small mistake on, after which he threatened me in the conference room. I usually tune out stuff like this, but this has really stuck with me for the past few days.

 

For me, at some point, that’s no longer just normal IB shouting. Being shouted at is bad enough. But standing in front of you with a clenched fist and saying he’s going to hit you? That’s a whole different matter. Incidentally, OSHA already classifies that sort of thing as workplace violence.

I’d make a note of it somewhere today. When it happened roughly, what he said, that sort of thing. Maybe someone outside heard something too. And if there are CCTV cameras, that would obviously be quite important as well. I wouldn’t just leave those notes on the company computer either.

If HR is so close to him, though, I’d be careful about that. But the VP can’t really be at the top of the food chain. There’s bound to be someone above him. I’d at least have a look at who’s above him. Maybe there is someone after all with whom you could sensibly raise this sort of thing.

And whilst I’m at it, I’d probably update my CV. Just because you like the work itself doesn’t mean you have to stay at that particular company.

For a start, I’d also make sure I don’t end up sitting alone with that bloke in some meeting room again. Not in a showy way or anything. Just have someone else there if possible. If he approaches you like that again and you think he’s really going to make a move, I certainly wouldn’t start by trying to work out which managing director is in charge of it. Just get out of there.

And after two months, I certainly wouldn’t try to convince myself that you just have to get used to that sort of thing. In any case, it’s got little to do with ‘not tough enough for M&A’.

 
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You’re wrong; I used DeepL to translate or refine the text. English isn’t my first language, but I enjoy exchanging ideas and so I rely on DeepL. Now prove me wrong.

 

OP here - Pulled me aside in a conference room, chewed me out about the small mistake I did, then said “how did we hire such r******* analysts” with his fist clenched up in the air while he was in my face.

 

If he is a white man or woman, tough luck. You have no option but to recruit elsewhere.  

 

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