Would I be mad to do this?

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I was really badly bullied at work about five years ago. It was so bad that it made me ill with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. I stayed to complete my training and as soon as I passed, left.

It was with a large organisation which has a lot of branches. I have been out of work for a year (working on creative projects) and want to get back to work. The organisation I worked in before, has a branch near me and they provide excellent training and are only up the road. I only have to work a couple of days a week and thought it would be a good stepping stone while I'm working on my health as I have physio and other hospital appointments including counselling. They are also very flexible regarding work re disability etc

I went for an interview last week and got a volunteer/training position as I have to retrain. However, I'm now nervous that the bullying will start again as one of the women interviewing me was strange. Didn't say hello when I walked in, didn't smile or introduce herself and I was asked questions that could only have come from my last boss who was trying to get me to leave by setting me up to fail.

The different branches have staff crossover so I'm wondering what the hell I might be walking back into.

AIBU to go back given what happened before, even though this is a different branch?

I wouldn't go back!

Interviews are horrible things and really 'false' anyway, so id put that aside.

Are the people the same? If not I think its unfair to judge one group of people because of another group of people.

I get how you feel, but you can just leave if you get a whiff of the same type of behavior again

Regardless of what may/may not have been said about you, the very fact that you are nervous now, clearly shows this would be the wrong move for you.

I wouldn’t go back. Ime it’s unusual for cultures in large organisations to change. And ongoing bullying in corporate environments is usually indicative of the underlying culture

I agree you shouldn’t go back.

I don't think that if I was in your shoes I would go back tbh.

HOWEVER, would they really have offered you the role if they didn't want you to work there? It would be a very odd thing for them to do to set you up to fail and take it so far that they offer you a job?

But, seeing as it isn't paid and you already feel uncomfortable I would be wary.

I would be hesitant to go back BUT in theory it looks ideal and flexible. Maybe now you are returning you will be alert for any signs of the bullying starting up again? How would you feel if you came face to face with you bully/bullies. Would you be able to handle it? There is a lot for you to think about.

I'm thinking that going back would be the wrong thing to do. My anxiety has been through the roof since I was offered the position.

My last boss took me off the staff rota without telling me why. When I asked he ignored the question. He then complained that I wasn't a 'team player' as I wasn't consulting my managers about my clients but I didn't have any new clients because he'd taken me off the rota. He was setting me up to fail. This is just one example of what he did. The bullying was systematic and relentless and he had henchmen who were physically threatening and aggressive towards me.

At the interview, I was asked if I thought I was a team player.

No, don't go back op. I think you should look elsewhere. Sorry that happened to you .

Being asked if you are a team player is a standard interview question; it’s not exactly left field and didn’t have to come from your old boss.

@Squeakymumtime I probably will meet some of the bullies as there is staff crossover between branches. It won't be as concentrated though as it was my last manager and his chums (a circle he had around him that backed him up) who were the bullies.

Asking if you're a team player is normal.

If you were physically threatened did you go to the police? Why did you apply again if you were physically threatened by "henchmen" . What kind of business is it that hires henchmen and physically threatens people?

At the interview, I was asked if I thought I was a team player.

Why are interviewers so crap? (I know the answer to that: it's a rhetorical question.) This is a ridiculous question. Whether you think you're a team player is irrelevant. Did they ask for examples of situations in which you've demonstrated you're a team player?

@Bluntness100 They didn't hire henchmen. There was a woman who worked there, she was friends of the boss and not very bright. She was a bouncer for clubs part time. She was as you can imagine, quite large and could be physically intimidating. She used to lean into my face and act in an intimidating way around me.

For example, I would put my lunch in the microwave to heat up and she would take it out and put in her own food, she worked in admin and would take my post out of my pigeon hole and throw it somewhere else. She wouldn't pass on essential messages. When I approached the boss about this, he thought it was funny as 'that's just the way she is' and they were good friends.

From a fellow ME sufferer

Your Fibro and ME are linked with stress.
Dont put yourself in a situation where your stress is going to be Sky high.

Look after yourself. Carry on with the counselling. And find another job.

@SirTobyBelch I suppose it was really the way they looked at each other when I was answering the question. I know that that is what the last manager kept saying about me, even though it wasn't true. It's never been a complaint made about me by anyone at any other place I've worked and I've been working for 30 years.

Look, if they asked the team player question because they knew of you, knew you'd been bullied out before, and were trying to trip you up, (which is not likely as it is a very standard question to ask at interview) then WHY did they offer you the job? Unless the job was for office scapegoat, which I don't think many places can afford right now!
You seem to have jumped to conclusions, rather.
That does not mean that this is (or isn't) the best job for you.
Good luck with your decision.

@Bluetrews25 There were two people interviewing me. One was my last training supervisor who wasn't based at my last office. We got on really well and they have a standard set of questions. They have to be very PC and, if you answer the questions sufficiently barring, bad references, you will be offered training. The other woman, I think as I don't remember her, may have been based in my last office. I think that's why her behaviour was strange.

A volunteer/training position eh? So they want work done but they don't want to pay you to do it?

What notice period is there?

@egontoste The problem is, the kind of work I do, needs constant training and updating as it changes all the time. I can't just get another job if I've been out of it for a year, I need updating and therefore will need to be retrained. No, they don't pay while you train. I can then go on after a few months and apply for a paid position.

They are ten minutes by bus up the road, they are flexible which means I can work part time, pay is ok, they are good for letting you have time off due to disability etc as I can sometimes be completely knocked out with exhaustion and pain. I don't really know any other organisations who are as flexible and I really need that as I'm not sure from one day to the next, how ill I'm going to be.

With training, no notice period, I can walk out anytime. And I would, if the bullying started again. I'm meant to go for an induction next Wed and thought I'd go for the day, see how it went and if there was a whiff of what I went through before - never go back.

I wouldn't want to put myself back in that position. You need to look after your health.