I went to HR. Not to report Coralie for being involved with Desmond, because workplace relationships between colleagues weren’t automatically forbidden. I went because I had six months of documented schedule changes placing me in the office during evenings that matched Desmond’s travel records almost perfectly. I didn’t need to argue that it was deliberate. The timestamps did that for me.

I requested a formal review under our conflict-of-interest policy, which required supervisors to disclose personal relationships with subordinates. Coralie hadn’t disclosed hers. That was the violation. She was placed on administrative leave while the company investigated, and I was temporarily assigned to another supervisor. Walking out of HR, I expected to feel victorious. Instead, I felt exhausted. Click continue reading below