In my opinion the worst experience that I could have till my pension - Administrative Secretary RE/MAX Employee Review

My experience at this company was extremely disappointing. The two bosses (father and son) made me doubt my own abilities from the very first day until the moment I left. They generally spoke in a rude and disrespectful manner, were both impolite, and, most importantly, made me feel incredibly uncomfortable simply because I was a woman. During my interview, the father (who was the main boss) told me, "You're hired, now let's see if, besides a pretty face, you also have a good mind." I felt extremely uncomfortable, but being young and inexperienced, I brushed it off because I was excited about this new opportunity. As a secretary, my responsibilities were clearly outlined during the interview. However, I hadn't realized that being a secretary also included making coffee for the bosses. That didn’t bother me at all since it only took a couple of minutes, but the level of micromanagement was unbearable. The coffee had to be placed at a specific corner of the desk, not where I initially left it. Their cups couldn’t go in the dishwasher because, according to them, it made them smell bad, so I had to wash them by hand. If I forgot to flip the page of the desk calendar to the current date or untangle the boss’s phone headphones, I would be called out for it. Beyond that, the overall work environment was utterly miserable. There were women who had worked there for years, and none of them ever smiled. Some were on medication, and one of them was being harassed by the son, yet she ignored it as if nothing was happening. During an important meeting with a key business partner, the father-boss referred to me in an objectifying manner, saying, “Do you like this? I brought it in the other day.” (This = was me) My only task in that meeting was to serve coffee and leave. My break lasted about 10 minutes, which was not enough given the overwhelming amount of phone calls, emails, and small tasks I had to handle. When I asked for more time because I couldn't even finish my food in 10 minutes, my request was immediately denied. I was also explicitly told that I was not allowed to step outside the building during my break because the phones kept ringing, and I had to answer them—sometimes with food still in my mouth. The only exception was when I had to go out to buy the sports newspaper. There were many other issues that made me feel like I lacked skills and knowledge, which was absolutely not the case. I only lasted a few days in this company before I fell into depression. It took me a long time to realize that I had done nothing wrong. It is truly unfortunate that employers like this still exist today, destroying their employees' confidence and well-being.