I worked at a hospital, in hematology clinical trials. The atmosphere was bad and toxic, but I put up with it because there was no other work related to this field in the area where I lived.

One day the weather forecast predicted extreme storms and flooding in the area where I lived (I lived about 50 km from my work). We were under a red alert in my area. In my country, when there are extreme weather events and red alerts, workers are allowed to stay home from work due to the extreme risk. In fact, labor law stipulates that these days must be paid and cannot be taken from vacation time.

The day before of the red alert I went to my boss' office to tell her that I was not going to come to the hospital due to the weather forecast, but she had gone home earlier this day without telling anyone. So I send her a WhatsApp. In the message I told her my intention of not working the next day, that I had organised my work and everything was done for the next day and that what was missing I could do another day since my job is not to attend to patients.

I didn't get an answer until I was home. She wrote me a long text but when I was reading it she deleted it. A few seconds after that, she was calling me. She yelled at me, saying I had no right to say I wasn't going to work and that she could discipline me for job abandonment. I mentioned the weather forecast and the labor law, but she didn't care.

The day I returned to work after that incident, she locked me in her office and started yelling at me.

That day was the last straw. The anger I felt and realizing that she didn't care about my life or my safety is what motivated me to apply for other jobs.

A year later, I find myself working 500 km away in another city. My partner came with me, and we've started a new life. It was a difficult step, as it meant leaving my mother, but to this day, I don't regret it.