Why Severance Resonates So Deeply
While I don’t typically lean toward dystopian or sci-fi shows, Apple TV’s Severance had me hooked. What pulled me in wasn’t the futuristic premise but the brutally real emotional truth behind the story.
At its core, Severance is a workplace drama disguised as speculative fiction. And it perfectly captures the emotional disconnection, identity loss, and psychological manipulation that many people experience in toxic work environments.
The Real Cost of Workplace Bullying
What stuck with me — and what still lingers — is how eerily Severance mimics real-world bullying:
- The gaslighting
- The public shaming wrapped in corporate policy
- The powerlessness
- The erosion of your sense of self
I’ve lived that. Many of us have. And for a long time, I didn’t even know it was bullying. I thought it was just what it took to survive in high-pressure fields like television. But it wasn’t. And it isn’t.
When Policy Becomes a Weapon
“You know the protocol. You are not here to think.”
That line from Severance might sound extreme, but it mirrors a familiar dynamic: workplaces that stifle creativity and punish independent thought.
In bullying cultures, policies are often wielded like weapons. They’re used to control, shame, and isolate rather than to protect or empower. Contribution takes a backseat to compliance, and speaking up becomes dangerous.
Isolation Is the Bully’s Greatest Tool
“If this place breaks you, it is your problem, not ours.”
This type of emotional detachment isn’t fiction. It’s reality for many employees.
In toxic workplaces:
- People are excluded from meetings
- Passed over for promotions
- Left out of social circles
The result is a slow, disorienting loss of belonging and confidence. It’s deliberate. And it’s designed to keep you silent.
When Work Becomes Your Whole Identity
“I feel less myself than I did yesterday.”
That’s the line that hit the hardest. Because it’s true.
Workplace bullying doesn’t always look dramatic. More often, it’s a quiet unraveling:
- You lose your voice
- You doubt your instincts
- You second-guess everything
- You smile in meetings, but you’re shrinking inside
When your identity is tied to a job that feels unsafe, the damage runs deep. I know. I lived it for decades.
Five Lessons Severance Teaches Us About Workplace Bullying
The show might be fictional, but the emotional truth isn’t.
1. Humiliation often hides behind protocol
Policies without empathy become tools of control, not safety.
2. Isolation is a deliberate strategy
Bullies isolate targets to reduce their confidence and credibility.
3. Without empathy, cruelty moves in
Emotionally disconnected workplaces become breeding grounds for fear.
4. Bullying erodes identity
It’s not always loud. Often, it’s a slow unraveling of confidence and connection.
5. Reclaiming your whole self is resistance
Healing begins when you name what was taken and decide to reclaim it.
You Are Not Alone
If you’ve ever felt erased, silenced, or broken by your job, you are not alone.
You’re not weak. You’re human.
Millions experience workplace bullying in subtle but devastating ways. And the moment you begin to name it, your healing can begin.
What Comes Next: A Path Toward Healing
In my upcoming book, Surviving Bully Culture: A Career Navigating Workplace Bullying And A Guide For Healing, I share both my story and the voices of others who’ve endured and escaped these environments.
It’s not just a book about pain. It’s a guide for:
- Recognizing trauma
- Reclaiming your identity
- Rebuilding your confidence
- And finding your voice again
If You’re Healing from a Toxic Job
You don’t have to do it alone.
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Start remembering who you really are — before the job tried to take that away.