The overall toxicity and dynamic set by leadership (and those tied closely with them) creates a hostile work environment in which rbt’s frequently turn against each other. Members of leadership will act like they are there to help, and then turn around and report you to a BCBA rather than deliver constructive criticism directly as any member of “leadership” should be capable of doing. Bullying runs rampant within the clinic including but not limited to leadership hanging a huge poster of one of the previous BCBA’s inside the staff bathroom door. If you have conflicts with other rbt’s, leadership will brush you off and do nothing to help resolve the situation. And if you report any of this to higher ups, prepare to be gaslighted, only to be harassed and micromanaged once word gets around that you brought your concerns to higher ups. Leadership has favorite rbt’s (and favorite clients) and they make those favorites very clear. Some rbt’s get well over 5% supervision while others are left begging for supervision as the end of the month approaches. There are double standards and unprofessional behavior is acceptable from the favorites, but if you are not part of that small group, your every move will be criticized — even when you have done nothing wrong. If you stand up for yourself in any way, they will either bully you until you get fed up and quit or find a reason to fire you. I’ve seen it happen to several rbt’s. It saddens me to see how much the company as a whole has gone downhill. The kids are amazing and sadly they are the ones who will suffer the consequences of what AFL has become.
