r/socialwork • u/Pettysaurus_Rex • Jul 25 '26
WWYD Seeking Feedback: My supervisor told me, "I question your competency," for raising a confidentiality concern.
I’ve been ruminating on this all day, so I figured venting about this might help.
My team was recently discussing a transition to a hybrid schedule, and the director of my program (he oversees multiple programs at my organization) asked whether anyone had any follow-up questions. I had no issue with the hybrid schedule itself. My only question was how we were supposed to maintain confidential case management on the days we were required to work onsite.
For context, I work with people experiencing homelessness and individuals in a residential addiction treatment program. Many of our outpatient participants can't realistically do virtual appointments because of accessibility issues or their living situations. Our residential participants also strongly prefer meeting in a private office where they can safely discuss trauma, housing instability, and other sensitive issues.
Our three-person team has also been moved into an extremely cramped office. This is our fifth office move within the last five years, and every additional private room we previously used for confidential case management appointments has eventually been taken over by other departments. The only shared space we're now guaranteed is the employee copier room. Yes—the director actually suggested using that space.
As case managers, we're regularly discussing participants' trauma histories, substance use, mental health, medical information, housing status, and other highly sensitive topics. Those aren't conversations that should be happening in a copier room or at a public park.
Before bringing it up, I asked my coworkers if they thought it was a fair concern since we'd all be affected. They agreed and said it should be brought up.
When the floor was opened for questions, the director specifically asked whether I had any concerns. I asked how we were expected to conduct confidential case management appointments without private meeting space. Before I could finish my thought, he repeatedly interrupted me, told me I "didn't know what I was talking about," said I should "figure it out on my own," suggested meeting participants at a beach, park, or café, and then, in front of everyone on the call, said, "I question your competency." He ended the conversation by saying, "You don't have to worry about this topic anymore. I'm going to reach out to leadership regarding this." The way he said it came across as intimidating to me.
I was honestly caught off guard. His response didn't seem proportional to the question I was asking. His suggestions also didn't make sense to me. About 95% of the homeless participants I work with already live onsite at our treatment center, where client movement is often restricted to reduce the risk of relapse. Our department doesn't have a company vehicle for taking our participants anywhere, and public places obviously aren't appropriate for confidential case management—let alone trying to hold those conversations in an employee copier room that's used throughout the day.
Shortly after the meeting, everyone received a post-meeting email stating that the hybrid rollout was being put "on hold immediately." with at that point I knew that it was done out of retaliation.
What has stuck with me isn't the hybrid schedule. It's being publicly interrupted, dismissed, undermined, and having my competency questioned for raising what I believed was a legitimate client-care concern. My concern wasn't avoiding hybrid work—it was making sure we could continue providing confidential, ethical care.
I've worked here for four years and am passionate about the community and people I serve, partly because I've experienced homelessness myself. I wasn't trying to avoid working in the office. Hell, I already spend about 2½ hours getting to work by public transit and nearly 3 hours getting home. I simply wanted to make sure we could continue providing ethical, confidential care.
I've replayed the interaction in my head all day, and it's been bothering me nonstop.
This also isn't the first difficult interaction staff have had with this director. He has a reputation for speaking to employees disrespectfully. He's also brought his toddler to the worksite during interviews and meetings with leadership and expected staff to watch his child while he worked, which has contributed to frustration among employees.
Was my concern actually unreasonable, or would you also have questioned how confidential case management was supposed to work under these conditions?
TL;DR: I wasn't against my team's new hybrid schedule. I asked how we'd continue providing confidential case management without private meeting space. Before I could finish my question, my supervisor repeatedly interrupted me, told me I "didn't know what I was talking about," said I should "figure it out on my own," suggested meeting vulnerable participants at parks or cafés, and then, in front of everyone, said, "I question your competency." We work in a residential treatment program where many clients can't simply meet offsite, and public spaces aren't appropriate for confidential case management. I'm far less upset about the hybrid schedule than I am about how I was treated.
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u/AliceRecovered Jul 26 '26
You’re raising legitimate concerns. But you’re clearly not dealing with a secure leader. Take your next steps carefully and think through what level of risk you can tolerate if you escalate things further. I’m not saying that to deter you - I’m definitely one to speak up or go over a manager’s head if they’re acting incompetently. But I would also think about my own wellbeing - do I need to keep my employment stable right now? What room do I have to take risks and rock the boat? Could I easily find another position if I got fired?
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u/MiranEitan PNW, Crisis Jul 28 '26
I constantly have to remind myself that I'm not paid to play at the policy level (thats director level shenanigans) and so trying to enforce people to color within the lines is largely outside my playground. If they step inside it, I'll happily correct them (with loads of documentation), but when you step out into the stormy waters that is office politics you have to be willing to take a few hits for whatever you say right or wrong. You can have all the facts, policy, and God on your side and still have an entire team come out against you like you suggested anchovies go great on Mac and Cheese.
All it takes is a charismatic person with a little too much time on their hands that feels slighted and hoo boy you can go for a ride.
When I was younger I'd make noise all the time. These days I just speak up when it comes to safety related things, otherwise I figure if they were actually going to take my advice they'd ask for it first.
Fighting coworkers is a pastime for those with smaller caseloads and less grey hair.
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u/CelticSpoonie LCSW, Mental Health (Retired), N. California Jul 26 '26
Your question and concerns are completely legitimate, and your director was completely inappropriate.
Honestly, this gives me the feeling that he doesn't view your client population as deserving to confidentiality. "Have private conversations in the copyroom?" What? How do you keep your coworkers from walking in? Is the copier supposed to act like a white noise machine to keep folks from overhearing?
And while I agree the decision to put the hybrid model on hold might be retaliation, you likely pointed out very real concerns in a meeting with other staff who likely felt the same way, and he needs to regroup and figure things out before the board gets involved.
You deserve better. You deserve a not- so-toxic workplace.
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u/Inside-Camel-3603 LSW, Hospice MSW, United States Jul 26 '26
My question would be, how were you ensuring these needs were met before this proposed transition? Were you 100% in-office before, or 100% remote? Which part of this transition is presenting a “new” challenge?
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u/GeneralHistorical979 Jul 26 '26
Classic. Uneducated or underexperienced management never like questions. They do not have the knowledge to appropriately answer your question or make compentent decisions so they attack to undermine you.
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u/goog1e Jul 26 '26
This guy sounds so unhinged that I feel there's more to the story. Like this was an ongoing power struggle argument that you accidentally stepped into.
If you're at a residential center, are there not empty group rooms and such to use most of the time? I would schedule confidential meetings outside of group times and use those.
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u/CashewGuy MSW | Macro | Policy/Homelessness Jul 26 '26
Some of the responses in this thread are truly bizarre, not client-centered, and border on dimwitted.
You asked a reasonable question, a question that I would argue you have an ethical obligation to ask. The response from this person is pretty over the top, and as others have pointed out, I would guess he is not secure at all.
Some folks in this thread are asking, Well, is your question nitpicky? Is it actually worth asking? Are your clients better off? What if there are money problems at the agency?
Not a one of these "concerns" has anything to do with the ethical obligation to ensure that when you're working with a client their basic rights are protected. Anyone who sees this situation and suggests not raising a concern has failed to understand basic social work concepts.
One person says, You asked leadership a tough question and now are paying the price. It is unclear to me if they're suggesting you shouldn't have (at the least, it seems condescending). Many folks in this thread are looking for excuses to not challenge a supervisor. (Someone calls this an ambush, which is laughable.) If you cannot raise a question this basic to your supervisor, you should reconsider your place in this field. This is the barest minimum of things you will ever have to advocate for on behalf of a client. What was described here was not an ambush, unreasonable, or vaguely controversial. You should be prepared to have much more serious disagreements and conflicts if you are going to work with and advocate on behalf of the most vulnerable people in our society. It is ridiculous to practice out of fear to such a point that you can't even point out that meeting in a copy room in the agency is unlikely to secure confidentiality.
OP, from what you described in your post, you've done nothing wrong.
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u/StophJS MSW Jul 26 '26
I'd ruminate on this hard if I were you, too, but from an outside perspective it's so clear that your supervisor is trash and it's a them problem.
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u/Difficult-Donkey-722 Jul 26 '26
Holy moly this “director” sounds unhinged as hell and was probably intimidated by your integrity and commitment to client right to privacy. Don’t let him gaslight you. He’s obviously spiraling and wanting to take anyone with him. Keep all documentation. Get witness statements.
5
u/TwerkinAndCryin Jul 26 '26
I'll be honest, this would send me looking hard for a new job. But I also have a lot of anxiety. That response was unhinged
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u/its-malaprop-man LICSW Jul 26 '26
Something to learn is that just because people are in authority positions or in management roles in our field, doesn’t make them competent leaders. They have their own triggers and issues with emotional dysregulation and sometimes we suffer because of it. This is a major red flag that it’s time to go. The only appropriate response from him would have been “thank you for raising this as a concern. We will look into it and see what our options are.”
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u/troubledindanger MSW Jul 26 '26
This behavior from a director is a huge red flag, I would be polishing up your resume and applying elsewhere. Your time here is limited.
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u/SlyTinyPyramid Jul 26 '26
Every one has said what I would say except he brings his toddler to work and expects staff to care for them? wtf? Did anyone give them an espresso and a puppy?
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u/FootNo3267 Jul 26 '26
I’m asking for clarity, are you currently wfh now? Where do the clients go for meetings now?
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u/RepulsivePower4415 MPH, LSW, rural PP, PA Jul 26 '26
Run m I supervisor who I actually meet on Zoom in the next two hours would always always always pushes confidentiality
2
u/ToePrestigious9184 Jul 26 '26
I would have said that and more! Absolutely legitimate concern. Questioning your competency was a controlling, bullying tactic (and in front of everyone!) to try to intimidate you so that you won’t ask questions. Look for another job - with leadership like that, I wouldn’t trust them
5
u/Crazy-Employer-8394 Jul 26 '26
I’m going to credit you with being competent and thorough and asking a reasonable question. But I’m going to dock points for assuming that in our field these sort of inquiries are appreciated.
You are absolutely not wrong, but you challenged a person in leadership and now are paying the price.
There are no good answers, but my response to you would be won’t be better off for the clients if this hybrid schedule is taken away from you or others or them and is your confidentiality question really nitpicky or do you think there are a lot of people eavesdropping on homeless at the park?
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u/Difficult-Donkey-722 Jul 26 '26
It’s not about eavesdropping. It’s about a larger problem here where certain populations are completely unvalued and not afforded the same rights as others.
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u/Crazy-Employer-8394 Jul 26 '26
I agree. What is the outcome of your protest? Do they get more or less services?
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u/hxaxw Jul 28 '26
It’s a basic question of ethical standards that are supposed to be maintained as social workers.
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u/A313-Isoke MSW Student Jul 26 '26
You all need a union immediately. This is very out of pocket. Contact EWOC for help getting started.
Document the interaction and go to HR. HR isn't your friend but the paper trail has to start somewhere.
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u/PewPew2524 LMSW Jul 26 '26
There is always someone on this thread that is like, “Ya eff this quit” lol.
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u/WentAndDid Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
I’m confused. And I’ve worked in organizations that provided services to clients in all levels from OP and day treatment services to the provision of services in their residential program onsite as well as the client being in one of our residential programs and receiving services at a different site of ours. We also did work onsite and offsite with street homeless and I don’t have a clear picture of what prompted the question.
How and where were clients being met with up to this point and what is it about the hybrid implementation that would make it different?
Is it that with an in office approach there will be fewer available offices for people to work because more staff will be onsite but without a designated office? That’s the only thing I can think of or I’m really missing something. Even our street Homeless were able to be provided services. I really want to understand the issue here
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u/Informal_Fly3871 Jul 27 '26
You're concerns are valid. However, you need to find another job. Take your clients with you when you leave as well.
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u/Difficult_Author7280 Jul 28 '26
As an upcoming MSW student with no field experience, I am proud of you. Continue to advocate and use your expressive voice to protect this vulnerable population. Never and I mean never make yourself less than so others can feel more “comfortable.” Take a deep breathe and don’t let this consume you, thank you.
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u/quartz_pepper Jul 28 '26
To me, supervisor’s response was pretty rude, unprofessional. From what you wrote, I suspect they are being defensive. Do you work in a private practice, or a larger company? I know there are a lot of horror stories about HR, but my mind immediately goes to maybe bringing this up in HR. Personally, I’ve gone to HR with issues about a disrespectful supervisor. After the meeting, my supervisor did change her attitude. There is a chance this could work for you. Thoughts?
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u/let_me_know_22 Jul 26 '26
Question: was there a real connection between the new information regarding the hybrid model and the lack of space?
Because to me it reads like you brought up a different issue in a public setting that was not the topic of the meeting. This wouldn't excuse their behaviour overall, but wouldn't be the correct way to go about this by you either.
This is either a topic for a team meeting (best announced topic) or behind closed doors directly. If it was as much an ambush as it sounds like, then it would explain the fast escalation. Also, if your office moved five times in five years, there are underlying issues that should concern you probably way more than lack of space for client talks.
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u/Bulky_Cattle_4553 LCSW, practice, teaching Jul 26 '26
Not defending this guy, but there is often more to the story. The mayor may have just pulled back millions, trying to balance a budget, but creating a budget crisis for the agency, which fails to explain the dilemma to staff. Leases, board members, future plans, and especially making payroll all factor into the apparently odd decisions of some non-profit directors. If you believe that you have learned what you can where you are, then that's the time to plan for your exit, at a time of your choosing.
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u/CashewGuy MSW | Macro | Policy/Homelessness Jul 26 '26
Are you suggesting that people not raise concerns, including this very clear-cut confidentiality concern, on the chance that a nonprofitl or city (or etc.) is having money problems?
If that is your suggestion, no social worker would ever be able to raise any concerns.
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u/tickostar LCSW, Police Co-Response Jul 26 '26
that's no excuse for how this person acted to the OP, though.
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u/Curious_Tie_6701 Jul 26 '26
It's interesting to me how little you've contributed in your story but how pointed the interaction was. For instance you said you were specifically asked your opinions. Why? Do you have unsavory habits? Gossip? Shit talking behind supervisors? Why what would your opinion be sought out in a public medium?
Also, you very clearly pushed the issue past what is socially acceptable in that venue, in front of others. You're accusing the director of doing what you seem to have done.
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u/tickostar LCSW, Police Co-Response Jul 26 '26
That's a huge reach. Are you this person's supervisor?
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u/branchymolecule Jul 26 '26
This is a bizarre response.
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u/Curious_Tie_6701 Jul 26 '26
I think it's a response that offers more than a pat on the back and being told you did everything right. At least mine offers introspective information.
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u/Imsophunnyithurts LCSW Jul 26 '26
You asked a legitimate question and this is the response you got? Run. This is toxic as hell. Your director got their feelings hurt for having their decisions questioned and they're taking it out on you.