The Hidden Cost of Workplace Bullying: How I Lost $855,000 in Career Income

Workplace bullying doesn’t just hurt emotionally — it has serious economic consequences. After being pushed out of my role as a Senior 3D Artist in 2012, I lost momentum, pay growth, and promotions I would have otherwise achieved. Over time, this added up to nearly a million dollars in lost income.

In 2012, I was a Senior 3D Artist working at a AAA Game development company. I had finally reached a place in my career where my creativity and technical skill were starting to be recognized. My salary at the time was $48,000 — below industry average, but I had every reason to believe that, with time and commitment, I would continue progressing up the ladder toward Lead, Principal, and eventually Art Director roles.

But that didn’t happen.

What happened instead was workplace bullying. Persistent undermining, exclusion, and targeting that drained my confidence and left me isolated. Despite my performance, I became a scapegoat in a toxic environment. Eventually, I was pushed out — and the cost of that exit would haunt my career for the next decade.

The Career That Could Have Been

After leaving that company, I struggled to regain my footing. While I continued freelancing and working on projects I was proud of, I never fully re-entered the pipeline of growth that a full-time, senior-track 3D artist would normally expect.

For comparison, I modeled my actual earnings against two industry paths:

• Expected path if I had stayed on as a Senior Artist, with annual raises.

• Natural promotion path to Lead or Principal roles by year 6–10.

Here’s what the data shows:

The red shaded area isn’t just lost income. It’s lost security, lost opportunity, and lost future promotions.

🧮 How Much Did I Lose?

By 2025, a typical Sr-Level artist in AAA games would be earning between $100,000 and $115,000. Someone promoted to Principal or Lead could be earning closer to $135,000 to $147,000.

In contrast, I made around $30,000 a year for most of that time — with a few years slightly above that. The cumulative loss?

💸 Estimated lost income over 13 years: $760,000 to $950,000

And that doesn’t include:

• Missed RRSP/pension matching

• Bonuses and stock options

• Opportunities to lead teams or mentor

• The long-term compounding of promotions

Here is a chart visualizing the real vs. potential earnings from 2012 to 2025. The red shaded area shows the cumulative income lost due to career disruption following workplace bullying.

⚠️ Bullying Isn’t Just Personal. It’s Systemic.

We often talk about workplace bullying as an interpersonal issue — bad apples, difficult personalities, poor management.

But what we don’t talk about enough is how bullying acts as a gatekeeper — especially for women.

📊 Women are more likely to be bullied:

• Studies show 57% of workplace bullying victims are women.

• Women are more likely to experience prolonged, career-harming harassment.

• When bullied, women are significantly more likely to exit their industry, take time off, or accept lower-paying roles to escape the stress.

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Now add this up across an industry, and the picture becomes clear:

Workplace bullying is contributing to the gender pay gap.

🛑 The Long-Term Toll

When women are bullied out of their roles — especially in male-dominated sectors like game development — it doesn’t just cost them emotionally. It cuts them off from promotions, financial growth, and the positions of power that could change workplace culture.

The irony is: the further you climb, the more visible you become — and often, the more targeted.

🧭 What Needs to Change

• Early intervention in bullying cases, not gaslighting and deflection.

• HR departments trained to identify power-based harassment, not just misconduct that breaks obvious rules.

• Career re-entry supports for professionals pushed out of their field due to toxic environments.

• A hard look at how bullying feeds systemic inequalities, including the gender wage gap.

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💬 Final Thoughts

I’ve rebuilt my life. I run my own business now, coaching others through workplace trauma and helping creatives get their careers back on track. But the truth is: I shouldn’t have had to start over. No one should be punished for being skilled, driven, or outspoken — yet that’s what happens to far too many of us.

If this story resonates, please share it. And if you're in it right now — targeted, isolated, or made to feel like the problem — I want you to know you're not alone, and you’re not imagining it.

There are ways to fight back.

Disclaimer:

The content provided by Growth and Grit Studio, including all coaching sessions, courses, downloadable tools, videos, and written materials, is based on personal experience, research, and practical workplace strategy. It is intended for educational and informational purposes only.

I am not a lawyer, therapist, or licensed mental health professional. Nothing shared should be interpreted as legal advice, mental health counseling, or a guarantee of outcome.

While the tools and strategies I offer are rooted in real-world applications and my own lived experiences of workplace bullying and recovery, your situation is unique, and outcomes will vary.

Please consult a qualified legal or mental health professional for advice specific to your case.

By participating in this program or using these materials, you acknowledge and accept responsibility for your own actions and decisions.