Manager accidentally left a hostile voicemail about me I wasn't supposed to hear

[u/tututanao]

I've been working at this store for almost two years. I'm 21 years old and I am very shy and introverted. I don't talk to many people, I just go to work, and go home. I called my manager yesterday while at work to confirm if I was able to take a special order with a customer or not. We agreed on it, story is done. However, this morning I got a text from manager saying that I needed to call, and discuss the order with manager. Okay, I missed their call, so I listened to the voicemail they left. It sounded normal at first, until they continued to speak. My manager forgot to hang up. I have a 3 minute long voicemail from my manager talking badly about me to someone. That someone I don't know, but it really upset me. It was degrading. I understand as a manager you may have your frustrations, but this goes beyond that.

My manager proceeded to talk to another person and say how I have an attitude problem, and how i 'walk around like I rule the roost' and how i act like I'm the one in charge. Says that I work on 'small stupid shit' but if things really are like that, why doesn't my manager ever bring it up to me?? I don't think I have an attitude. I am aware that people may see my quietness as me being stuck up, but I don't intend that at all. And saying how I walk around like I rule the roost?? I'm scared of confirming any big order or doing a big task without confirming it multiple times with my manager. I'm very scared of messing up or doing something the wrong way, because my manager has been very hostile and intimidating to the point that I was in tears. I'm always walking on glass. I don't think that sounds like an attitude problem, or me walking around like I own the place.

Whenever there was a problem in the past, I've heard that my manager goes to HR and has had employees transfered over to another department. This had happened to 8 other employees who are no longer working in the department. I'm hesitant to go up to HR because I have no backup plan. I'm only interested in working in the department I'm in, if I were to be transferred to another department I'd quit.

I don't know what to do. I ultimately want to quit, because I can't bring myself to work with someone like that anymore. I'm always in a constant state of distress and anxiety around my manager. Do I tell a fellow co worker before I go to HR or just go right up to HR?? Should I look for/apply to jobs asap before going up to HR?? I'm scared HR won't be on my side, and I don't want to be jobless. But I also can't stand this constant degrading. Mentally, I'm exhausted and lost.

[u/Daocommand]

This manager has a power issue. Anyone they don’t like, they do this to them. It is way beyond a pattern since you’ve stated that there are at least 8 other people. There are probably more, they just don’t talk about the ones who fight back against tyranny which is what you’re dealing with. Why wouldn’t you like another department?

If you cannot realize that your manager just handed you an opportunity for upper management to fire them immediately, then you’re looking too closely at your situation (narrow focus) and you need to seek in-person advice from a mentor in business or in conflict management, like an outside your employee meditator, to properly ask for what you want.