Screw the Hierarchy

Employers say they uphold values, but when push comes to shove, they often do what it takes to avoid liability. We're talking abuse of power, and it undermines rights, gives the law not much teeth, and reinforces the very hierarchy that led to the claim in the first place. In this episode, I'll walk you through eight ways the authors of Rights on Trial say we can fix the "re-inscription of ascribed hierarchies."

If you've been abused at work related to your race, gender, disability, age, or other demographic and would like to share your story anonymously, email [email protected].

If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at dignitytogether.org/targets and a signup for daily boosts through your inbox at the same place.

Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast

Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

Marty, Thomas, and Malika are three Black workers who felt they were on the receiving end of racist and other discriminatory behavior at work. In this episode, they reveal the details of their versions of the mistreatment — and what's happened (or hasn't happened) in the aftermath.

If you've been abused at work related to your race, gender, disability, age, or other demographic and would like to share your story anonymously, email [email protected].

If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at dignitytogether.org/targets and a signup for daily boosts through your inbox at the same place.

Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast

Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

Abuse of power didn't end for Boston police officer Brenda James on June 8, 2012 when her supervisor wrangled a loaded firearm from her retention holster, putting her life on the line according to Brenda.

Members of the police department allegedly sabotaged Brenda through a series of errors and omissions over the course of eight years and counting.

The worst part: not a single authority stepped in to hold those white officers accountable. Not one.

Learn more:

https://www.dignitytogether.org/blog/police-officer-endured-series-of-abuses-for-eight-years-after-management-error

If you've been abused at work related to your race, gender, disability, age, or other demographic and would like to share your story anonymously, email [email protected].

If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at dignitytogether.org/targets and a signup for daily boosts through your inbox at the same place.

Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast

Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

Boston police officer Brenda James began her career in the male-dominated, dangerous field in 1994. Her district was changing, becoming more inclusive and diverse. The police department adopted a different model of policing — “community policing” — developing partnerships and relationships with community members. Officer James was assigned to help carry out that mission. She was recognized for the work she did as a community service officer and then became a juvenile officer, a liaison between the police department and community – school officials, clergy, business-owners, social service agencies, and programs. She was involved in roundtable discussions, interventions, mediation, individual educational plans for students at risk, court advocacy for juvenile delinquents, and relationship-building with probation. She became certified to mediate and earned a masters degree in criminal justice from Boston University.

But all that work went down the drain when a higher-up targeted Brenda in 2011 and escalated the abuse to a traumatic event on June 8, 2012.

Learn more:

https://www.dignitytogether.org/blog/police-officer-endured-series-of-abuses-for-eight-years-after-management-error

If you've been abused at work related to your race, gender, disability, age, or other demographic and would like to share your story anonymously, email [email protected].

If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at dignitytogether.org/targets and a signup for daily boosts through your inbox at the same place.

Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast

Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

There's one MAJOR factor that keeps mostly white men in power and the rest of us out of it: stereotypes. And they're not just reinforced at work. They're reinforced in the courts, rendering discrimination law not powerful enough to disrupt social hierarchies at work.

That power results in a distinct hierarchy along demographics and income — aka how we as a culture value work as it relates to racial and gender stereotypes and how much comfort groups can experience with their incomes. Authors of the book Rights on Trial report this hierarchy of median incomes by demographic in 2014:

Asian American men, $59,766

White men, $58,712

Asian American women, $48,419

White women, $44,236

African American men, $41,167

African American women, $35,212

Latino men, $35,114

Latina women, $30,329 (yes — that's about HALF the median income of Asian American men)

If you've been abused at work related to your race, gender, disability, age, or other demographic and would like to share your story anonymously, email [email protected].

If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at dignitytogether.org/targets and a signup for daily boosts through your inbox at the same place.

Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast

Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

If we look at the word "responsibility," we see it literally means ability to respond. That ability to respond to situations that serve or don't serve us is where our power lies. And if we take 100% radical responsibility for that power, we more clearly see our choices where we once had tunnel vision, focused on the injustice and the grief. In this episode, I talk about what it means to take radical responsibility for our lives.

If you've been abused at work related to COVID-19 and would like to share your story anonymously, email [email protected].

If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at dignitytogether.org/targets and a signup for daily boosts through your inbox at the same place.

Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast

Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

What does justice mean, even for those whose abuse falls under illegal discrimination? The authors of Rights on Trial took a deep dive into the wide variety of outcomes for plaintiffs and defendants in discrimination cases — and how the legal system is rigged to keep hierarchies at work intact.

If you've been abused at work related to COVID-19 and would like to share your story anonymously, email [email protected].

If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at dignitytogether.org/targets and a signup for daily boosts through your inbox at the same place.

Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast

Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

If we took passive approaches to our careers and lives, we'd look at job postings and see what we fit into. But if we took assertive approaches, we'd ask ourselves what we want to accomplish in life, where we want to be, what we want work to look like for us, and what first step we can take to get there. In her book Reinvention Roadmap, author Liz Ryan calls this step "getting altitude" — and it's a key step in taking back your life.

If you've been abused at work related to COVID-19 and would like to share your story anonymously, email [email protected].

If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at dignitytogether.org/targets and a signup for daily boosts through your inbox at the same place.

Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast

Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

How do we re-train our brains to process an attack? What root belief systems and thoughts can we shift to deflect mean comments? Emotional Intelligence Specialist and Founder of Positive EQ Kirsti Gwynn reveals the inner work we can do to not internalize others' projections. http://www.positiveeq.com

Kirsti leads the Unlocking Inner Strength: 3 Practices to Build Emotional Resilience mini-course in the six-month Healing Speaker Series: https://redefineourselves.com/healing-speaker-series/

Kirsti is dedicated to helping caring people to overcome anxious thinking so they can feel calm and content. She holds a masters in applied positive psychology and coaching psychology, with a background in counseling, and is passionate about using evidence-based positive psychology interventions in her work. Kirsti has worked with various charities, businesses, and schools to improve mental health and well-being.

If you've been abused at work related to COVID-19 and would like to share your story anonymously, email [email protected].

If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at dignitytogether.org/targets and a signup for daily boosts through your inbox at the same place.

Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast

Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

Toxic employers pile manipulation onto manipulation. If they allow abuse to happen, they say they're against it but then vilify the target as soon as they know the details of the complaint. And they know courts will eat up this common and awful tactic.

It's a disgusting way of getting rid of liability.

If you've been abused at work related to COVID-19 and would like to share your story anonymously, email [email protected].

If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at dignitytogether.org/targets and a signup for daily boosts through your inbox at the same place.

Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast

Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy