In last week’s blog I was re-thinking my internship, job, teaching…and I suppose I could go on and on. This week I want to tell you what a senior lady, wearing a head of grey hair and a sparkling smile, said to me while I was at work. When she came to the front desk to get information, she was wearing rose-colored sunglasses and stated I might need to get a pair. I told her I did not wear them because I wanted to see clearly what was going on around me. She then pulled them down slightly and said, “I can see what’s going on in black and white, while looking out of those glasses simply by pulling them down slightly.”
I got to thinking about what this lady was saying to me and decided she made a lot of sense. Employees today have fewer and fewer rights in the workplace. For example your employer can restrict your right to speak about non-work related issues, while in the workplace. They have the right to monitor your telephone calls, emails and internet posts. Many companies give employees phones with GPS and this means they can track where you are even when you’re not at work.
In his book, Nineteen Eighty-four, George Orwell wrote about a society where individuality and reason where “thoughtcrimes.” Big Brother was constantly watching the citizens of this totalitarian society. The people of this society were “… subordinated to a collective greater good.” Many workplaces could be defined as places where employers believe subordinating their employees for the “greater collective good” helps preserve the reputation of the company and its profit line. At least these are some of the justifications and arguments employers have made for firing employees who “make waves” or try to right wrongs. The view from the bottom of a company is often quite different from the view from the top down. However, employees can find themselves without a job or promotion if they say or do something their supervisor disagrees with…because they are “thoughtcrimes.” You have not conformed to the company way of thinking.
Let’s examine another legal action employers have at their disposal…workplace bullying. What is it? There is no universal definition. In What is workplace bullying, Rick Brenner wrote, ”… workplace bullying is any aggressive behavior, associated with work, and primarily intended to cause physical or psychological harm to others.” Notice the word “intended,” it means mens rea or having a guilty mind. Simply stated it means the intent was to cause harm. I think much of this behavior is subtle and it would be very difficult to prove it was intentional. Herein lies the problem faced by many in the workforce.
A bullying supervisor may try to defeat you one incident at a time. In a blog entitled, “Subtle bullies use manipulation instead of physical threats,” Ben Leichtling wrote, “…they want to convince you resistance is futile.They want you to suck up, acknowledge their turf and become a willing lackey in their clique.” He continues to say, “…they feed on your hesitations, fears and codes of polite behavior to enhance their control.” The author says “…subtle bullies use manipulation instead of physical threats… your standards, priorities and interpretations are less important than theirs.” In the end, you have no choice but to succumb, because bullying in the workplace is not illegal. You have committed a “thoughtcrime,” if you disagree with their interpretation of the workplace. You must never forget to put those rose-colored glasses on. Pulling them down a bit to see what really is taking place is not allowed.
In a blog by Donald Christiansen in IEEE-USA Today’s Engineer, the author writes, “…most experienced engineers agree that having a good boss is one of the most important aspect of one’s job. Your boss can serve not only as a professional colleague, mentor and leader, but often as a shield from the whims of an oppressive bureaucracy.” Now the question is how do you find these people? How do you interview to find people who do not fit Stanford Professor Robert Sutton’s description of a “#%&$!*”, as described in this bestseller, the No Asshole Rule? Let’s watch this video from Professor Sutton talking about what inspired the book, Good Boss, Bad Boss:
JOYSTECHTOOL 
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