Screw the Hierarchy

Dr. Bonnie Candia-Bailey was a VP of student affairs at Lincoln University in Missouri when she died by suicide on January 8, 2024. Reporters revealed that Dr. Candia-Bailey saw her reports of Lincoln University President Dr. John Moseley's alleged harassment and bullying not result in support. In this episode, I talk about what we know through the media about her situation at work and how white men in power set up the system for Black women to suffer. Take Action: http://www.wpsact.org If you've been abused at work and would like to share your story anonymously, email info@dignitytogether.org. If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at http://www.dignitytogether.org/targets. Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

Emma Farley has experienced ableism at work in multiple jobs, and when she speaks up about accommodations, she sees a toxic mix of incompetence, power, and control. In this episode, I talk with Emma about her experience, both at work and in the legal system, and why she wants to see protections from workplace abuse. Take Action: http://www.wpsact.org If you've been abused at work and would like to share your story anonymously, email info@dignitytogether.org. If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at http://www.dignitytogether.org/targets. Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

On October 10, 2023, nearly 40 advocates and experts testified in support of the Workplace Psychological Safety Act in Massachusetts. Advocates with lived experience and experts in law, neuroscience, psychology, and more joined forces to voice the urgent need for worker protections from workplace psychological abuse. Take Action: http://www.wpsact.org If you've been abused at work and would like to share your story anonymously, email info@dignitytogether.org. If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at http://www.dignitytogether.org/targets. Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

Social change requires collective action. Two targets in Texas, Dee Montanez and Stuart Mayper, have turned their experiences into a fight for psychologically safe workplaces. In this episode, I talk with them about why they got involved with passing legislation to protect workers from psychological abuse and what's happening with the Workplace Psychological Safety Act in Texas. If you live IN Texas: Write to your state legislators: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/help-get-co-sponsors-for-workplace-anti-abuse-legislation-in-texas/manage Write to Senate committee members in charge of scheduling a hearing date: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/urge-committee-member-to-move-workplace-anti-abuse-legislation-forward-in-texas If you live OUTSIDE OF Texas: Sign the petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/pass-the-workplace-psychological-safety-act If you've been abused at work and would like to share your story anonymously, email info@dignitytogether.org. If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at http://www.dignitytogether.org/targets. Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

A big question on the minds of targets of workplace abuse is: how do I prevent abuse at work from happening again? While we can't prevent abuse at work but are now prepared to see red flags, we can arm ourselves with information about potential employers without having to sift through hundreds of reviews on job boards. Culturama.is is a game-changer for our job hunts and employer accountability. It's a brand-new tool that automatically analyses 4.8 million job review board opinions to help you compare the largest 1,500 global organizations on work-related problems so you can make informed career decisions. In this episode, I talk with Culturama founder Tomasz Urbanski about what Culturama is, how it works, and how Culturama can disrupt employer lack of accountability. Get a quick walk-through: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puhQv8recWo Visit the tool: https://culturama.is/#/home/main Then upvote and review it so it can climb the rankings, and we can get the word out to employers will pay attention to their ratings: https://www.producthunt.com/products/culturama#culturama If you've been abused at work and would like to share your story anonymously, email info@dignitytogether.org. If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at http://www.dignitytogether.org/targets. Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

Around the U.S., workers at companies of all sizes are increasingly speaking up to those in power around mistreatment, which disproportionately harms women and people of color. In this episode, I talk with Alex Horne, a GE whistleblower who founded #GEToo to connect targets of abuse at work and to mobilize them collectively to fight to end forced arbitration through the FAIR Act. Take action on the FAIR Act: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/urge-your-federal-legislators-to-support-workers-rights-bills If you've been abused at work and would like to share your story anonymously, email info@dignitytogether.org. If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at http://www.dignitytogether.org/targets. Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

We know physical injury is harm. We also know there's a mind-body connection, and the stress from abuse at work can result in such stress-related symptoms as anxiety and digestive issues. But abusive behavior can also result in physical injury seen on brain scans, meaning psychological injury IS physical injury. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Jennifer Fraser, author of The Bullied Brain, who walks us through the research in neuroscience and offers hope when looking at neuroplasticity: we can restore our brains back to health. If you've been abused at work and would like to share your story anonymously, email info@dignitytogether.org. If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at http://www.dignitytogether.org/targets. Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

An insurance adjustor filed a complaint about transgender discrimination. The complaint escalated to racial discrimination, ignoring, and retaliation — all while the company touted its support of diversity. In this episode, hear from the insurance adjustor who endured a months-long complaint process that ended in his termination for a bogus problem and his takeaway that the system is designed to not work. If you've been abused at work and would like to share your story anonymously, email info@dignitytogether.org. If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at http://www.dignitytogether.org/targets and a signup for daily boosts through your inbox at the same place. Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

Recovery from such trauma as workplace abuse follows a typical pattern. In this episode, I talk about those typical stages of recovery and how we're leaning on the collective part of recovery by giving targeted employees a way to take their voices back, minimize the isolation, and give others permission to speak up in a national protest across the country. Join us on Saturday, October 22 at Lives Lost to Workplace Bullying and Mobbing at a location near you (or start an event near you) to honor 15 victims who lost their lives after abuse at work and publicly let targeted employees and legislators that we're not backing down from fighting for protections for workers: https://actionnetwork.org/events/lives-lost-to-workplace-bullying-and-mobbing/ If you've been abused at work and would like to share your story anonymously, email info@dignitytogether.org. If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at http://www.dignitytogether.org/targets and a signup for daily boosts through your inbox at the same place. Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

When we've been abused at work, our bullies and employers control the narrative, leaving us feeling voiceless and isolated. But when we advocate for ourselves, especially collectively, we own our narratives, take our voices back, and climb out of isolation by connecting with others who've gone through similar experiences. There's a third effect when we speak up collectively: we give others permission to speak up too, growing our movement. Join us on Saturday, October 22 at Lives Lost to Workplace Bullying and Mobbing at a location near you (or start an event near you) to honor 15 victims who lost their lives after abuse at work and publicly let targeted employees and legislators that we're not backing down from fighting for protections for workers: https://actionnetwork.org/events/lives-lost-to-workplace-bullying-and-mobbing/ If you've been abused at work and would like to share your story anonymously, email info@dignitytogether.org. If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at http://www.dignitytogether.org/targets and a signup for daily boosts through your inbox at the same place. Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

We've heard about the idea of #QuietQuitting, the concept of not going above and beyond in your job to avoid burnout. But that narrative is the employer's narrative — not the employee's. Luckily, TikTok has seen a backlash to #QuietQuitting called #QuietFiring, calling out how employers create toxic work environments that leave employees checked out or pushed out. In this episode, I talk about how TikTok users have taken back the narrative and what's involved with #QuietFiring (hint: we call it workplace bullying and mobbing or workplace psychological abuse). If you've been abused at work and would like to share your story anonymously, email info@dignitytogether.org. If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at http://www.dignitytogether.org/targets and a signup for daily boosts through your inbox at the same place. Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

Stories of workplace abuse are going public more and more — this time with the Phoenix Suns. In this episode, I talk about the reported abuse from Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver, what the investigation found, and Sarver's consequences for his abusive behavior. Are they enough? If you've been abused at work and would like to share your story anonymously, email info@dignitytogether.org. If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at http://www.dignitytogether.org/targets and a signup for daily boosts through your inbox at the same place. Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

Fifty years of research are behind the need for workplace anti-abuse legislation in the U.S.. In this episode, I talk about those findings, how they shape our direction with the brand new Workplace Psychological Safety Act, and how you can learn about the collective action we're taking by introducing and advocating for this bill across the country. You can signup for this upcoming training simply to learn if it's a right fit for you on Tuesday, September 20 at 7pmET: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcoceqorjoiGtxNPXQJOGkTfPmxvaWURpey If you want to learn about upcoming trainings, sign our petition to get on our email list: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/pass-the-workplace-psychological-safety-act

When we feel ready for it, collective action can help us feel validated in our collective grief and powerful and confident in our collective voices. Collective action can help us realize again that our feelings and voices matter. In this episode, I talk about the power of collective action and how you can learn about the collective action we're taking by introducing and advocating for the Workplace Psychological Safety Act across the country. You can signup for an upcoming training simply to learn if it's a right fit for you on Tuesday, September 20 at 7pmET: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcoceqorjoiGtxNPXQJOGkTfPmxvaWURpey If you want to learn about upcoming trainings, sign our petition to get on our email list: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/pass-the-workplace-psychological-safety-act If you've been abused at work and would like to share your story anonymously, email info@dignitytogether.org. If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at http://www.dignitytogether.org/targets and a signup for daily boosts through your inbox at the same place. Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

Abuse at work means loss of our control. One major way to take back that control is to intentionally come up with a game plan. In this episode, I talk about components of that game plan that can help you take your voice and power back. If you've been abused at work and would like to share your story anonymously, email info@dignitytogether.org. If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at http://www.dignitytogether.org/targets and a signup for daily boosts through your inbox at the same place. Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

While collective action is one of the most effective ways to hold employers accountable, so many bystanders flat-out refuse to step in. We hear dismissive comments like "well, he's nice to me" or "are you sure that's what's happening?" or whatever piece of unsolicited advice they think will put them in the know and you out of it. It's all toxic. Some seem to not understand that remaining neutral sides with aggressors, and many hold onto the belief that it's a just world, so it must be at least partially the target's own fault. These same people might know there's a rigged system built on stereotypes, but their actions just don't match the talk. It's blatant hypocrisy, just like the employers who tout values they don't uphold. In this episode, I talk about three main reasons bystanders don't step up. If you've been abused at work and would like to share your story anonymously, email info@dignitytogether.org. If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at http://www.dignitytogether.org/targets and a signup for daily boosts through your inbox at the same place. Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

Employee productivity monitoring software is on the rise in white-collar roles. While it may help employers identify workers who aren't doing their jobs or are unproductive and see productivity trends, the tool also encourages micromanagement when misused. In this episode, I talk about how these tools create toxic work environments. If you've been abused at work and would like to share your story anonymously, email info@dignitytogether.org. If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at http://www.dignitytogether.org/targets and a signup for daily boosts through your inbox at the same place. Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

The concept of "quiet quitting" is trending on TikTok in response to both employees going the extra mile and suffering from burnout and employees deciding to do the minimum their jobs requires. In this episode, I talk about how quiet quitting can help us cope with workplace abuse in the short-term. If you've been abused at work and would like to share your story anonymously, email info@dignitytogether.org. If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at http://www.dignitytogether.org/targets and a signup for daily boosts through your inbox at the same place. Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

Taking collective action can help us heal from trauma. That collective action isn't limited to advocacy; we can also memorialize our losses together and feel seen and heard by those who get it. In this episode, I talk about how collective action can bring us from suffering to surviving to challenging to thriving and how we're memorializing our losses from workplace psychological abuse in our new memorial wall at WorkplacePsychologicalSafetyAct.org under Share Your Losses: https://www.kudoboard.com/boards/bLaGATf4#edit If you've been abused at work and would like to share your story anonymously, email info@dignitytogether.org. If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at http://www.dignitytogether.org/targets and a signup for daily boosts through your inbox at the same place. Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy

The Guardian reports that workplace suicides in the U.S. "up 39% since 2000," with the U.S. topping the list for suicide rates among select OECD (the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries: "13.9 suicides for 100,000 people." In this episode, I talk 18 lives lost to workplace bullying and mobbing as highlighted in the media. If you've been abused at work and would like to share your story anonymously, email info@dignitytogether.org. If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at http://www.dignitytogether.org/targets and a signup for daily boosts through your inbox at the same place. Facebook: @HierarchyPodcast Twitter: @ScrewHierarchy