Screw the Hierarchy

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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected]. 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

Abuse at work can come in many forms: Discrimination against independent contractors, volunteers, interns, fellows, and trainees Retaliation against workers who share wage information Employers interfering in union elections Constructive discharge (pushing workers out) Tying your healthcare to your job Paying you a non-livable wage Requiring you to stay silent when an employer pays you for their wrongdoings through a settlement Not treating you like a human by granting you bereavement leave Requiring you to waive your rights to accept the job Paying you below the minimum wage just because you make tips Giving you fewer than 14 days notice to work a shift, retaliating against you for requesting specific hours, requiring you to work back-to-back closing and opening shifts, and hiring new employees when you're looking for more hours available Stealing wages Not providing enough sick leave during COVID Not paying for some portion of leave when needing to care for a family member Verbal abuse, sabotage, and other forms of abuse of power that violate a worker's right to dignity In this episode, I talk about proposed legislation across the country that deals with these issues. Passing these bills will advance workers' rights in a culture where workers are treated like means to stuff higher-ups pockets rather than humans. 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