A while ago I heard a guest on Kelly Carlin’s podcast talking about power—who has it, and more importantly, how we know who has it. His point was pretty simple: the people who have power over us are the ones we’re not allowed to criticize.
Think about this for a bit: the people who have power over you are the ones you’re not allowed to criticize.
His counterexample was the government, because in America people criticize the government all the time. When President Trump, say, talks about grabbing women, or looks the other way when the Saudis assassinate a dissenting journalist, or declares a national emergency because he couldn’t get boarder wall funding from congress, or even looks at the sun during an eclipse, journalists, writers, pundits, and random people on Twitter will all be there to criticize him, with their only consequence being some childish name-calling. In these cases, people feel safe voicing criticisms knowing that speaking out won’t directly take away their livelihoods or affect their personal lives. This suggests that, according to this definition, the government doesn’t have real power over us at all.
So if the government doesn’t have power over us…who does?
I’m beginning to suspect that in the world we live in, the answer might be our jobs.
Do You Feel Comfortable Criticizing Your Boss?
This is a big one. If you were at work and your boss did something stupid, dangerous, wrong, or even illegal, would you feel comfortable speaking up about it?
How about if you felt like your company itself was headed in the wrong direction, or was treating people unfairly, or following business practices that were morally wrong? Would you be able to openly point this out during a meeting, or in an email, or by pulling your boss aside for a one-on-one chat?
Now, here’s a REALLY big thing to think about: what if you wrote this criticism on Facebook, a blog, a newspaper editorial, or in some other published forum? What if you put this criticism out there for everyone to see the way journalists do every day? Would you feel comfortable taking that leap, especially if the odds were good that someone from your job might see it?
I’ll go out on a limb and say that for a lot of us, the answer to those questions is no.
Why Not?
I thought about this a lot at my last office job when I found out that my boss was breaking a lot of overtime and other labor laws, and debated whether I could explain that what he was doing was wrong. At the time, that job was my primary source of bill-paying income, and while I had some savings, it wasn’t anything too substantial yet. A lot of my coworkers were in the even more extreme position of needing their jobs for the long-term, both to pay actual mortgages and support families, and because their jobs were tied to their working visas. All that being said, eventually the situation got so extreme that I absolutely had to come forward about our work problems, and even then it wasn’t easy.
While my own situation was an extreme case for sure, one takeaway is that it can be really, really hard to speak up about issues going on at your workplace, especially when you’re afraid of putting your job at risk. In fact, when I told the story afterward, a lot of people asked me the same question: “Weren’t you worried about losing your job?”
As I’ve said countless times on this blog, we depend on our jobs to live and pay bills, so the thought of losing those jobs can be, well…scary. Because the fear of losing our jobs is so strong, the very thought that it might happen can be enough to make us play it safe and stay silent—just in case.
Not Speaking Out About Our Jobs Can Have Real Consequences
Criticism, and feeling safe to voice that criticism, is essential for democracy because without it, the people in power can do whatever they want knowing that the people without power won’t be able to speak out against them. And that pretty much sucks.
This same principle applies to the working world: if a company’s doing something illegal, immoral, discriminatory, or just plain shitty, but no one feels comfortable speaking up because they’re afraid of losing their jobs, then it’s going to be that much easier for the company to keep doing that bad thing knowing they can get away with it.
The same holds true for smaller issues, like if someone at work’s being harassed or treated differently than everyone else, or if the company’s made a not-so-wise decision for its future. Again, if no one feels safe speaking out because they’re worried about their jobs, then nothing’s likely to change.
And that’s how companies, large and small, have power over people.
I Totally Agree With You—But What Can I Do About It???
That’s a good question—and as usual, the answer’s going to look different for everyone.
First off, some people are so reliant on their jobs because of dire financial straits or other ties that getting into trouble there would have some far-reaching consequences, as I’ve written about before.
However, even if you feel like you might be this type of person, I’ll ask you to take a long, hard look inside—at how deeply you care about the problem at hand, and how badly you might be affected if the worst case scenario went down at work. If you really, and I mean really and TRULY feel that that speaking up would be beyond you, then that’s OK—but I hope it’s not the case.
The rest of us, though, have options.
First, I recommend bolstering your savings just in case things go sour and you have to look for a new job. How much you’ll need is going to look different for everyone, so I recommend planning out your expenses and choosing a number that feels comfortable for you. It’s amazing how much more confident you feel when you have enough money to cover an unexpected hazard—which means you’re less likely to make decisions based on fear.
Second, consider taking smaller actions first, such as talking to other coworkers about the problem, especially if they have a little more authority than you. (For example, when the boss at my old job wasn’t listening, I spoke to the warehouse manager, since she had more sway than me and we got along pretty well.) Sometimes a person higher up the chain might have more leverage to speak out safely, and there’s always strength in numbers. (What’s the boss going to do, fire everyone??)
You might also consider posting an anonymous review on Glassdoor where other coworkers and potential job-seekers can see it, and encouraging your coworkers to leave reviews as well. (If your company isn’t listed there you can add it—like I had to do for my old job!) These reviews are secret and secure, and some companies check them actively, so seeing a lot of negative ones could well encourage them to make a change. Plus, people who are considering starting at your company might think twice before taking the job or even applying, which will also make employers take notice.
If none of that helps I recommend that you once again consider what kind of person you are, and whether you can speak (or write) directly to your boss or someone higher up the chain. Do all the research you can so you’ll be prepared to make your case and answer counterarguments, even if it means writing out a script. This is how direct change can happen—and if it doesn’t work, at least you’ll know that you tried.
Finally, if all else fails, remember that actions speak louder than words, and if the work problem isn’t going away, leaving and finding a new job will not only separate you from the bad situation, it’ll send a clear message to management.
Final Thoughts: Job Security is Good, But Freedom and Doing the Right Thing are Better
I want everyone to feel comfortable speaking up at their jobs when things aren’t right, just as I want everyone to feel safe and comfortable at work in general. No one, and certainly no business, should have the power to intimidate people from speaking the truth. When that happens on a large scale, bad decisions, mistreatment, and downright illegal stuff can continue to happen, and that’s not cool.
If you have personal experience with speaking up (or not speaking up) at work, I encourage you to share in the comments! At the end of the day, this stuff matters, and it’s something we’ll all have to deal with at one time or another.
…just don’t mention any company names, and you’ll be safe ;-)
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