Screw the Hierarchy

Research shows the difference between healthy and toxic work cultures. In this episode, I share my top three signs based on my own experience in multiple jobs — and what we can do to navigate or heal from these toxic workplaces. 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 info@dignitytogethe...

In 1991, Anita Hill became a household name when she shared her story of sexual harassment by Supreme Court Justice nominee Clarence Thomas. Sexual harassment is a form of abuse of power and control at work, making it a common tactic for workplace abuse. In this episode, I talk about three aspects of Anita's story that follow the workplace bullying playbook as shown in the documentary ANITA on App...

Often defined by our bullies, limiting beliefs can make us feel stuck after workplace abuse. In this episode, I talk about three common limiting beliefs after the trauma of workplace bullying — and what you can do about them. 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 info@dignitytogether.o...

Abuse at work can trigger feelings of shame from authoritarian or passive parenting. Once we process the pain from childhood that we deserved to feel seen and heard, we can detach from shame pushed onto us and reinforce our own moral codes. In this episode. I talk about these parallels and more resources to help you heal from workplace abuse. If you've been abused at work related to your race, gen...

Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates and the video company Twitch both dealt with workplace abuse in the past two weeks. But these two organizations handled it quite differently. In this episode, I detail what happened at each company and which steps are either key for change or promising. If you feel like you need more help, I have a free guide to recovery steps at dignitytogether.org/target...

Hollywood and the medical industry. We know they're both rampant with bullying, but now they're addressing it. In this episode, I talk about what's happening behind the scenes — and what still needs to be done to actually move the needle on the issue. 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...

The Dignity At Work Act is THE strongest piece of legislation I've seen to hold employers accountable for abusing workers. And to change the status quo, we need a bill with teeth. In this episode, bill author and professor Jerry Carbo and I explain the need for the bill and how it fills gaps in the law — especially for those who suffer from discrimination but can't prove it. Learn more at DignityA...

This week alone, I read or saw three stories in the media detailing workplace bullying (one in the form of discrimination and the other in the form of alleged sexual assault and worse). While the third story didn't use the term "workplace abuse" or "workplace bullying," I was glad to see the media give attention to this hidden epidemic. In this episode, I describe the stories as reported, talk abo...

How do you know if you've been through workplace bullying? What does it look like? And what's normal in the healing process that surprises targets of workplace abuse? In this episode, I walk you through both interpersonal and organizational bullying tactics designed to break you down — plus two unexpected steps of the healing process and what you can do to take your power back. If you've been abus...

We know politics on both sides of the aisle is full of toxic behavior. But during this week's events around the election, we saw blatant abuse tactics. In this episode, I talk about some of the more obvious tactics and how they compare to workplace bullying. They're tactics so obvious that they show the bully playbook in a simple form — and that we're not the problem. If you've been abused at work...

Workplace abuse recovery can feel like a hopeless roller coaster of grief, mistrust, and despair that often eventually lead to hope and purpose. In this episode, I spoke with blogger Janice White of The Empowered Employee (https://theempoweredemployee.com/) about the top ten things that sucked the most about workplace abuse recovery, based on her blog post of the same name: https://theempoweredemp...

In the U.S., we're in a culture where white, straight men still dominate the vast majority of power positions in the U.S. workforce. In other words, white, straight men are most likely to have power to abuse in the first place, leave everyone else more likely to suffer on this receiving end. In this episode, I talk about the group MOST likely get bullied at work — and why. If you've been abused at...

Sharing your workplace bullying doesn't just help other targets understand they're not alone when it's published. It helps you heal, even if you burn it afterwards. In this episode, I talk about why writing out your story helps you and other targets and how to construct your story for bloggers or reporters in 1-2 pages, including: Where’d you work? What did you do? How did the bullying begin? What...

The Karpman Drama Triangle is a tool for healthy communication. It can take you from persecutor/bully to challenger, victim to survivor/thriver, and rescuer/savior to coach. In this episode, I take you through the points of the triangle what you can do to move into healthy communication in each one. If you've been abused at work related to your race, gender, disability, age, or other demographic a...

October is National Bullying Prevention Month! Find out what campaigns organizations are running across the country and what the National Workplace Bullying Coalition is doing for workers: http://www.workplacebullyingcoalition.org 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 info@dignitytoget...

If the Dignity At Work Act is the solution to moving the needle on creating safer workplaces, how do we pass it? In this episode, I reveal three major ways you can take a stand to pass workplace bullying legislation — and take it at any level of commitment either publicly or behind-the-scenes. If you've been abused at work related to your race, gender, disability, age, or other demographic and wou...

What's your idea of justice after you've been bullied at work? In this episode, I'll break down what justice looks like in discrimination cases — and what justice can look like for targets of workplace bullying in a rigged game. 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 info@dignitytogethe...

Life is all about relationships, and int his episode, Leadership Coach Lynelle Trigalet talks about how to put yourself in a healthy mindset. Lynelle works with individuals and organizations and can be reached at lynelle@lynelletrigalet.com. 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 info@d...

When is blame toxic and when is it useful in helping you heal from a toxic environment at work? In this episode, I talk about Dr. Karin Huffer's 8 steps for avoiding the traumatic stress caused by the justice system and how those steps translate to traumatic stress caused by a workplace. If you've been abused at work related to your race, gender, disability, age, or other demographic and would lik...

Sometimes the nuances of workplace bullying are hard to see. If it's not yelling, lying, or some other obvious form of abuse, the subtleties can leave you feeling confused. In this episode, I'll crack the code with 8 major signs your toxic boss is trying to wreak havoc on your life. If you've been abused at work related to your race, gender, disability, age, or other demographic and would like to...

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 ascribe...

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 s...

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...

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...

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 racia...