Screw the Hierarchy

So here's the reality: most targets of workplace abuse, including illegal discrimination, don't file a claim. But when they do, around half settle with their employers. Why? Both sides want to avoid hefty legal fees, but employers have an added bonus: the merits of the case never get heard in court. To make sure the merits of the case never get heard ANYWHERE, they throw in a non-disclosure agreem...

A state worker with 16 years of service under her belt took over a higher level job — that a woman left — for three years without a pay increase. When she spoke up about her employer doing the right thing, her employer began what seemed a campaign to manage her out: withholding information, reprimanding her in a group meeting, removing responsibilities, ignoring emails for months, and moving her o...

The film Bombshell took viewers through the disturbing details of just how Fox News' Roger Ailes allegedly sexual harassed broadcast journalists Gretchen Carlson and Megyn Kelly. We know sexual harassment is just one type of abuse of power at work, and the film depicts Ailes using textbook tactics to exert his power. With co-host Seth Window, host of the Re-Define Summit, I dissect the top five wa...

What's this "screw the hierarchy" thing about? I'm talking about the social hierarchy that keeps white men in power positions at work and most of the rest of us out of them. We're left feeling robbed of our dignity, stuck in a state of anger, ruminating about what the hell happened, and desperately wanting to move forward with our lives. In this episode, I paint a picture of the hierarchy from whi...