ISSUES IN THE WORKPLACE: PILING ON
I watched the last Democratic debate between Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton, last night. It aired on ABC. That debate serves as the inspiration for this post because the first two words that popped into my head were, “piling on.” You see, Sen. Obama wasn’t just going up against his rival for the nomination. He was also, apparently, going against Charles Gibson and George Stephanaplous, the moderators. These two seemed to come in prepared to try to swing momentum in Sen. Clinton’s favor by keeping Sen. Obama on the defensive all night with questions about Rev. Wright (and anyone else Sen. Obama knows who has said or done anything questionable), the fact that he doesn’t wear a flag pin, Sen. Clinton’s desperate allegation that he is unelectable, and on Sen. Obama’s much publicized “bitter” comment, which he has apologized for “mangling.”
At no point was Sen. Clinton put on the defensive or pounded repeatedly about the Bosnia sniper fire lie or about her other gaffes or her associations with questionable people (think of all the questionable people the Clintons are close with).
Piling on…
That’s what I call it.
It’s funny watching White people rally around each other at the same time they would declare that they are just being objective or playing the devil’s advocate.
Piling on…
I’ve experienced it in the workplace. And, I’ve watched former coworkers (one in particular) deal with White coworkers, supervisors/managers, etc. piling on. When it comes to complaints of race-based discrimination, harassment or retaliation, piling on seems to be a natural part of a company’s defense against allegations of targeted or systemic racism. It simply comes down to overwhelming the victim to the point where they shut up or rescind their complaint or they can be bullied, manipulated or forced into resigning or they can be set up for employment actions, up to and including termination.
Piling on…
People who often don’t have anything to do with the grievance or complaint will attach themselves to actions that potentially violate Federal statutes. They might get a promotion, bonus or they might do it just because it gives them something to do. Maybe even fulfill a vendetta. Who knows?
Piling on…
Supervisors and managers and directors and executives will allow themselves to become complicit in actions that potentially violate Federal statutes. Abusing power is part of their job, huh? One would think so. I’ve been amazed at how many people of authority have allowed themselves to be corrupted and to expose their employer to greater legal and financial jeopardy. And, it’s all so they can be seen as towing the party line. They’d rather go down with a sinking ship. How about trying to stop the ship from sinking? That’s a novel thought.
Piling on…
One lie against a targeted and/or complaining employee often morphs into all sorts of other lies and manipulations of reality. Documents may be created to prove negative behavior that is non-existent. Incidents are described that never happened. For instance, I worked with a Black manager, who was accused of getting into a fist-fight at work with one of her subordinates. It never happened. There wasn’t even an argument or tense conversation. But, the company went with and it people thought if enough of them said there was a fight, they could prove to investigators that there was a fight. The pure power of suggestion, I guess.
Funny thing is these folks were wrong and the company was found guilty of race-based retaliation against this manager. But, that didn’t stop them from trying to pile on.
Piling on takes a huge toll on a targeted employee. Piling on is all about psychological warfare because it involves intimidation and the suggestion of or outright threats, it makes an employee feel isolated from their coworkers and management, it makes an employee feel like they have a bulls-eye on their chest or forehead, it makes an employee feel overwhelmed, vulnerable, and fearful. Piling on is a powerful tool that many employers use.
Tomorrow, I’ll share some tactics for dealing with piling on in the workplace.
At no point was Sen. Clinton put on the defensive or pounded repeatedly about the Bosnia sniper fire lie or about her other gaffes or her associations with questionable people (think of all the questionable people the Clintons are close with).
Piling on…
That’s what I call it.
It’s funny watching White people rally around each other at the same time they would declare that they are just being objective or playing the devil’s advocate.
Piling on…
I’ve experienced it in the workplace. And, I’ve watched former coworkers (one in particular) deal with White coworkers, supervisors/managers, etc. piling on. When it comes to complaints of race-based discrimination, harassment or retaliation, piling on seems to be a natural part of a company’s defense against allegations of targeted or systemic racism. It simply comes down to overwhelming the victim to the point where they shut up or rescind their complaint or they can be bullied, manipulated or forced into resigning or they can be set up for employment actions, up to and including termination.
Piling on…
People who often don’t have anything to do with the grievance or complaint will attach themselves to actions that potentially violate Federal statutes. They might get a promotion, bonus or they might do it just because it gives them something to do. Maybe even fulfill a vendetta. Who knows?
Piling on…
Supervisors and managers and directors and executives will allow themselves to become complicit in actions that potentially violate Federal statutes. Abusing power is part of their job, huh? One would think so. I’ve been amazed at how many people of authority have allowed themselves to be corrupted and to expose their employer to greater legal and financial jeopardy. And, it’s all so they can be seen as towing the party line. They’d rather go down with a sinking ship. How about trying to stop the ship from sinking? That’s a novel thought.
Piling on…
One lie against a targeted and/or complaining employee often morphs into all sorts of other lies and manipulations of reality. Documents may be created to prove negative behavior that is non-existent. Incidents are described that never happened. For instance, I worked with a Black manager, who was accused of getting into a fist-fight at work with one of her subordinates. It never happened. There wasn’t even an argument or tense conversation. But, the company went with and it people thought if enough of them said there was a fight, they could prove to investigators that there was a fight. The pure power of suggestion, I guess.
Funny thing is these folks were wrong and the company was found guilty of race-based retaliation against this manager. But, that didn’t stop them from trying to pile on.
Piling on takes a huge toll on a targeted employee. Piling on is all about psychological warfare because it involves intimidation and the suggestion of or outright threats, it makes an employee feel isolated from their coworkers and management, it makes an employee feel like they have a bulls-eye on their chest or forehead, it makes an employee feel overwhelmed, vulnerable, and fearful. Piling on is a powerful tool that many employers use.
Tomorrow, I’ll share some tactics for dealing with piling on in the workplace.
Labels: discrimination, harassment, hostile work environment, retaliation
posted by S. Mary Wills at 5:30 AM
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