It’s easy to see how our behavior might impact our success, but we don’t always see why.
When we do, it’s often the case that there’s a hidden threat that isn’t being openly discussed, but it’s still there. I like to think of being in a hostile workplace as a kind of “hivemind” situation, where we’re only aware of our own behavior because we work together. The hivemind is more like a hive of the subconscious than a group of people working towards a common goal.
I know what I would do if I was in a hostile work environment. I would do my best to avoid all social situations. I would never meet new people or talk about the work/life balance in my personal life. When you start to see this behavior in action, it becomes a pattern in your mind. It can be hard to break, but you can learn to recognize it and ignore it.
I think the problem with hostile work environments is that they create an environment where employees feel like they are being taken for granted. Instead of talking about how the work environment is great, they are telling you how great it is. Because to some people this just means they are doing really great work. Most of us are so used to doing this that it’s hard to imagine we are doing anything “bad”.
As a boss, I have seen too many bosses who, despite their best efforts, are not interested in what their employees think. They are too busy telling them how great it is. It can be hard to break this habit, but I have seen bosses who will tell my coworkers, “I’m sure they’re doing really great work,” to try to convince me that they are not only doing great work, but are actually enjoying the work they are doing.
The problem is they are doing great work, but don’t actually like it. They are just pretending to enjoy the work they are doing, but are also doing it to appease their supervisors. We are not doing great work, we are doing it to appease our supervisors.
Quid pro quo is the practice of using your work to make the work of others better. The practice is often considered unethical by employers because it doesn’t always feel like a genuine job. Rather than having to say, “I’m sorry, I know you work really hard, but I need to make sure you get your next raise.
But sometimes you just need to say, “Hey, I appreciate you doing the work, but I’ll do it my way and not yours.
Most of our work is done by other people. We are not doing it to make a profit, but because we know that if people are going to pay us we are going to have to accept it. We also are not doing it to harm anyone, but because we know that if we do hurt someone the only people hurt are ourselves.
Most of the time you don’t even know if you have to pay your workers. It’s not a wage, it’s a little bit of money that comes with being an employee. If you don’t like it, go work for yourself, but don’t expect to make money doing it. That’s what we all wish we could do, but when you’re doing it for a living it’s not possible.
