This post is all about workplace norms that make us forget how valuable we are as employees.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
How workplaces convince us we’re not powerful
5 workplace norms that make workers forget our worth
You probably don’t hear it very often, but employees are powerful. Our companies wouldn’t survive without us. But many workplace norms make us think employers hold all the cards. And these beliefs discourage us from acting in our best interests. They also stop us from leveraging our worth to get more advantages, like equitable policies and better pay.
In this post, we uncover five hidden workplace norms that train employees to forget how valuable we are. Being able to spot these beliefs will help you recognize your power and inspire you to fight for more of what you want at work.
HOW WORKPLACES CONVINCE US WE’RE NOT POWERFUL
The modern capitalist system would fail without us. So workers have tremendous power.
But at some point, we start believing employers hold all the cards.
Have you ever noticed how much time you spend making sure employers like you? Think about when you were in school or job hunting. You probably obsessively scrubbed your social media profiles of anything potentially “unbecoming.” Maybe you borrowed thousands of dollars to pay for a degree you didn’t even need. All to make sure some hiring manager liked you enough to give you a chance. And you probably never even thought to ask whether you liked them.
Capitalism creates a mutually-beneficial relationship between employers and employees. Employees keep businesses running, and employers pay us for our labor. The modern capitalist system would fail without us. So workers have tremendous power.
But at some point in our careers, we start believing employers hold all the cards. We start to think we’re dispensable when companies lay off workers after making record profits. And we learn to feel disempowered when executives set expectations they don’t follow themselves.
Here’s the problem: when we believe our employers are in a better position than us, we lose our bargaining power. We fall prey to grind culture and become easier to take advantage of. We work for less pay and accept sub-par benefits. And we’re even less likely to see that a workplace is toxic, even if there are signs before we apply. All because we don’t recognize how important we are.
Alice Walker, the mother of womanism, once said, “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” But as workers, we don’t just give up our power. We’re taught to think we don’t have any.
Workplace culture plays a huge role in training us to forget our worth. If we can learn to recognize how workplace norms condition us, we can start to see our power. And once we understand our power, we can leverage it to get more money, better policies, and whatever else we want at work.
5 WORKPLACE NORMS THAT MAKE WORKERS FORGET OUR WORTH
Employers never explicitly tell us we’re not powerful. Instead, workplace culture establishes rules that tip the scales in the favor of employers. And the workplace teaches employees to follow these rules. Most workplaces have these norms, regardless of what industry or company you work in.
Here are six of these norms that condition employees to think we’re not powerful:
1. Don’t Talk About Pay
Talking about wages with your colleagues is still taboo in most workplaces, even though there’s nothing stoping us from doing it. While your boss can make rules about what you talk about on a company Slack account, your employer can’t legally stop you from talking about how much money you make. Regardless, most people just feel more comfortable avoiding money talk overall.
This workplace norm hurts workers because it makes it hard for us to see if employers are paying us fairly. Most jobs don’t publicize salaries, so employees have to ask each other to find out. When we’re taught to keep quiet about how much we get paid, we’re less likely to talk to our peers about money. And not having this information stops us from knowing when to demand higher pay.
This silence about wages hurts all employees, but it’s particularly harmful to certain groups of workers. Women make 83 cents for every dollar men earn. And Black, Indigenous, and Latinx workers make even less. Employees not talking about pay significantly contributes to these wage disparities.
[RELATED POST: 10 Infuriating Wage Gap Statistics You Need to See]
2. Don’t Work For A Paycheck
If you’ve ever interviewed for a job, someone probably asked you, “Why do you want to work here?” And we all know that “the money” is not an acceptable answer. Apparently we’re supposed to express our passion for the employer or explain why we would enjoy the job.
This question assumes that employees should value working, apart from our paychecks. But the employer-employee relationship is fully economic: employers make money off of our labor, and so do we. Corporations exist to maximize profits. So why shouldn’t workers be all about the money too?
The belief that employees should intrinsically value working also limits our bargaining power. If companies think we should benefit from work, apart from making a living, they can factor that into our wages and pay us less.
3. Give Two Weeks Notice
We’ve all heard about this formality. There’s even a sappy rom-com named after it.
This rule is problematic because it creates a double standard that purely benefits employers. Your employer benefits when you give them advance notice that you’re leaving. They have time time to find a replacement before you leave. They can also gradually transition your responsibilities to other employees while you’re still there to give guidance.
But when the tables are turned, it’s ok for employers to leave workers in the lurch. Employers rarely give workers notice before layoffs, and no one expects them to. Most people who get fired have to leave the premises right afterward. They don’t have time to look for a new job or otherwise prepare for unemployment.
4. Work For Free
This one mostly applies to salaried employees, since bosses legally have to pay most hourly workers overtime. But most of us can relate to employers asking us to do tasks that go beyond our job descriptions, like planning events or serving on hiring committees. And bosses often expect salaried employees to handle workloads that require late night or weekend work.
This expectation essentially gives employers free labor. In an employment contract, organizations offer a certain salary, and workers agree to do a certain amount (or type) of work. But this unspoken rule makes it normal for employers to change the type or amount of work after the employee signs the contract. And at that point, employees are less able to bargain for more pay. So we end up making the same wages for doing more work or a different job than we’d agreed to.
5. Don’t Job-Hop
This workplace norm typically comes up when you’re trying to get a job. It takes time and resources to hire and train workers. So employers want to make sure new employees plan to work for them long-term. That’s why interviewers often ask, “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” It’s also why hiring managers generally frown upon candidates who’ve worked in a previous role for less than 2 years.
Expecting this level of loyalty discourages workers from acting our financial best interests. Historical and recent studies show that people normally make less money when they stay in the same job for more than a couple of years. So staying put literally costs employees money.
This norm also creates higher expectations for workers than it does employers. Organizations lay off workers whenever it’s in their best financial interest, regardless of how long the employee has worked at the company. And doing so has little impact on their reputations, other than proving they’re able to “make the hard decisions.” Like several of the others, this workplace norm creates a double standard that purely benefits employers.
Workers have just as much worth as employers. Recognizing these disempowering workplace norms can help you understand that you’ve been conditioned to forget your value. When you start to see your worth, hopefully you’ll feel inspired to advocate for more of what you want at work.
This post was all about workplace norms that make employees forget their worth.
Other Posts You May Like:
Self Care for a Sustainable Career | 6 Authentic Examples
7 Powerful Affirmations for Work to Help You Overcome Burnout
