Technical hierarchical superiority does not in any way infer a social hierarchical equivalence.
What does this mean?
Well I wrote it and Im not really sure myself!
Here is what I think I mean :
Everybody is part of a technical hierarchy while they are at work. Your boss has a boss, who in turn has a boss etc etc. Even the CEO and Chairman is accountable to somebody (Shareholders) and as we all know, if the PM is making a meal of it (or if the Daily Mail is telling everyone that he/she is) then we vote them out.
The basis of this hierarchy, is generally defined by competence as defined by experience and qualifications. There are some exceptions to this rule whereby people are promoted because they are friends with the boss or have family ties.
Now, nobody can really argue with the scenario that, if a line manager asks you to do something, then within certain confines (health and safety, morality, competence etc) you are compelled to carry out his/her wishes. Any reasonable person can see this.
BUT and this is a big but, you are not compelled to accept rudeness, general bad manners, patronising comments and general socially inferred superiority. Many of you will probably think that you would not and do not accept this anyway. I ask you to think again. At some point nearly everybody will have been subjected to this type of behaviour and most people will have accepted it.
The question is WHY?
Some line managers will ASK you to do something. The more intelligent among you will realise that in fact they are telling you to do something and this is the correct way to do it providing the recipient understands this and acts accordingly. Please and thank you are a must. This can be spoken or inferred through body language gesture.
Others will TELL you either through aggressive posturing and body language or through other oversive tactics. This must not be allowed or accepted. Some rationalise their acceptance by telling themselves that they are keeping their job or protecting their pay rise etc etc. Nonsense. You must never allow anybody to talk to you in a superior way just because they hold a position which is considered "above" you at work.
Thats not to say you should tell your boss to get fucked when he/she tries it on. Simply pull themtothe side and explain that they are full of shit and if they keep it up then HR would be interested to know about it. Watch them pretend not to care while sweating fucking buckets he he.
The point is to know that however much it feels like it you do not have to do what you are told, only that which you are asked.
We are all equal. It is only attitude that separates us.
As a friend of mine once said....Fuck em.
3 comments:
I reckon that when you wrote "Others will TELL you either through aggressive posturing and body language or through other oversive tactics." that you may have had "Knott right upstairs" on the brain. However, you are totally right in my opinion and it irks me to see people like those in certain liquids manufacturing areas taking shit like this and not even realising. In my short time in that area I witnessed one of those subversive tactic moments when the area quality manager TOLD one of the lads that they had to do a particular task and added that the people in the office upstairs where getting very annoyed with them making mistakes. It's not surprising that they are making mistakes when they are working 14 hour days week in week out!
Who gives a shit about the "people in the office upstairs" anyway?
Do they really exist?
That sort of nonsense comes straight out of the line managers bully book page 1.
The correct response is to reply "We are getting a bit annoyed with unrealistic expectations, 19th century working practises and silly little men with an over inflated opinion of ones own worth."
I wasn't thinking of nutcase knott. I have seen much worse examples at other places I have worked.
(1)Attitudes exist because of extreme differences in standing and point of view and also of political diametrical ideology (i.e Thatcher and the miners)
(2)We say 'fuck them' as they say 'fuck us'
(3)In a defined hierachy (eg work) the chips are placed in an increasing hierachy (towards managment)
(4)Uncontrolled hierachy exists because of political backing in the upper direction i.e when governments say 'fuck em'
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