Resisting Hierarchies- Everyone Deserves Respect
A title such as supervisor, manager, or president demands respect, because it suggests expertise in a field, extensive training, and potentially, a higher level of education.
There are natural divisions of power in the sense that some people oversee others. However, the most efficient and amicable companies foster an environment that recognizes the necessity of every worker in the grander scheme of the business. The best way to illustrate this is to give an example of an office environment I enjoyed.
I was working as a temporary assistant in the sales department of a large corporation, taping boxes, and labeling shipments. I began to feel dejected that the work I did seemed unimportant compared to the duties of some of my other co-workers and supervisors. However, after major projects were completed, some of the co-workers thanked me for my help, emphasizing that they couldn’t have finished so quickly if it hadn’t been for me.
What was going on here? It wasn’t my birthday for another 6 months. It was rare for me to receive such exceptional treatment at work in entry-level positions.
I noticed that all the employees were treated this way-there were exchanges of personal thanks all around, so that these natural divisions that come as a result of education or title were minimized.
This is not to say that I did not follow the orders of my supervisors or respect their seniority in the field. In fact, I was more likely to be cooperative and respectful, because they treated me with the same esteem. In general, I felt that I belonged to a team of appreciative people. Each employee possessed a set of skills essential to his/her role, and these skills were recognized through gratitude and encouragement. While I cannot account for anything that went on secretively, I did not witness any office politics in my time there.
Being thanked for doing work in addition to being paid is something I find immensely satisfying. The repetitiveness of daily tasks can sometimes take a toll on a person’s self-esteem. I’ve often wondered: is what I’m doing worth anything? Am I a valuable employee? The affirmations I received in this particular environment suggested to me that not only was I a valuable employee, I was a valuable person.