Rankism: The latest plague of the workplace

Racism. Sexism. These attitudes are no longer acceptable in today’s enlightened society. One day soon, a new “ism” will be outlawed in society: Rankism.

Robert Fuller, author of Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank, coined the word “rankism”, which is defined as “abusive, discriminatory or exploitative behaviour towards people who have less power because of their lower rank in a particular hierarchy”.

Tammy, a 30-year-old executive assistant from Ottawa, says that her eighteen months at an insurance firm left her feeling “worthless”. “My boss told me that she wouldn’t accept mistakes, and that if I was unsure of how to do something, I should ask questions before attempting to do the work. But when I approached her, she would act annoyed and irritated, and snap at me that the task was “a no-brainer”. After months of this treatment, my self-esteem was gone. I felt I could do nothing right. In the end, I was breaking down in tears in the bathroom. I knew I had to leave for my own sanity. After quitting that job, I never wanted to work in an office setting again.”

Victims of rankism often suffer long-lasting effects from their abusive situations. As a result of lost confidence, many will have difficulty applying for and acquiring new jobs. Some will seek counseling, and others will require medication in order to pull themselves out of their depressed state.

Doesn’t the Ministry of Labour (www.labour.gov.on.ca) have regulations in place to protect against rankism? The Ontario Human Rights Commission (www.ohrc.on.ca) protects against bullying and harassment where discrimination or unfair treatment occurs in reference to sex, race, colour, age or religion. Bullying or harassment of someone of lower rank, however, is not a violation of the Human Rights Code.

In order to protect employees from abuse by higher-ranked supervisors and managers, the Human Rights Code would have to change. And in order for that to happen, the Member of Provincial Parliament in each region would have to promote the issue.

The first step to recognizing rankism as a social problem, Fuller believes, is giving it a name. Sexism and racism went through the same processes before they were finally recognized as abusive, debilitating and unacceptable behaviours.

The Dignitarian Movement (www.breakingranks.net) promotes that everyone has a purpose and a right to fulfill that purpose within a fair and supportive working environment. People in lower positions of rank have important jobs to do, and in their capacity as support staff, they enable those in higher positions to perform their roles more effectively.

Unfortunately, not everyone has this enlightened outlook. If you feel that you are a victim of bullying, unfair treatment or harassment because of your lower rank on the employment totem pole, speak to your Human Resources representative. If there is no HR specialist in your company, you may want to start looking for a new job. Once you have broken out of that suffocating, stressful atmosphere and found a position in which you are treated fairly, you will be able to thrive and grow as an employee and a person.