Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
In little ways, most of us see evidence of power imbalance in workplaces.
A manager will change a target after you have finished your work, and then ask why you did not meet the revised target. A senior coworker will present your analysis and never acknowledge your part in it. Someone with power will routinely interrupt you during meetings and will describe your attempts to finish your sentences as “defensive.” You may be left out of a conversation that impacts your work, and you may receive blame for not being aware of any resolutions made.
Of course, the issue here is more than simply just a bad behaviour by another individual. This individual likely has the ability to control your work, access, visibility, evaluation, or income.
This certainly changes how you look at the problem.
If an equal status peer spoke the same words, you would likely respond immediately. However, when speaking with a person who possesses more power than you, both speaking out and remaining silent can cost you. Openly confronting the person too soon can work against you, while remaining silent for too long may indicate to the person that it is safe to “repeat the pattern.”
This is where the oversimplification of Stoicism can be dangerous.
