The western world prides itself on self proclaimed values including human rights, justice and freedom of speech.
It is seen also as a right to vote in democratic elections, that elected leaders should be held accountable. It believed that this makes western countries different or somehow better than countries under alternative political systems such as China.
While I support democracy of course, what I am meaning to say that these rights only exist in public life. The workplace, in contrast is an authoritarian state. While cultures in different workplaces vary, there are distinct patterns that stay the same. Workers (usually) do not get to choose their leaders. There is no concept of “innocent until proven guilty” – when accused of wrongdoing there is no right to a fair trial – it is a matter for opaque processes like HR, who are there in the employer’s interest, and not necessarily yours. In the United States freedom of speech is protected in the constitution- but these rights don’t extend to one’s waking hours on company time. In the workplace one of is expected not to be honest or speak their mind.
Hence the workplace is an authoritarian environment. And I’d dare to say that there are many parallels between the hierarchies of authoritarian nation states and those of the workplace. In the workplace employees can be ordered to do things they don’t want to with little to know recourse. The suppression of union movements means that workers often have little power – not unlike how in authoritarian regimes there are crackdowns on all forms of dissent. And while employees can quit their jobs, the need to for income to survive means they must find other work in similarly authoritarian new workspaces. And so the cycle repeats itself.