Employee Survival Guide® - What Happens In The 30,000-Foot Office Stays At The Office Or Maybe Not!

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey, it's Mark here, and welcome to the next edition of the Employee Survival Guide, where I tell you what your employer does not want to know about, and a lot more. Today we're going to talk about what happens in the 30,000-foot office that stays at the office. Or, maybe it doesn't. Welcome to the private world of billionaire executives in their 30,000-foot office environments. You may be salivating right now, envious of a luxury work environment. Huh? Yep, your work environment could be on board a private Bombardier Global 6000. You can take a tour. If you go to our website, you can find the link.

Starting point is 00:00:36 Has room for 14 passengers, seven can sleep at nighttime, and flies high as 51,000 feet, a top speed of 564 miles per hour. Is the height and speed of the office environment out of reach of state and federal laws covering the employees who work on these flight decks? For some wealthy executives, they think so. But the reality is like a double bite in the ass by a pit bull. It has to hurt. As a flavor primer, I think it is appropriate to start with the story of the late Sumner Redstone and his high-flying antics. On December 31st, 2016, the New York Post reported a story on Sumner's request to flight attendants working on his corporate jet

Starting point is 00:01:17 to clip his toenails for cash. But there was one catch. They had to sit on his lap facing his toes. Do you have the visual now? Well, it got worse. He would ask for their panties in exchange for money, a true quid pro quo. Or you could be flying with former Governor Cuomo on his jet, sitting knee to knee, and he blurts out the following phrase, let's play strip poker. You can see that full story on our website regarding one of his complainers who eventually her story is accurate and he's now resigned as the governor. A serious but true article about, quote, why really smart executives do really Things, appeared in the Wall Street Journal on February 25, 2022. Professor Rosabeth Moss Cantor, a Harvard Business School professor,

Starting point is 00:02:11 opined about the causes of this stupidity, and she remarked that the following causes are at issue. That the executives feel insulated, they feel entitled, they're buying their own hype, failure to admit mistakes, and underestimating their opponents. Professor Cantor said, quote, it's amazing how easy it is for top executives to feel they have a cloak of invisibility. Even if they operate in the public eye, self-confidence can veer into arrogance if an executive isn't careful. Surrounded by flatterers exaggerating the brilliance of their words, top officials can start feeling superior to the mere mortals below them.

Starting point is 00:02:53 They have incentives or punishments to dangle that can inspire fear and keep people in line. It can be hard for some people at the top to say, I was wrong, which is why misconduct often continues and requires covering up. Sometimes executives don't want to admit flaws, even to themselves, fearing it could lead to second guessing of other decisions they've made. They might know they are breaking a rule, but delude themselves into thinking that the rule doesn't apply exactly to their situation. They tell themselves it's consensual. It's just harmless banter. It'll be over soon. Whatever the excuse, they cling to avoid having

Starting point is 00:03:31 to express self-doubt. In short, life is different at the top. Without great strength of character, humility, and wielding power, openness, and transparency, top executives can forget that the rules apply to them too. End quote. According to the Association of Flight Attendants survey, there were 68% of flight attendants reported experiencing sexual harassment during their careers. 35% experienced verbal sexual harassment from passengers, and 18% experienced physical sexual harassment from passengers. This survey involved commercial flight attendants. It may or may not reflect the work environment of flight attendants in the

Starting point is 00:04:09 private high-end jet travel work environment. The reality for these narcissistic and out-of-touch executives is that it does not matter where you work in the skies. Flight attendants are protected from employment discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual hostile work environments. In the end, the emperor has new clothes. And don't touch the personnel on board your private $61 million oasis in the sky. Thank you for listening, as always. Please rate us on the app of your choice, and we'll talk to you next week. Thank you.

Employee Survival Guide® - What Happens In The 30,000-Foot Office Stays At The Office Or Maybe Not!

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