Know your labour rights

Mpho Ngwako | Thursday November 17, 2011 00:00

 

Victimisation 
at the workplace
Know your labour rights
T
he International Labour Organisation (ILO) in its recommendations and guidelines on labour matters has noted and recognised that it is a common phenomenon for employees to be subjected to all forms of hostilities in the workplace. ILO has recognised and defined this workplace aggression as victimisation.  It has made recommendations to its signatories that awareness campaigns must be created against victimisation and that cases that relate to victimisation must be duly reported to relevant authorities when detected.
The question now is when an employee will be deemed to be a victim of victimisation.  There are a number of instances to refer to but each circumstance must be looked at differently to achieve maximum protection.
The most common examples include situations where colleagues will be talking behind the victim's back; and/or managers or supervisors flaunting their status or authority or act in a condescending manner or worse where false accusations are made against the victim or others are deceived with the intention to set-up the victim.
These are serious examples and are the most devastating moments for the victims as they will be all alone in fighting their battles.  They will definitely not get colleagues support in this time of need.
Indeed times have changed and gone are those days when going to work was a complete therapeutic process for the body and soul and the workplace was a centre of one's social empowerment and growth.  In this day and age, the workplace is a survival ground.  Employers have different business agenda's.  Some will appoint professional bullies deliberately in order that the bullies assist the company in getting rid of excessive staff with the view of avoiding paying severance packages.
This usually happens where there is a change like restructuring, retrenchments or mergers. Usually during change in the workplace, colleagues attempt to victimise each other.  In most instances, this happens where positions are threatened or where there is an ineffective job description or inappropriate or inadequate communication within the company's corporate structure.
At other times, victimisation occurs where there is lack of interpersonal relationships or the supervisor is looking for a scapegoat on some of the challenging tasks he/she cannot perform.
The above explains individual victimisation which may flow from poor interpersonal relationships. 
The worst victimisation hostility is where the employer exhibits this behaviour with impunity because the corporate culture permits and rewards such hostile behaviour.  In such a scenario, the leadership and managers will follow this leadership style mindlessly as they will be handsomely rewarded to push the employer's agenda.
The beauty about this practice is that the very same managers or leaders who apply this hostility will be victims when their task of kicking out undesirable employees is done. As the saying goes: 'What goes up, comes down'. The irony is that the victim will be out and brutally bruised to see his perpetrator suffering.
Let us now look at the positive side of things and observe what intervention strategies have the ILO recommended to avoid victimisation in the workplace.
ILO has provided guidelines on provisions that should be incorporated in the employers' policies and procedures to guard against victimisation.  Such policies and intervention strategies will usually find their home in Occupational Safety and Health policies or could be incorporated under the company Code of Conduct where the employer makes an undertaking to prevent victimisation, to prohibit any unacceptable activities relating to victimisation and to support and help employees that are subjected to victimisation.
As a word of caution though, be reminded that workplace hostilities can be very sophisticated and very difficult to detect, even though the corporate culture does not support such activities.  Worst of all, co-workers would not usually support the victim or the targeted employee.
The reason being that they are scared they might be next, should the witness not show any compassion or support the employer.   Most of the time those employees who witness the hostility usually play into the hands of the perpetrator.  Even though they may be affected and demoralised by these incidents, they will not support a colleague who is under attack.
To protect yourself in the workplace do the following:
l Do not be a target in a hostile environment
l Do not let your position and status define you
l Insist that you be treated with dignity and respect at all times
l Use the grievance procedure in your workplace
l Record incidents of hostile behaviour
l Take matter to perpetrator's supervisor or senior
l Report the conduct to the labour law consultant
l Show support and understanding for targets or victims.
Know your rights!
E-mail: maine@bbi.co.bw

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) in its recommendations and guidelines on labour matters has noted and recognised that it is a common phenomenon for employees to be subjected to all forms of hostilities in the workplace.

ILO has recognised and defined this workplace aggression as victimisation. It has made recommendations to its signatories that awareness campaigns must be created against victimisation and that cases that relate to victimisation must be duly reported to relevant authorities when detected.

The question now is when an employee will be deemed to be a victim of victimisation. There are a number of instances to refer to but each circumstance must be looked at differently to achieve maximum protection.

The most common examples include situations where colleagues will be talking behind the victim's back; and/or managers or supervisors flaunting their status or authority or act in a condescending manner or worse where false accusations are made against the victim or others are deceived with the intention to set-up the victim.These are serious examples and are the most devastating moments for the victims as they will be all alone in fighting their battles.

They will definitely not get colleagues support in this time of need.Indeed times have changed and gone are those days when going to work was a complete therapeutic process for the body and soul and the workplace was a centre of one's social empowerment and growth.  In this day and age, the workplace is a survival ground.

Employers have different business agenda's.  Some will appoint professional bullies deliberately in order that the bullies assist the company in getting rid of excessive staff with the view of avoiding paying severance packages.

This usually happens where there is a change like restructuring, retrenchments or mergers. Usually during change in the workplace, colleagues attempt to victimise each other.

In most instances, this happens where positions are threatened or where there is an ineffective job description or inappropriate or inadequate communication within the company's corporate structure.At other times, victimisation occurs where there is lack of interpersonal relationships or the supervisor is looking for a scapegoat on some of the challenging tasks he/she cannot perform.The above explains individual victimisation which may flow from poor interpersonal relationships.

The worst victimisation hostility is where the employer exhibits this behaviour with impunity because the corporate culture permits and rewards such hostile behaviour.  In such a scenario, the leadership and managers will follow this leadership style mindlessly as they will be handsomely rewarded to push the employer's agenda.

The beauty about this practice is that the very same managers or leaders who apply this hostility will be victims when their task of kicking out undesirable employees is done. As the saying goes: 'What goes up, comes down'.

The irony is that the victim will be out and brutally bruised to see his perpetrator suffering. Let us now look at the positive side of things and observe what intervention strategies have the ILO recommended to avoid victimisation in the workplace.ILO has provided guidelines on provisions that should be incorporated in the employers' policies and procedures to guard against victimisation.  

Such policies and intervention strategies will usually find their home in Occupational Safety and Health policies or could be incorporated under the company Code of Conduct where the employer makes an undertaking to prevent victimisation, to prohibit any unacceptable activities relating to victimisation and to support and help employees that are subjected to victimisation.As a word of caution though, be reminded that workplace hostilities can be very sophisticated and very difficult to detect, even though the corporate culture does not support such activities.  

Worst of all, co-workers would not usually support the victim or the targeted employee.The reason being that they are scared they might be next, should the witness not show any compassion or support the employer.   Most of the time those employees who witness the hostility usually play into the hands of the perpetrator.

Even though they may be affected and demoralised by these incidents, they will not support a colleague who is under attack.

To protect yourself in the workplace do the following:

 * Do not be a target in a hostile environment

* Do not let your position and status define youl Insist that you be treated with dignity and respect at all times

* Use the grievance procedure in your workplace

* Record incidents of hostile behaviourl Take matter to perpetrator's supervisor or seniorl Report the conduct to the labour law consultantl Show support and understanding for targets or victims.Know your rights!

E-mail: maine@bbi.co.bw