Terrorism is nothing other than domination by acts that generate terror in those who practice, be they their own or strangers. It is said that such acts can range from very subtle to true extremes of human capacity to cause harm to others, but be that as it may, everything that is oriented to produce obedience, submission or submission based on terror cannot be more than repudiated. in every possible way.
When talking about terrorism, one usually imagines armed groups or events of extreme anguish such as those experienced on September 11, 2002 in the United States of America, or perverse situations such as those that occurred in Somalia, Spain, Colombia and many other nations subjected to violence. constant stress due to the existence of groups dedicated to such practices.
But, as already said, there are many ways of practicing terrorism and many levels and fields in which the term can be used. The work environment is one of them.
Labor terrorism is nothing other than the practice of domination through fear, anguish and therefore terror that causes uncertainty or the potential materialization of a threat or several of them.
Labor terrorism has two faces, two ways of manifesting itself and, in some cases, its effect is observed simultaneously.
The first form of manifestation is the one that corresponds to the traditional thinking of the concept of the "exploiting employer", already anachronistic, by the way, but which is still practiced by those who do not want to accept its evolution. This can be reflected in the constant threat by the supervisor of penalties, humiliations, demotions and even in the dismissal of supervised.
It refers to that perennial pressure that conditions the stability of the employee (in the traditional sense of the concept) to maintain a conduct or position that expressly satisfies the demands of the company, no matter how implausible, on pain of losing his position in her or submit to the aforementioned humiliations.
This exercise of labor terror causes stress, anguish and submission in:
- People whose only source of income is in the job they occupy. Where a significant number of individuals depend directly on their income. Those cases where age, physical or psychological characteristics offer few opportunities in the market or simply. In those people who lack robust self-esteem.
Without the foregoing meaning that they are the only reasons that make such reprehensible practice possible.
But labor terrorism can also be exercised in the opposite direction, by employees whose access to information allows them to know the company's own secrets; who have a good level of influence in the group or whose physical or psychological characteristics put them at a clear advantage over their employer, in these cases labor terrorism is given by:
- The threat of creating a union in companies that do not have one and thereby subjecting the employer thanks to certain benefits offered by law The constant possibility of stopping production or working without respecting response times The shadow of the indefinite strike Taking over of the facilities and / or kidnapping of the owners or representatives of the company.
And so many other expressions that keep those who experience them in constant anguish.
Now, if terrorism is a practice that enjoys worldwide rejection for the damage it causes to the countries that suffer from its presence, if the unequivocal signs of state terrorism are condemned and pointed out and there is a universal conscience that cries out for such distortions, why has this scourge been neglected in the world of work and its existence, action and characteristics seem not to be present in the regulations aimed at balancing this environment?
There can be no harmony if one of the parties fosters terror in the other, this affects the organizational climate, reduces motivation, reduces production and leads to chaos.
Note: The content of this article is extensively studied in my book Inept Managers.
