Shiho Amster Blog #10 - Power Harassment in the Workplace
Power Harassment in the Workplace
 |
| https://www.peoplematters.in/article/culture/bullying-and-harassment-at-workplace-14882?media_type=article&subcat=life-at-work&title=bullying-and-harassment-at-workplace&id=14882 |
I am sure we are all aware of physical harassment, sexual harassment, and verbal harassment, but have you ever heard of power harassment? According to the Industrial Relations and Labour Law Newsletter, power harassment is “a form of workplace bullying by those who are in a higher work position.” Think conventional playground bullying manifesting itself within the workplace.
Imagine you work in an office, and your boss threatens to fire you if you cannot meet impossible deadlines. Imagine you work in the same office, and your coworkers leave you with all their work while they go out and get drinks. Imagine your coworker steals your ideas and presents them as their own. Imagine you are pregnant and your boss purposely decides to smoke a cigarette within close vicinity of you during a meeting. These scenarios are all considered power harassment, and in Japan, they are all illegal and considered equivalent in severity to sexual harassment in America.
In Japan, there is generally more bullying and physical contact that is allowed before others feel a need to step in. Death threats are extremely common in schools, and bullying is shown to be the rising cause of suicide in Japan, especially among adolescents. But it doesn’t stop at just adolescents. Adult bullying within the workplace is just as common and even more severe, so establishing new laws to allow coworkers to accuse people in their workplace of power harassment seems like the right step for the Japanese government to take. However, this is not the case.
I am sure you have read the previous scenarios and thought to yourself that these adults should just stand up for themselves or leave the company to avoid getting bullied. First of all, Japanese culture does not work that way. Second, these workplaces bullies will not just let a little law called “powa hara” defeat them. Especially targeting female bosses or coworkers, workplace bullies in Japan are now turning the tables and accusing these coworkers that are standing up for themselves as committing power harassment against themselves.
There is really no resolution to this issue, and it is especially frustrating when there are so many people in Japan who are stuck and dying by suicide because of something as adolescent as bullying. No one wants to go to work everyday to get bullied for the rest of their lives.
SOURCES:
https://japantoday.com/category/features/kuchikomi/the-hell-of-adult-bullying
https://factsanddetails.com/japan/cat23/sub150/item2790.html
Hey Shiho, I think your blog post addresses a very intriguing concern regarding power in the wirkplace. It was really interesting to read your blog because I had never realized this about Japanese culture. It’s reallt disheartening that bullying is so prevalent there and that societal standards repress employees from speaking out. I was actually kind of surprised by this as when you said that Japanese society considered power harassment akin to secual harassment, I thought there would have been more people considerate about offenses like bullying. I also never realized that the bullying was so bad there that some employees felt the need to commit suicide the escape a toxix workplace.
ReplyDeleteHi Shiho, it is sad to see the staggering amount of suicide deaths in Japan and I definitely think the Government should enact laws to prevent such a tragedy from occurring. In America, most companies mandate workers to complete race and equality training to avoid the issues you described. Although I am unaware if Japanese companies conduct this already, I believe may help decrease some of the biases of women or diversity in the workplace. However, I did not understand how the bullies are accusing the victims of committing power harassment; how is a victim calling for help harassing the abuser?
ReplyDeleteHey Shiho! It’s really heartbreaking to realize how many deaths take place in Japan, especially through suicide. I never realized how much of an impact an individual's work community can have on them. I don’t see the need for people to bully their co workers, especially to the extent where they feel the need to do more than quit, but to commit suicide. Taking harsh comments is hard, I can’t imagine having to work around or even with the people who put you down.
ReplyDeleteHi Shiho! The thought of power harassment in the workplace is truly scary and I honestly don't know what I would do if I were faced with this. In a professional setting, it would be much more difficult to stand up for yourself. There are also cases where one's boss would be bullying their subordinates, which is even more frustrating. With a job at stake, bullying in the workplace is a very undesirable thing.
ReplyDeleteHi Shiho! Wow, the power harassment issues in Japan are something I never knew happened. Quite honestly, I've always seen Japan as a calm country, so I'm appalled that something as adolescent like bullying happens and is a leading cause for workplace suicide. I do think that the Japanese laws condoning power harassment is a step in the right direction, but I can't imagine the stress a victim must be going through with their job and salary hanging in the balance. I can't imagine working alongside pure bullies and people who would discourage me.
ReplyDeleteHi, Shiho, I think it’s really sad that bullying on that scale can take place among adults too. I didn’t know that school and workplace bullying in Japan could be that bad. The government of Japan should make this a priority because people’s lives are at stake. Bullying takes place here in America too but there are many companies now that have HR departments that can address this, since a bully in the workplace can end up getting the whole company sued. Really good companies here also have mindfulness training nowadays.
ReplyDeleteHi Shiho, it's unfortunate to hear about that fact in Japanese society. Culture norms clearly promote a system where people subjugated and hurt cannot speak up and perpetrators can thrive. It seems counterintuitive, since you mentioned power harassment is more closely policed in Japan than the United States. I hope change is coming, at the policy level or at the company level, because that type of culture would make it really hard to continue participating in society.
ReplyDeleteHi Shiho,
ReplyDeleteI think your blog points out that the desire for power can be just as severe as holding that power itself. Harassment is a form of displaying power over others, often a result of the "bully" feeling inferior to who they want to be or jealous of someone else's power over them. Desiring more power becomes the unconscious reasoning behind abusing or reasserting the power one already has. Unfortunately, standing up to such bullies in the workforce costs people their jobs and potentially their ability to support their families. It is horrifying that we have reached a point where phycological abuse may cost more lives than physical abuse.
Hi Shiho! Thank you for enlightening me about an issue that I had no idea about! Since bullying is less prevalent at our school and at our parents' workplaces, I was unaware of the workplace harassment that even adults face. It does seem like a major issue, but the government laws don't seem to be helpful. Maybe if the workers were to come together and speak out together, they would be less targeted?
ReplyDelete