Mihai Surdu On Unsplash
It would be an understatement to say that Corporates worldwide have become “toxic”. While stress and burnout, along with harassment and discrimination have long been “feature” of India Inc., the post pandemic workforce is now facing an “unprecedented” epidemic of toxicity at their workplaces. Be it gender or racial discrimination, or outright harassment bordering on the criminal, the workplace of the present just cannot “keep out” the fallout from the hyperpartisan world of which the corporates are an sub-system.
Indeed, latest reports suggest an almost two-fold increase in the number of sexual harassment cases among the Top 10 Corporates in India. While the glass half-full view would be that greater “awareness” is leading to an increase in the number of reported cases ( by itself a positive development), it cannot be left unaddressed as the purveyors of toxicity are emboldened, in the absence of strong punitive action, and an unequivocal message that it simply “isn’t done” to harass their peers, and more importantly, they “can’t get away” with such behavior.
In my working life, I found that, more often than not, the “culture of silence” and the “learned helplessness” of the victims keeps them away from formal complaints. Both these are intertwined and very much prevalent in India Inc. Learned helplessness is an outcome of the culture, mindset, and the sheer “wall of denail” that those “brave” victims who dare speak out. When the victims are “discouraged” from reporting, or are otherwise coerced into compliance, through “compromise” and “settlement”, then the sheer helplessness is not only learned, but also passed down the hierarchy, and ingrained into potential victims. If the feeling is that “nothing comes out” of speaking out, then employees “learn” the “rules of survival”, a helpless way of “putting up”, rather than “speaking out”. In short, this is learned helplessness, born out of “men will be men”, and the perils of being “different”.
Similarly, toxicity, once imbibed, leaves its “indelible” mark on the psyches of the victims. As the cliche goes, Today’s Prey Is Tomorrow’s Predator, and so does negativity breed more negativity. When enough numbers of those at the receiving end “learn” this, the overall workplace culture becomes toxic, and remains so, until “drastic” action is taken. To wit, India Inc., has a diversity “problem” which can no longer be “swept under the gleaming carpets” of the glitzy workspaces, and so, tackling learned helplessness is the way out.
Harassment never is overt, at first. The “cues” hold the “clues” as covert “signs” of advances are followed by subtle put me downs in case of such advances being rebuffed, which then lead to direct approaches and unwanted proposals. More so, the Coffee Machine talk aka, the Watercooler conversations often offer the “clear” evidence of both harassment and learned helplessness. As anyone who worked in an Indian Corporate would know, but won’t admit, these “hangouts” are where both the predators and prey should be tackled to nip potential cases of harassment in the bud.
Having said that, there are “systemic” actions, when taken, can reduce the toxicity. Instituting anonymous channels of grievance reporting, having formal POSH, or Prevention Of Sexual Harassment mechanisms, and above all, a leadership which “walks the talk”, go a long way in making victims feel “safe”. The point should be that, the workplace is not a “singles bar”, though “consensual” and mutually respecting relationships are ok, and this “message” has to percolate down and wide across the organization.
Last, India Inc. also has to pay attention to the prevailing cultural and social mores, which often border on the patriarchic, and which, “seep into” the workfloor. While India Inc. can’t reasonably do much about mindsets, nonetheless, a firm and uncompromising stand against toxicity goes a long way in keeping workplaces “clean”. These measures can “assuage and adress” concerns of victims, and prevent further deterioration of workplace culture. To conclude, learned helplessness needn’t be “learnt the hard way”, and there are “solutions” for empowering employees.
The post Is Your Workplace Toxic? Try Tackling Learned Helplessness! appeared first on Springfields of Rejuvenation.
The post Is Your Workplace Toxic? Try Tackling Learned Helplessness! appeared first on Springfields of Rejuvenation.
Great perspectives!!