Tags
advice, anurag, author, career, corporate lesson, India, life lessons, magazine, suburb life
Travis Kalanick of Uber or, closer home, Arunabh Kumar of TVF are two of the many names that come to mind when one thinks of the sleazy underbelly of the corporate world. I am not passing any pronouncements here, but whether guilty or not, the shadow of harassment and related allegations are known to spare no one.
Why then are such people – those with mammoth financial stakes and public images to worry about – unable to avoid this mess? Is this a matter of concern only for those in the uppermost echelons of corporate hierarchy or is it pertinent to all and sundry?
Sexual harassment cases can be broadly classified into three types: One: open and shut cases where the malicious intent of the perpetrator is established beyond doubt. Two: situations where consensually fostered relationships get derailed by misunderstandings, expectation gaps or opportunistic designs of either of the parties. Three: those exceptional cases where the perpetrator, because of some reckless action of his, falls face down into this messy trap. Among these, the last two varieties are easily preventable.
I remember this acquaintance who used to work with a bank and managed a large and diverse team. He took pride in the fact that he was ‘a friend’ to all his team members and spent a considerable amount of time in socializing with them. This was his way of keeping the team motivated. Then, one day I learnt that he had lost his job. The cause – he had forwarded a message, a joke that could be considered inappropriate by some, to one of his female team members. He had thought nothing of sharing the message until he discovered that the girl had lodged a formal complaint against him.
This case highlights that unlike educational institutions which double up as a social petri dish, the primary reason for us to coalesce at the workplace is our assigned work. Here, each individual has a distinct identity and way of thinking. At the workplace we can’t take anybody for granted and our behaviour cannot remain completely unguarded. We need to be sensitive towards people and how they are likely to respond to even our most innocuous actions.
Another possible precaution is to foster an environment of frank and open communication across hierarchial levels. When someone at the receiving end of an untoward action or gesture is able to confront the culprit and express her/ his displeasure, it helps allay the pain like nothing else. Sometimes one honest conversation might be all that stands between you and this incorrigible mess.
First published in September, 2017 ISSUE of Suburb Life magazine!