I keep being surprised of the number of unmentioned violent incidents we live everyday while condemning violence is a common theme in all occasions. We seem to agree that exerting violence in some form is condemnable, but accept (or at least keep unmentioned) other forms of violence that are often the seeds of the condemnable type.
One common type of violence, that many people live without even having the right to talk about, is violence exerted in the workplace. Harassment in businesses is more and more a common practice. It even seems to have been elevated to some high level of craftsmanship or art, all with its own techniques!
If we try to summarize violence as an act of offering the choice of: 'Do that or otherwise die' / 'You did not do that, you deserve dying', that would exactly be the significance of harassment in the workplace: 'Do that or otherwise be fired' / 'You did not do that, you deserve being fired'. Where being 'fired' ultimately means: have no resources, and, most probably Die! (Or at least, join those beggars you just met in your commute this morning!)
I can hardly consider such situations otherwise than a violence exerted on people.
I wanted to talk about this subject after having found myself in a real situation during a mission at a small company where nervousness among the people was perceptible in a way I did not see before. In the workplace, you could easily guess who are the 'foremen' specialized in people harassment (themselves being harassed by others …less visible!). The thick ambiance all being clothed into artificial ways of 'humanization' through – more or less superficial – parties, drinks, games and the like. But which could not mask the ambient anxiety.
On the ethical side, such violence is questionable.
Not surprisingly, on the productivity side that had negative effects too. You cannot be creative nor productive by fear.
The global technical level and practices of the company were rather 'low' by many standard measures. But you could not find an ear that may accept changes, or just accept discussing change proposals. The thick ambiance turned the business activity into sclerosed processes deaf to change. 'Change' became Fearful!
All that activity (and violence) were of course performed through, allegedly, 'Agile' and other artifacts which are sometimes just words decorating the worst unethical practices and bad results you can imagine!
Anecdotally, the company's business was: 'to help businesses in investigating unethical practices'!
No need to mention: I was fired J