I read a startling piece in The Times about influencers on social media in France who give ‘advice’ on how to make best use of the benefits system to avoid having to get a job. Aside from thinking about what a horribly cynical viewpoint this is – work gives purpose and so much more – I couldn’t help wondering whether in some aspects they might have a point. For example, if you are persistently sexually harassed you might think nothing is worth that. If you work for a toxic manager who thinks yelling at you is okay, is that worth it too?
At didlaw we are routinely instructed by people whose wellbeing has been severely impacted by all sorts of toxic behaviours which don’t seem to be getting any better despite what large employers would have us believe. We know that conduct is tolerated if the perpetrator is a rain maker. We know that raising issues at work about someone else’s conduct is more likely to get you fired for being a troublemaker than it is to address the toxic conduct. It is not pretty especially when you have the inside track as we do as litigators and where we see just how badly wrong it can go. No one should have to tolerate any form of abuse at work but they do, and it is extremely damaging, but the job market is insecure and someone has to pay the rent/mortgage.
According to the article in The Times Laurene Levy started doing casual work aged 17 where she was subjected to sexual harassment. After graduating in Law from the Sorbonne she went into advertising and became quickly disillusioned by the toxicity of the environment. She started making social media videos sharing her rants about work and found a following. This is now her full-time ‘job’ – championing workplace wellbeing.
The cynical bit about the videos she shares is giving tips on how to get gross misconduct dismissed without which it is impossible to claim unemployment benefits. What is clear however is that Gen Z are not willing to put up with a lot of things we took for granted when we started work decades ago.
Workplaces still have a long way to go when it comes to eliminating unacceptable behaviours. Unfortunately what we see quite often is horrible behaviours displayed by top level managers. If this is how the senior people behave is there any reason to think that juniors will behave any differently. Leaders are there to set the tone not to highlight how not to be a decent work colleague. The law cannot hope to grapple with this. Clearly there are some legal remedies available but access to justice comes at a price not to mention the stress of taking on your employer in litigation and the fallout for your reputation. We hear all the time about addressing cultural issues in the workplace. When will this really happen? Will it ever?
It’s behind a paywall but the link to The Times is here: The women teaching France to live on benefits and even get fired
This blog was written by Karen Jackson, Founder-CEO of didlaw
