The Damage Caused When Power Is Misused

It is often said that absolute power corrupts and this certainly seems to be borne out by the actions of a corrupt and potentially delusion Russian president as he wages war against Ukraine.

The problem arises as soon as someone enters a position of power. They are likely to feel untouchable and this will allow them to do and say things that would otherwise be unacceptable. Once they realize that they can get away with it, they will take further steps until they go too far and something has to be done by others.

Fortunately, in the workplace, it is more difficult for power to corrupt completely without recompense. This is because there are laws governing the way employees can be treated and you can access a great unfair dismissal employment lawyer to help resolve unfair termination and similar issues in the workplace.

However, while most people think of power abuse at work as allowing people to fire staff indiscriminately, it’s not the only damage that can be caused when power is misused.

Discrimination

It takes years of fighting at all levels to get laws changed and encourage employers and people, in general, to treat each other equally. Just take a look at the right of women to vote. Australia introduced a law in 1894 making this possible, but there had been a decade-long struggle before this.

Although various principles are enshrined in law when power is misused it is possible to override principles. For example, refusing people time off for holidays even though they are entitled. Most employees will grumble but take no further action due to a fear of losing their job.

This empowers the employer and encourages them to take further steps, potentially discriminating against people due to sex, religion, or even skin colour.

The only way this abuse of power stops is if the employees stand up to it and make sure everyone s aware. In effect, the employer is shamed, potentially with the help of a lawyer.

It should be noted that every time an employer or supervisor gets away with the discrimination they areweakening the economy. Diversity is critical to the success of any business as it allows a variety of perspectives. Discrimination destroys this diversity and needs to be stopped.

Company Damage

While discrimination and many other actions taken by someone abusing their position result in hardship for employees, that’s not the only damage that can happen.

One of the most concerning is reputational damage. A company may have a fair owner but if they don’t see the damage being caused by supervisors then they won’t appreciate the hit that morale is taking.

This negatively affects productivity, staff retention, loyalty, and even product quality. In short, the business could quickly face financial issues, especially when the public becomes aware of the power abuse and boycott the business.

It doesn’t matter how big a company is, boycotting will force it to re-evaluate its principles or cost the company to fold. In this case, all employees will lose their jobs simply because management couldn’t handle the power entrusted to them.

In short, while management needs to be more aware of power abuse, individuals need to be prepared to defend their rights, with the id of a lawyer if necessary.