INSULATING COMPANY OFFICIALS FROM BRUTAL ATTACKS BY ITS EMPLOYEES

Recent cases of violence in business premises (manufacturing units, Head Offices etc) by either the agitating employees or high handedness of company officials does not speak high of Indian Business community. Though, as of now, the cases are low on percentage figures, but, loss of any human life due to such aggression is not a healthy quote for any business house. Take example of Sep 2009 incident in Southern India, where in a senior employee of reputed company was brutally assaulted by agitating workers, later 26 workers were arrested. Earlier on a CEO was done to death by agitating employees in NOIDA, later 146 employees of the company were arrested on charges of attacking their CEO. Prior to this, there was brutal attack by company and law enforcing agencies on agitating workers in Gurgaon factory. During Sep 2009, 300 managers of a reputed MNC were prevented from leaving office and hostage like situation was created by agitating employees. Fear of injury being caused to managers by agitating employees was highly possible, but, by some divine power, the same got averted. In yet another incident, ONE lakh workers of major industrial hub struck work during Oct 2009. These agitations not only cost precious human lives but also avoidable financial loss due to loss in manhours to the tune of 35-40 million rupees. All the above incidents are disturbing and leads not only to avoidable loss of precious human lives and financial loss, but, also cries out for urgent and effective need of business community to prevent re-occurrence of such issues. Let’s examine some of the basic steps, we can take to prevent such issues in first place and if misfortune strikes a business, then ways and means to contain damage to business or its employees.
Reasons For Agitation There is no dearth of material which study the reasons for labour unrest. Also, there is no dearth of material which deals with prevention of such incidents. Despite that, such incidents occur with alarming regularity (most of them getting unreported for fear of loss of reputation of affected business house). Since, occurrence is getting regular and reasons for labour unrest are well known, let’s examine, thresholds at which such labour unrest manifests into physical threat to other senior employees.

Feeling of Being Aggrieved/Exploited By and large, a situation of conflict arises out of feeling of being aggrieved / exploited. Both parties ie the company and its employees feel that they are the victims. Company feels that it is being forced to accept certain irrational conditions by its employees. On the other side, the employees feel that they have not been treated fairly by company and have reasons to be aggrieved. Ultimately, a situation gets created in which both parties start walking on parallel lines as "Agrieved" with no chance of meeting for acceptable solution.

Conflict of Interests. Workers and Company have divergent view on issues at hand. Both sides get driven by sense of righteousness. Both sides also have a view point that there is no merit in other side’s view and hence cannot be accommodated.
Possible Developing Situations - If above situation develops, it would have serious repurcursions. Since all other means of pacification have failed so far, the following could be possible manifestation at this stage:-
(a) Workers can form groups with an aim to take fence sitters on their side. Feeling of ‘us’ (ie employees) and ‘them’ (ie company for which they work’ creeps in.
(b) Productivity starts getting affected.
(c) Indiscipline is wide spread amongst employees.
(d) Efforts are made by workers to discuss the issues with company officials but get lukewarm response or rejection of their demands.
(e) Workers start sit in at gates or within premises.
(f) Workers might resort to mass leave.
(g) Possible physical clash with company’s security set up.
(h) Company officials could be taken hostages by workers to force a favourable decision.
(i) Intervention by law enforcing agency leading to business disruption.

Preventive Measures

The aim of any business enterprise would, naturally, be to prevent occurrence of such issues. Damage control exercise begins once preventive measures fail. However, even in the event of failure of preventive measures, the company negotiators shall be much better armed if they are aware of situation in totality - abinitio. Such task is best performed by company’s security staff and if that is not available, then by HR team. The following should be incorporated as part of preventive measures :-

(a) Feel The Pulse – It is of great importance to management team of the company to know the morale of their work force. There could be various reasons for employees being dissatisfied. Company may or may not be in a position to address those issues, but, it would lead to serious repercussions, if management is not even aware of the issues leading to large scale dissatisfaction amongst employees. Existance of such status, if prevailing in company, is freely available, in and around the workplaces, but, there has to be some one with basic common sense to pick them up and pass it up the chain. Efforts be made to address the concerns at this stage only.

(b) Prevent Accidents Work related accident like, electrocution of employee, an employee getting injured at his place of work, an employee falling down from height etc are some to reasons which immediately unite all workers to raise their personal safety issues. Since reaction is spontaneous and emotional, it can lead to senior employees being manhandled by agitating workers for company’s failure to provide them safe working environment. Business needs to be very careful and devise such processes which would prevent such accidents. In the event of such misfortune striking the workplace, speedy medical attention and care be provided to employee. There should be well prepared and rehearsed disaster management plan in large businesses.

(c) Identify Inciting Leaders In any group, there would be some leader or if no leader is naturally available, the situation would demand that some leader would emerge spontaneously. Though, it is healthy to have leadership for workers, but, what needs to be ensured that leadership is genuine and balanced, which contributes not only to well being of employees but also to business on whom they are dependent.

(d) Anticipate Business leaders, should be able to anticipate workers reaction to their decisions. For example, it would be too naïve to ignore the fact that mass termination of workers would agitate large work force and this group would retaliate against such decisions.

(e) Controlled Entry Entry to work place where large work force works should be controlled. It should be ensured that people from outside the premises do not get mixed up with agitating work force or influence own work force in such a manner that it is detrimental to business.

(f) Keep Communicating In the interest of business, it is imperative that management keeps all means of communication with its employees open at all stages. This is more prudent in case of lower rung workers as they form bulk of workforce and have potential to harm most. Knowing their morale would assist management to ascertain pressure points for such work force. As a correlation to that, it could be safetly stated that if such work force is motivated, they will produce wonders for any business.


Handling the Most Difficult – Hostage Situation

Personal physical attacks on company’s senior executives by agitating workers are, by and large, result of uncontrolled emotions of anger and hate and there is not much a company can do once this unfortunate incident takes place, except to contain any further damage to life and property and await law enforcing agency’s assistance. However, the most difficult situation arises when agitating workers take company officials as hostages with an aim to force acceptance of their demand. It is worthwhile to mention that all measures be taken, earlier on, to prevent occurrence of such situations. But, if every thing else fails, then how to deal with it….

At this stage, the primary task is to ensure the following:-

(a) Isolate the Area with an aim to prevent any further damage to life and property. Entry and exit to the area should be strictly controlled. Such isolation will also help in case the situation spirals out of control and warrants law enforcing agency’s intervention.
(b) Contain damage by organizing negotiation as early as possible. The faster it is done, the better it is to control temper and emotions.
(c) Information must be gathered on the following
Number of hostage takers including knowledge of whether they
are armed or not and their leadership.
Number of hostages and their profile, age, sex etc.
Emotional status of hostage takers.
Their demands etc.

Initial 15-30 minutes are crucial in such situations. During this period emotions run high, both in hostage takers and in hostages. During this phase, the effort of hostages will be to arrange escape and for hostage takers, it would be reverse to above and ensure that none of hostages goes out. Greater the number of employees held as hostage, better chances of demands being met to workers advantage – so they believe. Once the above actions have been taken, company must start immediate negotiations with hostage takers.

Though, dealing with such extreme situation in business is much easier than dealing with terror related hostage situation or robbery or other law and order related hostage situations, but, still the task is not that easy to allow it to spiral out of control. That would result into injury to or loss of human life.

Negotiations must be conducted by empowered person of the company, who is authorized to take certain spot decisions. What ever way the negotiations move, it must be ensured that no false statements be made by negotiators. Credibility of company and that of negotiator must be maintained. You never know, there could be a similar situation later on. If, negotiators are not trustworthy, we may land up ‘non-negotiable’ case next time. That would result in avoidable loss of human lives.