Democracy: does it belong in the workplace?
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If you were to ask people what kind of government they prefer, almost all would surely vote for a democracy. Assuming they’re granted a right to vote, that is. Despite its flaws and laborious decision-making processes, democratic systems are still the fairest models of government we have. So why aren’t they extended to the workplace?
Democracy doesn’t extend to the workplace.
Photo: Tanya Lake
Even apart from the way we’re governed, there are certain democratic rights to which we’ve become accustomed and would never give up. The right to free speech is one, as well as the right to practice your preferred religion, the right to equality, and the right to legal representation. No matter how much room there is for improvement, there’s little denying democracy is more palatable than the alternative. And yet it’s the alternative that often prevails within organisations.
Employees “check their deeply held democratic rights at the door every day when they show up for work”, say Canadian scholars who have published a fresh analysis on this issue. “That is because the rules and rights associated with democracy only apply to people’s relationship to their government, not their employer. Citizens in a democracy remain subjects in the workplace – the place where most adults spend a large part of their waking hours.”
Outside of the workplace you can pretty much say and do whatever you want, so long as it doesn’t cause harm to another human being. In the workplace, though, there are tight restrictions on what you can express. Politics, religion and sex are just three topics that are almost universally regarded as taboo.
Outside of the workplace you’re essentially allowed to congregate anywhere that takes your fancy so long as it doesn’t pose a security risk. In the workplace, however, there are definite no-go zones for most of us: the boardroom, the director’s office and meeting rooms are but three demarcated areas.
Article source: http://smh.com.au/queensland/massive-workshop-fire-sparks-evacuations-in-brisbane-s-north-20170924-p4yw2p.html
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