Labour exploitation undermines workplace unity and cohesion

By April Son

The success and develop­ment of a workplace do not depend solely on modern technologies, investments and resources. They also greatly de­pend on each employee’s proper sense of responsibility and ac­countability, discipline, work ethic, mutual respect and cooperation, as well as the proper assignment of duties to employees by those in positions of authority.

By faithfully fulfilling one’s duties, an employee can con­tribute not only to their own success but also to the overall development of the organization. Conversely, negligence of duties, shirking work, procrastination, taking unnecessary leave fre­quently, currying favour with superiors for personal gain, and unfairly oppressing subordinates can undermine discipline and trust in the workplace and may also amount to exploiting the la­bour and time of others.

Exploitation of Labour

The term “exploitation of la­bour” does not refer solely to an employer’s unfair use of a work­er’s labour. In a broader sense, relying on and taking advantage of the labour of others without fulfill­ing one’s own duties in the work­place, obtaining more benefits than one is entitled to, and using one’s authority and responsibili­ties to infringe upon the rights of other employees are also forms of labour exploitation.

Shirking work is one of the most common problems that can be found in the workplace. A person who shirks their duties may avoid making an effort to work, expecting others to per­form their responsibilities, shift assigned tasks to other people, or act as though there is no work to do even when they have duties to perform. Such behaviour not only reduces the individual’s work performance but also places an additional workload on colleagues and negatively affects other em­ployees’ concentration, commit­ment and willingness to perform their duties conscientiously.

For example, if one member of a five-person team consistently shirks the duties, the other four employees may have to perform not only their own responsibili­ties but also that person’s work. Such a situation amounts to the unfair use of the time and labour of hardworking employees. Over time, it can lead to frustration, dissatisfaction and a loss of trust in the organization among those who work diligently, ultimately undermining unity and cohesion in the workplace.

Procrastinating at work

Similarly, procrastinating at work is another behaviour that can negatively affect workplace productivity. Deliberately de­laying a task despite being able to complete it within the time­frame, unnecessarily dragging out work, prioritizing personal matters over assigned duties, and allowing emotions to influence the performance of one’s responsibil­ities instead of carrying them out properly and objectively, thereby creating avoidable situations, are not effective uses of working time. Moreover, delays in completing an assigned task can affect the schedule for subsequent work. Therefore, one person’s procrasti­nation can become not merely an individual problem but a problem for the entire team.

The important role of work­ing time

Working time is an important resource in the workplace. Like financial and material resources, time must also be used system­atically and efficiently to avoid waste. Procrastinating during working hours without taking one’s responsibilities seriously is not merely a waste of one’s own time; it is also an irresponsible use of the working time and la­bour entrusted by the organiza­tion.

Regarding frequent leave in some forms, it should be un­derstood that taking leave is not wrong. Employees may need to unavoidably take leave due to health issues, family matters or other genuinely necessary cir­cumstances. In such cases, taking leave in accordance with estab­lished rules and regulations is natural and is also an employee’s right. However, deliberately tak­ing frequent leave to avoid work responsibilities, taking leave whenever the workload is heavy, and repeatedly creating situations in which others have to perform one’s duties in one’s absence can create an unfair situation in the workplace.

Currying favour with supe­riors

Moreover, currying favour with superiors to gain person­al benefits is another behaviour that can undermine fairness in the workplace. Instead of earning deserved opportunities based on one’s abilities, efforts and work performance, complying with the wishes of superiors or un­necessarily flattering them in an attempt to gain advantages undermines merit- and perfor­mance-based fairness within the organization.

The situation becomes even more serious when a person who enjoys favour with superior abus­es that privileged position to op­press subordinates. Unnecessar­ily assigning excessive workloads to subordinates, humiliating or threatening them, forcing them to take on tasks that one does not want to do oneself, and shifting one’s own mistakes onto subor­dinates are not examples of good leadership. Holding a position of authority does not give anyone the right to unfairly exploit the labour or rights of others. Rather, it is a limited supervisory author­ity entrusted to a person for the purpose of ensuring that their as­signed duties and responsibilities are properly carried out.

Fair management of superi­ors

A superior should also treat all subordinates fairly. Rather than basing decisions on who is close to them or who flatters them, they should make decisions based on who faithfully fulfils their responsibilities and who contrib­utes to the organization. Favour­itism, personal relationships and factionalism can place greater pressure on vulnerable employ­ees within the organization and undermine unity and solidarity in the workplace.

Taking more than one’s fair share of benefits or privileges also undermines fairness in the work­place. While it is right to receive the benefits and opportunities one is entitled to based on one’s duties, position or authority, us­ing one’s position, connections or favour from superiors to gain unfair advantages over others is an unjust practice.

Under such circumstances, hardworking and less diligent employees may end up receiving the same benefits, while those who do not perform their duties may receive greater privileges. Hardworking employees may also be required to take on heavier workloads without receiving due recognition. When this happens, employees may become demor­alized and begin to think, “There is no point in working hard if it makes no difference.” In the long run, this can seriously undermine the performance and productivity of the workplace.

Moreover, an employee’s value should not be measured by their closeness to or ability to curry favour with superiors, but solely by their abilities, skills, in­tegrity, sense of responsibility and contribution to the organization. Superiors should also evaluate employees based on actual work results and performance rather than placing their trust only in those who flatter them.

At the same time, it should not be hastily assumed that “everyone who does not work hard is exploiting labour.” There may be underlying reasons for failure to fulfil work responsibili­ties, such as health issues, family difficulties, unclear job respon­sibilities, inadequate training or poor management. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the root causes of a problem and address them appropriately. However, con­stantly accepting irresponsible behaviour under the guise of ex­cuses can also result in unfairness to others.

Work is not something people do merely to earn an income; it is also a place where a person’s sense of responsibility, discipline, social ethics and individual hu­man values are reflected. There­fore, employees should honestly contribute their labour and time in return for the salary and ben­efits they receive. Relying on the labour of others instead of doing one’s own work amounts to tak­ing advantage of other people’s time, while unfairly exploiting the labour of subordinates by abusing one’s position also infringes upon their rights.

Therefore, to build a good workplace, it is necessary to strike a balance between “asserting one’s rights” and “faithfully ful­filling one’s responsibilities”. Just as superiors must demonstrate fair and responsible leadership, subordinates must also work with discipline, honesty and a strong sense of responsibility. Only by building a workplace culture in which no one unfairly exploits the labour of others, everyone takes responsibility for their own duties, and employees respect one an­other’s rights can the long-term development of the organization and the interests of its workers be protected and promoted si­multaneously.