Hi I`m Kaira Shimazu. I used to enjoy my job. When I first joined the company, I was excited to learn and grow. But everything started to change when a new manager took over our team. He would criticize me in front of everyone, often raising his voice and calling me “slow” or “useless.” At first, I thought he was just strict, but it soon became clear, it wasn’t about my performance, it was personal.
He gave me tasks with impossible deadlines and blamed me when things went wrong, even if it wasn’t my fault. I was constantly nervous, checking every email over and over, afraid I would make a mistake. I stopped talking during meetings and avoided eye contact. I even started pretending to be sick just so I didn’t have to go to work.
I couldn’t sleep at night. My self-confidence disappeared. I felt alone, and I began to wonder if I really was useless. The worst part was that others saw what was happening, but no one said anything. Maybe they were scared too.
Eventually, I found the courage to speak with HR. It was terrifying, but I knew I couldn’t continue like this. After the meeting, things slowly started to change. The manager was warned, and removed from his position. He was even moved to a different department. This didn’t fix everything, but it helped me breathe again.
Power harassment isn't just about yelling or bullying—it's about taking away someone’s dignity. I hope more people speak up and more companies take it seriously. No one should suffer in silence just to keep their job.
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. (2020). Guidelines for preventing workplace power harassment. Tokyo, Japan.
What really surprised me was how much power harassment messed with Kaira’s confidence and even her sleep. It’s crazy how a toxic boss can make someone feel so alone and scared at work. I also felt bad that people around her didn’t say anything , it shows how hard it is to speak up sometimes. But I’m glad HR stepped in and things got better. This story really makes me think about how important it is for companies to take this stuff seriously before it gets out of hand.
返信削除It is striking and quite concerning that many coworkers noticed the harassment but chose to remain silent throughout the entire situation. This clearly demonstrates how workplace culture, fear of retaliation, lack of support, or even normalization of abuse can allow harmful and abusive behavior to continue unchecked. For your further research, I suggest studying the important role of bystanders in such situations and how targeted training programs can empower them to safely intervene and provide meaningful support to victims. Additionally, exploring successful case studies where bystander intervention has effectively changed the outcome could provide practical strategies and valuable advice for companies and NGOs aiming to prevent harassment in the future.
返信削除I feel like power harassment is a big problem in Japan but the social awareness is kind of bit low because people being harassed are scared to raise their voice. I also think the borderline for what defines as power harassment is quite hard. As mentioned in this blog page, the boss was maybe trying to be strict to the employee. For example, even if the employee raised their voice and accused the boss of being rude, the boss can easily say that he/she was trying to educate them. The way people think what kind of act counts as “power harassment” is different especially people who have different cultures. I hope the work environment gets better so that the employee can feel safe and comfortable.
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