Addressing the issue of non -violence in the corporate field is difficult. Complexity is born from the nature of business. The market is competitive, each company struggles to earn its slice of the cake and must defend it to keep it and make it bigger. In general, language is comparable to that of a battle. Of course, that does not mean that we must walk with the downed sword. The approach must be different and we cannot lose the focus and confuse competitiveness with violence.
Obviously, when we look out to the market and open the window to the world, we realize the level of aggressiveness that exists not only in any particular industry but in the streets and corners of the world. In the contemporary business environment, talking about “nonviolence” may seem like a semantic detour closer to social speeches than to executive boards. It gives the impression that we are talking about an aspirational.
However, incorporating a culture of nonviolence in corporate life is a strategy as powerful as underestimated. It seems that confusion is promoted by the ignorance we have of the subject. That is, it is not only the absence of physical screams or aggressions, but about a broader ethical framework that privileges respect, dignity and inclusion as fundamental values for organizational sustainability.
It is as sad as it is true, to realize the ignorance when addressing the issue, as well as the hypocrisy there is. I mean that in the discourse we all support the culture of nonviolence and do little or nothing to avoid it. In companies, violence can be subtle: prolonged silence in the face of a denied ascent without explanation, the use of sarcasm as a power tool, micromanage as a form of control, the marginalization of dissident voices, excessive pressure for results that becomes exhaustion or burnout. These expressions are microviolences that, accumulated, erode trust and deteriorate work culture.
Just as it is subtle, it is harmful. These are those calls that are received on weekends to meet issues that are not urgent, requests to undone that are not an emergency, it is about stress that is generated when we are using a time outside the work activities to go to the dentist, attend a medical consultation, exercise or go on vacation. Then, without the slightest consideration, it breaks into a personal sphere, demanding acutely, almost unintentionally – or sometimes as a flagrant claim. This microviolence, this disguised aggressiveness, generates discomfort, resentment, anxiety and conditions that do not allow work to flow properly.
The culture of non -violence is not utopia: it is transformative organizational policy. Part of the premise that each interaction matters, and that the way in which conflict, feedback and leadership is managed has direct effects on productivity, mental health and innovation. World class companies have shown that safe and ethical environments are not a moral luxury, but a competitive advantage.
Incorporating this culture implies reviewing decision -making processes, establishing equity and well -being protocols, training active listening and non -violent communication leaders, and having zero tolerance in the face of abuse of power. It is not about softening the demand or losing competitiveness, but about directing it from another place: one where force does not lie in control but in mutual trust.
A culture of corporate non -violence promotes a work environment where peaceful coexistence is promoted, eliminating any form of violence, whether physical, verbal or psychological. It implies the creation of clear policies against violence, staff training, insurance denunciation channels and the promotion of a culture of respect and tolerance. And, there is the detail, Chato, the famous philosopher Cantinflas would say.
All people have the right to live free of violence and abuse in work centers. One of the central axes is inclusion, understood as mutual recognition through which society guarantees equality and justice to groups, groups and historically marginalized people. The fundamental purpose of labor inclusion is then access to decent, productive and well -paid employment in favor of people of working age regardless of their sex, sexual preferences, age, disability or pregnancy, among other reasons.
At a time when transparency and social responsibility have become value axes for investors and consumers, companies can no longer afford to operate from vertical and aggressive logic. Violence – although it is symbolic – is inefficient, expensive and destructive. And today, more than ever, what is built with empathy and collaboration has more future than what is imposed from fear.
The culture of non -violence is ultimately a culture of the future. It is time to integrate it to the heart of the business. Because true corporate power is also measured in the ability to make work a more human place. The Mexican Standard #NMX of 2012 promoted by the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS), promotes actions to end violence against workers, so it urges all Mexicans to build a new culture of respect, non -discrimination, and stop violence against women.
It is necessary to train and sensitize. You have to have safe communication channels that guarantee peaceful conflict resolution, carry out periodic evaluations to measure the effectiveness of the policies and practices implemented and make adjustments as necessary.
To be an organization capable of participating within a globalized world that revolutionizes day by day, it is urgent and important to create strategies to contribute to the sustainable development of society, mainly contributing and helping to behave with principles and values so that individuals can travel in peace and prosper freely, participate in the various organizations without pressure or discrimination, much less violence, conduct themselves within all organizations and society with dignity and mutual respect.
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