It is a small prayer thrown on the fly. A comment on the length of a skirt, on curly hair “too much”, a question about “the country where you come from.” Verbal violence can take different forms. “You speak very well French,” implicit for a person of immigration, or “women are too sensitive, they cannot be cheffes.” So many “microgresions”, when they are not insults, contempt or harassment.
“A trivialization of verbal violence”, indicated by the EESC (Economic and Environmental Economic Council) in a report published on April 12. To fight the phenomenon, the institution recommends the establishment of a “verbometer”, on the “violentomometer” model, a tool for the prevention of violence within couples.
From green to red
Like the violentometer that lists a series of behaviors and classified them in green, yellow or red, the verbometer could step on a series of phrases “heard in the office.” This would help victims decipher comments and distinguish what is normal from what is of verbal violence, hate or discrimination speech. With the aim of helping victims realize what they are experiencing.
“Depending on corporate culture, context, antiquity, people allow themselves to speak in a certain way. In certain work environments, this violence is considered normal,” said working psychologist Samuel Laurent to BFM Business.
Questioned by the EESC, the psychologist Racky Ka Sy says that some people go to their doctor saying that they have a stomach or head. But, when we fall a little, sometimes we see that these pains result from a situation of verbal violence, especially at work.
“An infinite panel of consequences”
Obviously, this verbal violence mainly affects groups that are accustomed to being victims of stereotypes and discrimination, depending on the color of the skin, sex, sexual orientation … “we allow ourselves violence when we consider that we have a form of power over someone,” summarizes Samuel Laurent.
The phenomenon is widespread since, on average, 14% of people who occupy a job have been victims of verbal violence every year between 2013 and 2018, according to environmental surveys of life and security.
Some professions are more likely, such as those that are often in contact with the public. This is the case of the police and the intermediate professions of health and social work (21%), scientific professions, school teachers and liberal professions (18%).
With catastrophic consequences for their health: “These invective generate stress, which is established in the long term, with an infinite panel of consequences,” explains the psychologist Samuel Laurent who cites “sleep problems, digestive problems, isolation, depressive and anxious disorders, the aggressiveness postponed to see suicide.”
“They feel in their right”
This phenomenon follows, according to the cessation, a certain trivialization of verbal violence “now propagated everywhere in public space (public transport, schools, world of work and, in particular, in public services, media, political class, social class …)”, underlines the report.
The psychologist observes a double movement at work. “There is a trivialization in the public debate of racist speeches or attacking immigrants, so that those who take these speeches in business feel good,” he explains.
At the same time, Samuel Laurent describes “a better highlight of the practices that have always existed.” “People are more aware of the way we talk to them, more alert,” he explains.
According to the National HRD Association, there are less and less discrimination problems in today’s companies, thanks to the many training courses implemented in recent years. “And when there is drift, they are sanctioned,” says its president Audrey Richard.
The challenge of the subtlety of communication
Samuel Laurent believes that beyond the victims, the establishment of a verbometer could also allow the authors to carry out the weight of their words. But avoid the complexity of configuring this tool.
“There are also cultural differences, in the south, for example, we use the word ‘curse’, people do not move it, while they can be considered abrupt in other regions,” he illustrates. He calls to take the time not to develop a tool that adapts too fast.
Contacted on the opportunity to reflect on the development of a verbometer, the Ministry of Equality between women and men and the fight against discrimination has not responded to our requests.
Source: BFM TV
