HR Executive Slapped By Mathadi Union Leader

Dear All IR Experts,

One of my friends who is working as an Executive - HR & Admin in a reputed organization; his company is in the engineering business. The said HR Executive used to make rounds and found that some mathadi workers were not doing their work but rather wandering around. He would shout at them as these mathadis are local people, and they used to engage in "Gundagardi."

Due to all these complaints, the management decided to sack the mathadi union. This action made the Mathadi Union Leader, who is a local tough guy, angry. He came to the company with 10-15 drunken ruffians, without asking anything, he slapped the HR personnel and verbally abused him.

In reference to the above situation, Dear Learned IR Seniors, what do you think should be the management's response to this?

Thank you.

Dear Prashant,

I am sorry for your friend, but these are some ground realities in IR. There are cases where union mobs have killed management personnel. Dealing with bully unions is not an easy task; they not only have the support of workers but also political connections. Each organization and situation requires a different solution and expert individuals.

A senior HR person must take the lead in such cases instead of sending a fresh HR professional to handle these types of situations.

Now, coming directly to your question: what should management do?

First, management must take action against the person who has committed such a serious misconduct. Manhandling or slapping must not be tolerated in any form. If management does not take action today, such behavior could escalate to more serious incidents in the future.

Second, management must find long-term solutions to these issues. They need to conduct self-analysis, engage more directly with employees, and build a culture of openness and transparency where any employee can raise concerns without fear of reprisal or the support of mobs or so-called leaders.