Safety at home

EMPLOYED in the media since 1968, I certainly and consistently, experienced “workplace gendered violence”, both in Australia and England (“No type of aggression is OK in the workplace,” Opinion, 13/6).

The “gendered” violence was however, not just men indulging in “verbal abuse, stalking, intimidation or threats, as well as put-downs, comments and innuendo, ostracism or exclusion, or being undermined”.

The truth was many female colleagues, and bosses, similarly manifested such conduct. In my 30s, with more lucid insights into this behaviour, I walked out of many jobs to protect my mental health.

As Narelle Beer asserts, “much has changed” over the decades, but while she adds “employees and workers seldom (stop) to think their words or actions” may be violent, I contend they can often be unconscious, but even more sadly, a deliberate choice to frighten fellow workers and maintain control.

Now in my 70s, I’m glad to work in “a happy, healthy, productive” place in my own home, alone. Perhaps the pandemic has also made others realise their “health and safety” are more assured at home, too.