We have all heard of dreadful accounts concerning human resources (HR) managers, ranging from thuggish behavior to outright dismissiveness.
If anything, the general assumption is that HR managers are considerably more intimidating to employees than their actual superiors.
Regrettably or fortunately, one woman survived to share her story.
Shakila Zen recently took to Twitter to recount her encounters with the human resources department at her previous company.
In a tweet yesterday, she recollected how the head of HR at a former company she was employed at had requested her to retract a report she had filed against a colleague who had threatened her with an acid attack.
“The HR instructed me to withdraw the police report that I lodged against one of my coworkers. Oh, that individual made a threat to throw acid at me. The HR claimed it’s not a grave matter.”
“The HR’s rationale: If other companies become aware that you have filed numerous police reports, it will hinder your job prospects.”
She also disclosed that the HR manager made several attempts to persuade her to drop the complaint.
Nevertheless, armed with her own lawyer, Shakila told him to mind his own business.
She alleged that he even attempted to manipulate her when she voiced her harassment experiences during a women’s tribunal.
“He accused me of disgracing the company by speaking out about it. The same person who harassed me was the one who sent the video to him. The nerve!”
In 2021, several women’s groups in Malaysia established their own tribunal: a Women’s Tribunal to Redefine Justice.
During a span of two days—27 and 28 November 2021—26 witnesses delivered compelling personal testimonies before a panel of three judges, illustrating the discrimination and rights violations they had endured.
Shakila shared her story in a tweet below another post that shed light on the problematic HR culture in Malaysia. Additionally, in an interview with Coconuts, she revealed that the harassment persisted for four years, yet the wrongdoer consistently evaded consequences.
During this time, she also suffered mental anguish due to the bullying that she experienced.
“I went to a psychiatrist and counselling for this. Really fucked up my mental health. I did share my mental health report to my manager,” she said.
“And then the one who bullied me found out about it and started calling me “crazy woman” and that because I was not medicated, she said it made me crazier,” she said.
In one instance, the 31-year-old claimed that the individual even slashed her purse using a sharp tool.
Shakila, who had worked at the company for seven years, stated that she reported the incident to HR and although she was certain it was captured on CCTV, her HR department refused to review the footage for evidence.
“According to the HR’s explanation, they stated that the perpetrator appeared to be behaving normally during the investigation interview concerning her complaint.”
She refrained from naming the company as they have threatened her with lawsuits in the past.
When asked why she didn’t resign much earlier, she explained that she submitted her resignation in 2019, but her manager took an excruciatingly long time to process it. Simultaneously, due to the Covid-19 situation, she feared she wouldn’t secure a new job.
Shakila officially left last year after getting married and is now a full-time homemaker. However, she said the perpetrator still works at the company and is in her sixth year of employment.
If you or anyone you know is facing abuse in the workplace and the issue is being overlooked by the HR department, you can file a complaint by sending an official letter to the nearest Labour Department of Malaysia, email to jtksm@mohr.gov.my, visit their nearest office, or call 03-8000 8000.
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