Toxic Management Practices: Impact on Health and Performance

...toxic management practices affect employees at all levels of the organisation. Those at lower levels often feel helpless while those occupying the higher echelons have been conditioned to believe that one has to be thick-skinned to thrive in the corporate sector to the extent of sometimes foregoing all self-respect and dignity.

Student Malpractices

A widespread phenomenon

Last week while walking in Port Louis I saw in a shop window one A-4 sized poster addressed to students of various universities in Mauritius having to write dissertations and assignments.  While it may appear quite innocuous, it set me thinking.  I talked to some younger people around me and they all confirmed knowing people who paid to get their assignments and / or dissertations written for them.  I am also aware that such services are also offered online. 

Should Employers Be Accountable For Employees’ Mental Health?

If someone fractures his ankle while at work, his employer is required by law (OSHA S.85) to formally report the matter to the Director, Occupational Safety and Health.  On the other hand, if someone suffers from complications resulting from excessive work-related stress and is hospitalised for a week, no such reporting is required.  And yet the second scenario is probably more frequent in today’s workplace.

The Leadership Development Challenge

In a recent article, I discussed the implications of confusing leadership with power and how this can be counterproductive in a service / knowledge economy*. In this article, I discuss some of the implications of this confusion of leadership with power and of the lack of clarity regarding what leadership is all about, on leadership development.

Demystifying Leadership

If one asks a random group of people for examples of leaders, the names that are first mentioned are those of key political / historical figures.   This is mainly due to the fact that for many people leadership is often confused with power.

The Disciplinary Committee

Legal Provisions

The Employment Rights Act 2008 states that “no employer shall terminate a worker’s agreement … for reasons related to the workers misconduct, unless (i) he cannot in good faith take any other course of action;