Assédio moral: um estudo sobre jovens trabalhadores

Abstract

Moral harassment is an important issue in contemporary organisations particularly in relation to young workers. The objective of this study was to analyse how moral harassment of young workers is perceived amongst the professionals of Association X involved with the insertion of young workers into diverse segments of the labour market. This was done through a descriptive case study and qualitative approach. Data was collected from semi-structured interviews with 21 professionals from Association X with content analysis used to analyse the data. It was identified that young people suffer from harassment-type hostile attitudes. Three types of moral harassment of young people were identified: Top-down vertical moral harassment, horizontal moral harassment and mixed moral harassment. It was also found that moral harassment has consequences for the personal and professional lives of young workers principally regarding: demotivation, reduced performance in the workplace, lack of job-satisfaction as well as low self-esteem and psychological complications. It was identified that Association X approaches this subject with caution and it is not discussed with young workers. Consequently, the importance of addressing the issue of moral harassment with young workers is identified in order that dysfunctional and disagreeable experiences in the workplace do not compromise the training and conduct of the future professional. Keywords: moral