Harassament in Offices and How to Prevent That...

 

TO ladies working in offices, harassment is a common word/situation. Some ladies may even call it Normal Office Practice. The blame of such undesired activity is shared between both parties, i.e. Males and Females. We will be looking at what is harassment, how it happens and how to ward it off in coming lines.

Harassment is a situation in which a female staff may be exploited by his male colleagues by WORDS (mimics, jeers and taunts) and ACTIONS (leg-pulling, blame game etc). Harassment may end in physical exploitation of ladies in the final stage.

So if you have understood what harassment is, let’s see why it happens!

We can never deny that a natural attraction exists between males and females. In honorable males, this emotion is controlled by family values and character. In most males, this emotion remains uncontrolled so they try to take unfair advantage of weaker-sex.

The second biggest reason is Make-ups ad See-Through/Tight dresses worn by ladies. Make-up can give you a graceful look and it can also give you a sex-appeal. In my experience, ladies choose to be more appealing than being graceful!

The third reason can be exposure of possible weakness by ladies. Ladies do not look brave and strong. E.g. they avoid eye-contacts and show panicked body movement. A weakness spotted by a cunning officer will be used against ladies in every case.

The fourth reason is giving too much feed-back. It is a laughter in response of an officer’s joke (where it should had been a smile and in ideal cases, no smile at all!), interfering in a discussion between two officers, listening to call for more than required time, sharing personal things with an officer you have not tested etc.

The fifth reason is trusting ladies only by ladies. Ladies have proven to be switchy in certain cases. If you trust them too much, they can spill out your secrets at a time of their convenience! So offices are not a place to befriend people. Offices are like jungles. Let’s see how!

ANIMAL NO. 1,

THE LION
The Lions are clever, senior, powerful and a bit evil officers. Lions are good workers/ fighters and often not interested in harassments. However, they are seen active in flirts. Bear in mind, flirt is first step to harassment. The lions know their job well so they can not be black-mailed or influenced. Lions are political and have contacts everywhere. Lions are present in every Office.

Can you spot lion in your Office?

ANIMAL NO. 2

THE JACKALS
Like Lions, every office has at least one jackal. They are sycophants (they praise lions very much!). Often they are slow or dumb workers but save their skins by their oily tongue. They are highly political and extremely dangerous. They will plot against you. They will make Lions your personal enemy. They are middle-rankers.

ANIMAL NO. 3
THE RATS
Rats are similar to jackal but are fundamentally distinguishable on the single fact that they are not in good books of lions. Rats make small plans with jackals to overthrow a middle-ranker. Rats NEVER plot against lions because they fear from them too much. Rats will be found complaining against nearly all staff members on their backs. Like jackals, rats are also dangerous! Rats are also present in every Office. Rats are always low-ranker. When they get promoted, they become jackals.

ANIMAL NO. 4

THE EAGLES
The eagles keep themselves to themselves. If they talk to you, they will make it very clear that they are not interested in you. If they wish to flirt but remain in control of their own self. They are always found alone. They are not a danger to any body. They will fight for their personal glory. They are found to take small advantages from their job. They are not present in every office but in most offices they are found. They have a good background and they really enjoy it. They do not believe in politics but make good net works of their own!

ANIMAL NO. 5
THE DOLPHINS
They are extremely rare in offices. The biggest feature of them is a sense of self-importance. They are religious from within their hearts so they will do anything for you. They will make your office your home and will make you their friend. They share and they teach. They are smileys and not a part of any political/flirtous/harassment activity. However they will tease you and do it till the last day!

Bigger Offices are bigger zoos. They host complete range of animals. Some are:

ANIMAL NO. 6
THE GIRAFFES
Long-necked as actual giraffes, they can see things from a distance. They are found bickering about something negative which is about to happen. They eventually become laughing stock for other officers. Giraffes can harass new comers about their career prospects!

ANIMAL NO. 7
THE DEERS
 Too smart for their own good! Such officers take a certain pride in their physical beauty. They believe that their work is equally outstanding which is never the case. They are “give-away” crowd. The trick is to admire them in well-phrased language. They will attack on you only when you call them Ugly. They won’t be forgetting it too easily! They are a moderate danger to new comers only.

ANIMAL NO. 8
THE RODENTS & THE ANTS
They are in essence like Rats but lack politics skills. The ants are also similar but more hard working than rodents. These animals cope with most of the work load handled by the Offices and are extremely clerk-minded. On certain occasion they will flatter some pretty girl (wow! See you are SAFE!) And do some flirt. Rodents and Ants are recognized good workers so never come in their way!

ANIMAL NO. 9
THE GOFERS
Officer tracked in menial tasks. They can not get rid of their assignment and are not qualified enough to get a new one. Due to load of small chores on their credit, management never takes them seriously. They develop liaison with rats and jackals. They can do anything to any body so they are dangerous.

ANIMAL NO. 10
THE BEAVERS
Kings of their work-space. Good workers but keep themselves to their table/desk/cabin/floor only. No oily tongue and no impression making exercise. They are strong but not ambitious. Satisfied people! If befriended, they become a good friend of you. Otherwise they won’t even know you exist. They turn into lions sometimes!

ANIMAL NO. 11
THE SWANS
Thinking caps! They use most of their time thinking what should be done and how it should be done. Philosopher type. If given a responsibility, they “prioritize” their jobs. Highly successful in good working conditions. Under stress story is different because they don’t find time to think and analyze. If some swan tries to harass you, it is possible you become a grandmother till finalizes his plans. Not a big threat then!

 ANIMAL NO. 12
THE CHEETAHS
An opposite of swans. They are performers but not thinkers. Sikh Bhayya. They act before they think. In routine matters they are big hits. If some new situation arises, cheetah will ask for help from his junior swans and senior lions. Extremely dangerous if you want to avoid flirts. Usually cheetahs also become lion when promoted.

ANIMAL NO. 13
THE SHEEPS AND GOATS
New comers and internees. Quite helpless and afraid of nearly everything. They have no idea how to make their presence announced. (No impression making techniques!) They are subjected to extreme exploitation by nearly every officer but a few will venture to help them. When Sheep and Goats get adjusted into an organization, they become an animal of their choice!
 

So 13 sorts of different animals you will face when you are a lady. Do NEVER think that males are not harassed. I can recount some very disgusting events in which my best friends and I were maltreated. For males this jungle is also very dangerous or I would more dangerous than ladies. Top management always believes in words said by females and it means…well, you can understand!

In the zoo of the above animals, one can be very safe if she tries the following simple things!

  

• Eye-contact is vital with a serious face. If an officer is talking too much, try narrowing of eyes and pressing of lips. It will give you a stony and very serious look.

• Do not show panicked and confused body movements. The best move is to go slow! Remain serious at all times so you will not lose control at any time.

• Pick an officer, test him/her and then trust him/her. Always watch out if he/she is betraying your trust. If you find a broken commitment, do not cry about it. Just come back slowly never showing your inner emotions! Always keep testing him/her with bits of your personal data.

• Use graceful make ups on. Do not apply too much of make up on your self. An extremely dangerous thing is to wear see-through/tights/short-sleeves. It will invite lions, jackals and rats. Even in that case, no dolphins will come and stop eagles to come!

• Do not show emotions at the spot. Delay your laughter while dealing with most officers till you get alone. Refrain from giving your personal opinions to anybody but the people you trust.

I hold an experience of 3 years in different offices and all that I have written is for your personal consumption only. Discuss it with as many people as you like before acting on any suggestions. I have written these lines as a duty to my younger generations. Promise me that when you will become an officer, you will be a DOLPHIN!

                                            

Thanks to Mr. Saleem Haider, Accounts and Admin. Officer, Askri Bank for providing the artilcle

Antoine Point of View about The Best Way to Invest In Emerging Markets

Antoine van Agtmael has been investing in emerging markets for over 35 years. The chairman and chief investment officer of Arlington, Virginia-based Emerging Markets Management LLC, which has close to $13 billion in assets under management, coined the term "emerging markets" in the 1980s and has written several books on the subject.

Van Agtmael, a former World Bank economist, recently spoke to Institutional Investor contributor Tracy Tjaden about opportunities in 2011 and the threat of a bubble.

Do you subscribe to the theory that emerging markets have now emerged?

They have not fully emerged, depending on the country, at least not yet. They’re more like teenage markets. They’re moving in that direction but they’re not there yet, either in terms of economic development, corporate governance standards, the market regulations or the way people invest locally. There is still a ways to go.

What’s your outlook for 2011?

I don’t make projections, but I will say next year our chances of doing better than the developed world are better than us doing worse. It’s not going to be one of these stellar years because the global economy is still anemic.

What have investors learned about emerging markets in the last few years?

If they got in late in 2008, they think emerging markets are the best thing since sliced bread. If it was 2007 they think they’re the most volatile thing you can imagine. If they’ve been in for 23 years like we have been, they know we have just gone through more than usual ups and downs — this time caused by things not having a lot to do with the emerging markets themselves.

What’s your take on current allocations to emerging markets?

People follow the MSCI Index and in that world, emerging markets are 13 percent of the total investable universe. I think that’s just plain wrong. All kinds of things are excluded from their definition. Many investors are simply looking at the wrong benchmark.

The full market cap of emerging markets is really closer to 28 percent, and Goldman Sachs just came out with a new report on emerging markets that says it’s 31 percent. This is what I’ve been saying for years.

Let’s say the world’s largest investors read this article and immediately bump their allocations from six percent to 30 percent. All hell would break loose — we would quickly have a bubble, but it is unlikely to go so fast and for the record, now I do not believe we are in a bubble now. The best way to invest in emerging markets is to average in and average out with a gradual increase of your target by a few percent of equities each year.

Is it that people are overestimating the risk in emerging markets?

In October 2008 there was talk about submerging markets, the idea that if it’s bad in the developed world it must be worse here. That turned out to be wrong. I’m not saying there are no risks — the question, though, is perception of risk.

Meaning?

Things were better in emerging markets than investors believed but worse than they had thought in the developed world. That caused a major adjustment in thinking, not just about opportunities, but also about risks.

Do you believe emerging markets should trade at a discount?

No, not any more because you’re getting a better deal overall. You take more corporate governance risk, but you take less risk on economic growth. You are taking slightly more market risk with volatility now only marginally higher, but if you don’t do it you are not participating in what is the most dynamic, growing part of the world.

Given your position that allocations are far too low, do you think we’ll see more pension fund trustees speak out about upping these levels in 2011?

There is no question about it – it’s way overdue. It will happen. I just hope it doesn’t happen too fast. But I can tell you my children will find it crazy in 10 years to not have half of their equity portfolios in emerging markets.

If sentiment does change like that in 10 years, isn’t a bubble inevitable?

Yes there is a very high probability if it would happy too fast. And a drop will follow.

My advice: average in and average out. You can’t go wrong. If you want go from let’s say 6 to 40 percent in 10 years, that’s 34 percent, that’s 3.4 percent increase per year. But you don’t panic and you don’t get overly enthusiastic. When everyone likes it, you know there’s a bubble so you stop investing for six months to a year. When the market drops, you come in and for the first few years double the pace.

That’s a pretty structured approach and it would require discipline. It’s more than discipline, it’s a conscious ignoring of your animal spirits. Just keep them in the cage.

What’s the region to watch in 2011?

The Middle East. It’s a cheap cash flow machine. I’m overweight in the Middle East — they have much lower PE than companies elsewhere, they have good growth prospects and they benefit from the fact that they have money there and they’re using it. Sometimes this goes overboard, we saw that in Dubai, but in the long run it works.

You’ve been investing in Africa longer than most. What’s your view of the region now?

We’re performance hunters not asset gatherers. We’ve had an Africa fund for 17 years and its performance has been several times better than emerging markets, with volatility that has been half as much as emerging markets. Now it has over $800 million in assets, which makes us the biggest [investor in Africa] and that doesn’t include South Africa.

What do you own?

Primarily we invest in stocks, I always say beer, banks and bouillon, which is perhaps a little flippant. We also own a few mines and other commodities producers. We try to invest in a number of companies that are profitable local affiliates of very major companies — the Guinness and Unilevers of this world.

We are not as daring as you might think. We went into the equivalent of the Wild West of investing but it’s not like we’re investing in the local gold digger, but rather the local grocery store, which tends to be very profitable and you can buy them at half the price.

We have three people who focus on Africa and travel there constantly and a portfolio of about 60 companies from all over Africa. And we do this very much from the bottom up. You pick a stock first not a country, and you really have to know the stock. We don’t look at the index.

Thoughts on China?

My belief is that China is neither superman nor about to fall off a cliff. I believe China will become the anchor economy, replacing the U.S. There will be slower growth in China but it will remain strong. It is in a steady climb toward being a world power and it is doing things in a smart way, with trains, electric cars.

Will we continue to see emerging markets increase the amount of trading and investing they do with each other?

Yes, and this is key. It marks a huge shift in the balance of power. 

                                                                                        (courtesy: CFA)