Moral harassment: a portrait of northern brazil based on lawsuits

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate moral harassment on northern Brazil through the lens of lawsuits. Design/methodology: Statistical analyses on lawsuits from 2012 to 2018 issued at Labor Court, 11th Region, which includes states of Amazonas and Roraima. It also provided a qualitative discussion, based on semi-structured interviews with main actors (judges, prosecutors, and lawyers). Findings: A representative volume of legal actions was found, signaling the presence of moral harassment in the region. There was a higher proportion of vertical harassment (management over employees), a large concentration in industry and banks, a predominance of men as harassers and great difficulty in proving the harassment. Originality/value: This article addresses the topic of moral harassment from a lens that is still little explored, lawsuits, considering a geographic delimitation without many studies – the northern region of Brazil. Theoretical/methodological contributions: The northern Brazil presents similar characteristics regarding moral harassment to those found in other regions of the country, reinforcing the understanding of a social phenomenon under the influence of the institutional environment. Practical implications: The findings reinforce the need to debate and review how reporting channels about moral harassment are structured in the country, as it is a phenomenon that is difficult to delimit and prove but has a profound impact on the lives of its victims.