For when an equivalent of #MeToo for the weather?
The decision to write this text was not without torment and doubt. The respect I have for the subject and the fear of being misinterpreted have taken their toll. With the pandemic progress of the virus, which quickly spread around the world and is changing our lives and routines radically, indecision took on even greater proportions. Writing about something that does not contain "COVID-19", "pandemic", "how to deal with children" or activities for them, "remote working" or "teleworking", any list with activities, tips or advice, in this day and age, may seem overbearing or detached from reality. Worse, it can appear that I myself am above or beyond the contingencies of life, which couldn't be further from the truth. With no certainties and the same doubts, here we go.
The #MeToo movement began, thankfully, longer ago than my desire to write about it. It all precipitated after watching the extraordinary series The Morning Show. I confess I was quite resistant to start watching this series. It was the "flagship" of a new *streaming* service that has so far had mixed reviews, to be kind. Also, the type and style of the series were quite far removed from the Nordic crime series we use to entertain the evenings of the two adults here at home. With every episode we watched, the creators, the producers and the extraordinary performances by virtually the entire cast proved my resistances were unfounded and prejudiced. Hoping not to spoil any surprises, the series tackles the subject of sexual harassment and abuse of power in the television medium. The way it is written makes us empathise easily with the victims and, at the same time, made me doubt the intentions and actions of the perpetrators; it left me wondering who was complicit. One of the hypotheses that still occupies space and time for reflection is: in this type of cases and situations, in these environments, are we all potential accomplices?
Inadvertent, unwanted and indiscreet insinuations, gossip and touching have always been part of the folklore of the world of work. We have all heard stories of those who have taken advantage of positions of power to enter, without invitation or permission, into the intimacy of others. The courage of some people - overwhelmingly women because, in fact, men still occupy most of the places of power - has made it impossible to ignore this terrifying reality. In some contexts, the trivialisation of this type of inappropriate and predatory behaviour, fuelled by the gender inequality that insists on remaining, leads to its normalisation. This "normality" makes those who live in it complicit, through simple ignorance. Closing one's eyes and mouth, inactivity, the fear of breaking the politically correct, may end up proving to be an extreme violence.
While the series addresses abuse of power in the sexual form, based on my personal and, above all, professional experience, I found a clear analogy with another form or expression of abuse of power: abuse over the time of others. In the world of work, the penetration of bosses and organisational cultures into people's time is not folklore. It is a reality that has long been tolerated and even nurtured and rewarded.
As far as time is concerned, there are no gossips but there are "mouths"; those who leave on time or work "only" for the time stipulated in their contract are still looked down upon. On the contrary, the quality of the work and of the worker is still associated with the amount of time they spend working. There are no inappropriate invitations but there are meetings scheduled for school entry time or six o'clock in the afternoon, or later. There are no "under the table" touches but essential documents are sent out on Fridays at ten o'clock in the evening to be discussed at a meeting on Monday at nine in the morning.
Another point of connection I find in the two types of abuse of power has to do with an unfortunate tendency to accuse victims. In these kinds of cultures, where respect and ethics are sparse, a victim of sexual harassment can easily be called a usurper because she accepted a higher position or prize of some sort to keep quiet. This, of course, despite there being no explicit desire, consent or denial. On the contrary, such situations even tend to be traumatic. Similarly, a person who announces that he or she is not being able to manage his or her family life due to a forced permeability of work in that domain is often the target of cover-up and disdain from a culture of silence that can go as far as to devalue his or her abilities: "can't organise; can't keep up with the pace; doesn't have the skills, motivation or dedication needed for this function", for example.
#MeToo has been effective in lifting the veil on practices that are, to say the least, reprehensible. It has not been as effective, yet, in mitigating the differences and inequalities between genders. If in harassment, abuse and sexual crimes the perpetrators are typically men, in the case of weather this may only be true because there are still more men in positions of power. With regard to time abuse there seems to be less distinction between genders. If this movement, despite everything still recent, although evident and strong, comes up against the resistance of established prejudices, it is only possible to imagine what it will take to unmask the abuse that many of us do or condone in relation to time that is not ours.
These days it will be even easier for this culture of abuse to become evident now that we are confined to our homes, many with family as company. I have heard people - friends and clients, for example - who have started working longer hours now that they are telecommuting. Meetings that are scheduled without breaks and the expectation or even suggestion that "now that you're at home you can even make better use of the time". For whom? For what? At what price?
This situation we are living through demands many changes from us. I hope that one of them, in due course, which should be short, will be respect for the time of others.
Written for Link to Leaders on 3 April 2020; published 14 April 2020.
