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The Boomerang by Tiberius Brastaviceanu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at Multitude Project.
The Boomerang technique is based on using the wrongdoing inflicted on the employee by his employer to negotiate a fair reparation deal, or to damage the employer if the negotiation fails. The main target is reputation. Companies spend a fair share of their resources building and polishing their public image. Their reputation is a very important social asset that cannot be repaired easily once it has been tarnished. If carried out properly, this new method operates at two levels, affecting the employer's relations with customers and with its economical counterparts.
The technique makes use of very powerful tools to assist employees in composing an effective employment horror story, and to spread this story in such a way to directly affect the business of the culpable company. The damaging potential of the Boomerang, and the fact that it is totally under the control of the employee, makes it a very effective tool for negotiating a fair reparation deal.
Characteristics and damaging potential
In a public-relation war the individual always starts with an advantage. The public opinion tends to automatically attribute tort to corporations.
The new tactics proposed here are generative, in the sense that they rely on multiplicative effects. This characteristic is fundamental in understanding how the actions of one individual, the employee, can amount to a very damaging effect. Bad news have a tendency to spread very rapidly, and it is almost impossible for the culpable company to prevent them from reaching critical points in their environment. Once the bad news reaches critical targets an interesting dynamic kicks in. In a very competitive industry reigns a hobbesian climate, where economical agents are individualistic and opportunistic: bad news about one company will be picked-up by its competitors and exploited to their advantage, affecting the company's ability to attract good employees, to sell its products, or to forge solid relations with other entities within its ecosystem.
Another important aspect of the effects induced by this new method is irreversibility. If bad news about one company reaches sensitive targets there is no going back.
Another important characteristic is persistence. The name of the employer will remain associated with the employment horror story for life! The employer has almost no power to attenuate this association other than changing identity.
Apart from the external dynamic set in motion by the targeted publication of a bad story, we must also take into consideration internal effects, the ones that affect the culpable company from the inside. The story can affect the reputation, the credibility, and the ability to lead of key members of the organization involved in the case. Furthermore, the story can also create an atmosphere of insecurity and mistrust, which is not at all beneficial to the company. These adverse effects are the reason why usually the victim is separated from her/his work environment as soon as possible after termination, to cut all communication with coworkers and to control the information about the case.
Companies use different mechanisms to resolve internal issues, trying to avoid bad publicity as much as possible. Increasingly, arbitration and mediation are favored in employment disputes. Studies show that these alternative methods of conflict resolution are ineffective in more serious cases, and tend to be biased in favor of the employer. One of the reasons why companies prefer these methods is that they maintain control over the process. Another obvious reason is that the conflict doesn't become public.
But what if you, the employee, refuse mediation or arbitration and threaten with a lawsuit? Remember that the legal system is setup to favor the rich, and your employer knows that. He can get better lawyers and he can prolong the legal procedures to make your life very miserable; and you employer knows that you are aware of this possibility. It is also important to acknowledge that your company's lawyers can very well predict your future behavior if you play the legal card. If your threat of a lawsuit is weak don't even bother. And if your threat is real, your employer still prefers the legal battleground because he has a certain amount of control over this process. Choosing the public battleground, that is moving the conflict on the public scene by opting for the Boomerang, is the worst thing that can happen to your employer. You have total control over this process!
Spread the word!
The effectiveness of the Boomerang technique increases with its popularity, generating a real incentive for users to recommend it within their social circles. It is important to understated that using this tool has two types of benefits. The first one is individual, giving the employee more power in negotiating a fair severance package. The second one is collective, making this tool more popular and therefore more effective for all.
And yet the most important role of this web-based tool is to regulate employment conditions at large scale. Here again popularity is crucial for this to become effective. Once above the critical mass this method will constitute a deterrent for companies to treat employees immorally.
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