American Institute on

 Domestic Violence

Power & Control in the Workplace Wheel

The concept of exercising power and control over others is not exclusive to intimate relationships and home life.  

Less progressive managers and supervisors, perhaps unwittingly, employ various methods to maintain control over their employees that are similar to methods used by abusers.

In fact, most business management schools focus personnel curriculum on “how to manage” employees, rather than how to cultivate the human resource within the employee base.  

This mentality easily and frequently leads to the establishment of power and control in the workplace.

The spokes on the Power and Control in the Workplace Wheel define how employers control the behavior of their employees by implementing certain tactics.  

Just as with the relationship wheels, consider the behaviors as an overall approach rather than an isolated event.  For example, denying overtime or a training request is not, in and of itself, control-based.  

However, in conjunction with other behaviors outlined in this wheel, this denial can clearly be viewed as an ongoing attempt to “let them know who is boss.”

For battered workers, this kind of “mismanagement” can be devastating.  

Not only is the victim controlled by the abuser at home, but she is also subject to control tactics by her boss at work. 

Copyright © 2001 American Institute on Domestic Violence