Bossnapping
Encyclopedia
Bossnapping is a form of lock-in where employees detain management in the workplace, often in protest against lay-offs and redundancies, and has especially been carried out in France. The term gained wide usage in the media following a series of bossnapping incidents in the spring of 2009 in France where workers used the tactic in the context of widespread labor unrest resulting from the late 2000s recession
.
These incidents resulted in a public call for an end to the practice by French President Nicholas Sarkozy, despite public opinion polling which showed widespread sympathy for the protesters. Such practices bear mild resemblance to the gherao
in India, in which a politician or public building is surrounded by protesters who demand action or answers.
in the spring of 2009 where managers were detained by their workers. In early March, 2009, workers in southwestern France held the Chief Executive Officer and Human Resources Director of Sony France
overnight, demanding a better severance package for workers who had been laid off.
They barricaded the entrance to the facility with tree trunks, and held their hostages until the CEO agreed to a renegotiation of the severance package that laid-off workers were to receive. Later that month, workers at a pharmaceutical factory owned by 3M
in Pithiviers
held their boss in his office demanding similar concessions for laid-off workers as well as protections for remaining workers whose jobs had not been cut. The workers claimed their actions were not intended to be aggressive, but were rather their, "only currency." French police did not intervene in either the Sony or 3M incidents, in the expectation that each would be resolved peacefully, as they were in the end.
Workers in the 3M incident even provided a dinner of mussels and French Fries to their kidnapped boss while he was being held. Further bossnappings took place in worksites of companies such as Caterpillar Inc.
and Hewlett-Packard
in France and a lock-in of managers occurred at tele-marketing firm Synovate
in Auckland
, New Zealand
as a part of a labor dispute during a contract renegotiation there. The wave of high-profile incidents led to publication of advice for managers who might be bossnapped, although news reports made clear that the hostages had been treated well by their bossnappers. This advice included the preparation of special bossnapping kits that included a change of clothes and a cell phone pre-programmed with numbers of family members, police, and a psychologist who might assist with the psychological stress caused by being the hostage in such an incident.
These incidents took place in the context of wider French labor unrest related to the recession of the late 2000s, in which many companies in France and across the globe laid off workers during restructuring the companies did in response to falling profits. Other labor incidents in France during this period included one in which laid-off workers threw eggs at their manager and burned effigies of him and another in which workers at a car parts factory threatened to blow it up after the factory was closed completely.
In April, 2009, in response to the ongoing series of bossnapping incidents, French President Nicholas Sarkozy pledged to end the practice, saying, "We are a nation of laws. I won't allow this sort of thing." However, public opinion polls in France at the time showed significant support for those using the strategy, a majority who disapproved of the tactic but sympathized with those practicing it, and only a small minority who completely opposed it. Thus, observers suggested that any strong action on the part of Sarkozy government to end bossnappings, included more proactive action by police to rescue hostages and arrest bossnappers, might lead to further unrest in other forms.
Late 2000s recession
The late-2000s recession, sometimes referred to as the Great Recession or Lesser Depression or Long Recession, is a severe ongoing global economic problem that began in December 2007 and took a particularly sharp downward turn in September 2008. The Great Recession has affected the entire world...
.
These incidents resulted in a public call for an end to the practice by French President Nicholas Sarkozy, despite public opinion polling which showed widespread sympathy for the protesters. Such practices bear mild resemblance to the gherao
Gherao
Gherao, meaning "encirclement," is a word originally from Hindi and is a typically Indian way of protest. Usually, a group of people would surround a politician or a government building until their demands are met, or answers given...
in India, in which a politician or public building is surrounded by protesters who demand action or answers.
Description
The term 'bossnapping' began receiving widespread use in the media following a series of high-profile incidents in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in the spring of 2009 where managers were detained by their workers. In early March, 2009, workers in southwestern France held the Chief Executive Officer and Human Resources Director of Sony France
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
overnight, demanding a better severance package for workers who had been laid off.
They barricaded the entrance to the facility with tree trunks, and held their hostages until the CEO agreed to a renegotiation of the severance package that laid-off workers were to receive. Later that month, workers at a pharmaceutical factory owned by 3M
3M
3M Company , formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation based in Maplewood, Minnesota, United States....
in Pithiviers
Pithiviers
Pithiviers is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. It is twinned with Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, England....
held their boss in his office demanding similar concessions for laid-off workers as well as protections for remaining workers whose jobs had not been cut. The workers claimed their actions were not intended to be aggressive, but were rather their, "only currency." French police did not intervene in either the Sony or 3M incidents, in the expectation that each would be resolved peacefully, as they were in the end.
Workers in the 3M incident even provided a dinner of mussels and French Fries to their kidnapped boss while he was being held. Further bossnappings took place in worksites of companies such as Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc. , also known as "CAT", designs, manufactures, markets and sells machinery and engines and sells financial products and insurance to customers via a worldwide dealer network. Caterpillar is the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas...
and Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
in France and a lock-in of managers occurred at tele-marketing firm Synovate
Synovate
Synovate was a market research firm owned by the Aegis Group. It was formed from the acquisition of a number of smaller market research firms. It has a number of different divisions, such as Synovate Healthcare, Synovate Customer Experience, Synovate Censydiam and Motoresearch. They claimed...
in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
as a part of a labor dispute during a contract renegotiation there. The wave of high-profile incidents led to publication of advice for managers who might be bossnapped, although news reports made clear that the hostages had been treated well by their bossnappers. This advice included the preparation of special bossnapping kits that included a change of clothes and a cell phone pre-programmed with numbers of family members, police, and a psychologist who might assist with the psychological stress caused by being the hostage in such an incident.
These incidents took place in the context of wider French labor unrest related to the recession of the late 2000s, in which many companies in France and across the globe laid off workers during restructuring the companies did in response to falling profits. Other labor incidents in France during this period included one in which laid-off workers threw eggs at their manager and burned effigies of him and another in which workers at a car parts factory threatened to blow it up after the factory was closed completely.
In April, 2009, in response to the ongoing series of bossnapping incidents, French President Nicholas Sarkozy pledged to end the practice, saying, "We are a nation of laws. I won't allow this sort of thing." However, public opinion polls in France at the time showed significant support for those using the strategy, a majority who disapproved of the tactic but sympathized with those practicing it, and only a small minority who completely opposed it. Thus, observers suggested that any strong action on the part of Sarkozy government to end bossnappings, included more proactive action by police to rescue hostages and arrest bossnappers, might lead to further unrest in other forms.