Youth Rights @ Work Campaign
Act Wisely at Work!
This article is one of six articles about youth rights at work as part of the ILO's efforts and campaign in promoting decent work for all, including youth. The article is part of the ILO's Youth Rights @ Work Campaign.
As a young worker, you must have ever felt upset and confused. You also must have experienced problems at work. As a worker you’re trying to prove yourself as a valuable worker for the company and claiming your rights at work. However, you sometimes may feel your workload is too much, can not aspire, treated unfairly, or feel pressured not to cause trouble.
After a while, if nothing changes, upset and confused feeling turns into anger. This anger can make you lose your motivation and your performance. But you must be aware, anger will not solve the problem, even it will further aggravate the problem.
You should be able to manage that anger and channel it in constructive way. Try to think broad and openly, maybe you can start with understanding your problem from the point of view of the person you have conflict with (may be your boss, fellow worker, HR, or other).
After that, start reviewing what your rights and obligations are as a worker. Whether the things you do are in accordance with your obligations, or the things you want is in accordance with your right. It’s important to now that the rights and obligations of a worker are binding, and it is important for the provider to fulfill his workers' rights if the worker's obligations are resolved.
Express your anger properly. For example, you have a problem with the employer. The first thing you should do is discussing your problem with your employer and ask the initial solution. You should start by calmly discussing your issues at work, such as unfair or unsafe working conditions, or about your unfulfilled rights.
If you feel your employer doesn’t have intention to solve your problem, try another way. Do not jump into anger, it will not solve your problem anyway.
Start to find out which parties can help you to solve the problem. That party may be your senior worker or fellow worker. Tell them clearly about your problem.
You can also ask for help from the union or workers' organization at your workplace. It’s important to understand that workers’ organization will encourage employers to comply the applicable laws and regulations regarding the fulfillment of workers' rights.
If that does not work, try to file an official complaint to the appropriate institution, such as the Ministry of Labour and Employment or the Labor Dispute Council. Do not be afraid to make this complaint, because your deserve your rights as worker, and there are various ways and parties that will help you.
After a while, if nothing changes, upset and confused feeling turns into anger. This anger can make you lose your motivation and your performance. But you must be aware, anger will not solve the problem, even it will further aggravate the problem.
Express your anger properly. The first thing you should do is discussing your problem with your employer and ask the initial solution. If you feel your employer doesn’t have intention to solve your problem, try another way. Start to find out which parties can help you to solve the problem. You can also ask for help from the union or workers' organization at your workplace.
After that, start reviewing what your rights and obligations are as a worker. Whether the things you do are in accordance with your obligations, or the things you want is in accordance with your right. It’s important to now that the rights and obligations of a worker are binding, and it is important for the provider to fulfill his workers' rights if the worker's obligations are resolved.
Express your anger properly. For example, you have a problem with the employer. The first thing you should do is discussing your problem with your employer and ask the initial solution. You should start by calmly discussing your issues at work, such as unfair or unsafe working conditions, or about your unfulfilled rights.
If you feel your employer doesn’t have intention to solve your problem, try another way. Do not jump into anger, it will not solve your problem anyway.
Start to find out which parties can help you to solve the problem. That party may be your senior worker or fellow worker. Tell them clearly about your problem.
You can also ask for help from the union or workers' organization at your workplace. It’s important to understand that workers’ organization will encourage employers to comply the applicable laws and regulations regarding the fulfillment of workers' rights.
If that does not work, try to file an official complaint to the appropriate institution, such as the Ministry of Labour and Employment or the Labor Dispute Council. Do not be afraid to make this complaint, because your deserve your rights as worker, and there are various ways and parties that will help you.