HR’s lighter side: Laid-off workers kidnap HR manager
April 24, 2009 by Jim GiulianoPosted in: Behavior, In this week's e-newsletter, Management, Retention and turnover, Terminations
You’ll probably want to keep this story a secret from the other employees at your workplace.
Threatened with a shutdown and job losses, factory workers at a French electronics plant took what could be considered a unique approach to fighting the shutdown: kidnapping plant managers, including the HR manager.
The workers at the plant — run by U.S. company Molex — got word that they’d be hit with job losses. The staff responded by rounding up the plant managers and locking them up until, union officials say, they get assurances that the plant will remain open and keep everyone employed.
No word from the locked-up managers, but a union representative reports: “We are continuing our action. The first night of detention went very well.” (Easy for him to say.)
The ploy apparently isn’t a new one in France. French workers at other cutting-back companies such as Sony, Caterpillar and 3M have responded by kidnapping managers and predicating their release on company promises to retain jobs.
And here’s the worst part: In all three cases, it worked. The companies agreed to stall cutbacks in exchange for the release of the managers.
Tags: 3M, Caterpillar, HR, Molex, Sony
April 24th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Fascinating! So that’s how they do it? Wonder if it would work stateside, or if you’d be surrounded by an army of lawyers in an instant. It would boil down to a labor union-corporate attorney face-off, which could possibly be even more fascinating than the actual hostage-taking itself!
April 27th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Lord, how do they stand being locked up with managers.
April 27th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Swat, you would be surrounded by swat and news reporters.
April 27th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
LOL, Deb Knox, too funny! i think they should lay off the managers.
April 27th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
I wouldn’t mind being kidnapped for a few days!
April 27th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
I fail to see the humor in a kidnapping. Call me old-fashioned, but last I checked kidnapping was considered a violent crime in most countries, ensuring a long prison sentence for the kidnappers. I’m not sure about your union people, but I think some of ours would not be kind and gentle towards any management person. And somehow the idea of being one of those who is actually held hostage is absolutely frightening to me. I just don’t see this as funny.
April 27th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Nan….. Get a grip. The thought of something like actually working in the US is funny. I think that was sarcasim that started this thread.
April 28th, 2009 at 6:44 am
I agree with Nan. I fail to see the humor in this, and in most places in this Country, the police would not see humor. The kidnappers would be dead, and it would be my luck to get caught in the crossfire.
April 28th, 2009 at 6:52 am
I thought this was HR Lighter Side. I think that is how this was intended. Of course kidnapping is serious and a lot of the time tragic, but if we had all the details we would see this most likely was not one of those instances…just my opinion.
April 28th, 2009 at 8:15 am
It’s a little hard for me to get inside the mindset of workers who believe that the company owes them a certain job at certain wages, regardless of what is happening in the world. This seems to be an unnatural and unsustainable mindset which damages society in the end by promoting an entitlement mentality at the expense of the ambition and desire which workers normally have for providing an honest days wage for an honest day’s labor. To take hostages is like entitlement on steroids. Lifetime employeement is typically a societal demand in emerging African nations which believe that they can lean on business indefinitely and hobble it with social demands that the government cannot provide. This is a big reason that you do not see massive western investment there, it’s too risky. I’d be interested to hear how it works in France and why this value system works for them.
April 28th, 2009 at 9:33 am
Hopefully there’s no reason to worry about the “hostages.” The kidnappers are French. They probably spent the “detention” drinking wine and watching Jerry Lewis.
Let’s just hope that, at worst, the managers may have had to endure something akin to John Cleese’s Frenchman from Monty Python and the Holy Grail: “I blow my nose at you! You smell like the backside of a dog!”
April 28th, 2009 at 10:36 am
I acknowledge that the majority of my response does not relate to the content of this story but need to share this comment with T-money.
T-money – Please get your facts correct before making sweeping statements about other continents. “Lifetime employeement (sic) is typically a societal demand in emerging African nations which believe that they can lean on business indefinitely and hobble it with social demands that the government cannot provide.”
As a South African, I am very well versed in South African and African labor relations. Regardless of what is happening in South Africa at the moment, South Africa is the economic stronghold of Africa and is the most emerging of the African nations. Expectations of “lifetime employment” do not exist in South Africa. Employment contracts are signed between the employer and employee, which can be terminated under 3 general categories of dismissal. Most employers do not offer any benefits after retirement. Retirement age is dictated by the rules of retirement funds or by company policy.
Now, to be objective, I would agree that a socialist mindset is prevalent, and bordering on militant, in unions in Africa. This mindset gives rise to an “entitlement mindset” which basically results in these employees who support these concepts believing that they are entitled to jobs rather than earning the right to work and to keep their employment. But this is different from your description of a societal demand of lifetime employment.
In short, I can only suggest refraining from sweeping statements when the validity of these statements is highly questionable.
As for the content of the story itself, if this happened in South Africa, police would be called in, hostage negotiations would take place and at the very least these employees would be terminated for gross misconduct. In my opinion, any company, worldwide, that does not terminate the employment relationship with employees embarking on these actions is absolutely crazy and only asking for further labor relation problems.
April 28th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Leave it to the French. They’ve now set a precedence by bowing to the kidnappers demands. So what’s next? Kidnapping managers no longer works … so bring back the guillotine!
April 29th, 2009 at 10:51 am
I agree that if this actually happened in most places it would not be a laughing matter. HOWEVER, it was clearly intended along the lines of “World’s Dumbest Criminals” because it was so outrageous! Some of you really went off the dep end when the story was not meant that way. I run HR for 3 prisons. I’d like to lock up at least one of my many managers on a daily basis!!!!! A sense of humor gets me through the day and some people on this chain need to develope one.
April 30th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Kidnapping is not funny. Why didn’t the police intervene?
April 30th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
A, you do realize that all forms of news media only report the little bits that they feel will get us to watch, listen or read their story right? I’m sure the police did intervene! If I had been one of the managers held against my will I definately would have pressed charges and I’m sure these people and the company did too.
Of course kidnapping is not funny, nor did I imply it was. If all the managers you work with on a daily basis never make you want to scream or pull your hair out then I am very happy for you. The “age of entitlement” we are all dealing with is very difficult in the economic situation the world finds itself in right now.
April 30th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
People…. people…..we are all just joking. None of you have ever thought of giving one of your managers a wedgy? I sure have and worse.
Things are tough enough right now but if we lose our sense of humor then we have truly lost what there is left to control. It’s mind over matter…. if we don’t mind… it doesn’t matter. Laugh it up .. it doesn’t cost anything and no one can raise the percentage rate or the minimum payment.
April 30th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Deb – EXACTLY!!!! We have to lead in the example of being able to laugh at ourselves and keep a positive and sometimes humorous attitude to show the employees everything is NOT all doom and gloom. Thanks for your comments, they stated what I meant in a more specific way. I do not condone violence of any sort including kidnapping. Working HR in prisons and jails will definately sour you and make you very depressing if you let it.
May 1st, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Please, this is France right? The managers probably surrendered.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Okay, now THAT’S hilarious!!!!!!!
May 1st, 2009 at 4:29 pm
If this is really true, it is not funny, just sad. Why did the companies buckle? It was obvious who kidnapped the managers, what was the threat? Were they going to hurt them? or starve them? What would the kidnappers have done if the company held out? If this is not criminal in France, I feel sorry for the French. This is just like the pirates, if you let them get away with it they will only do it again. If I were held hostage in this type of situation, I would not want my company to back down. I am so tired of the unions and “job and benefits entitlement”!
May 19th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Wow such different opinions! Although kidnapping is a serious crime nor would I want to be in that situation. This story is hilarious! I would never think to hold the Management hostage, for one who would want to be around them that long! Couldn’t they have done better? Take away their company cars, gas cards, and bonuses! That would hurt any Manager before holding them hostage.
everybody needs to chill and look into the humor of this story…the french surrender to everything!