In the course of occupation, one may engage in certain activities that one may consider as of benefit to the employer or organization. Although one may deem such actions as routine occupational behaviour, they may be regarded as criminal in other contexts. Such activities, on the other hand, may infringe the rights of different stakeholders of the same organizations, and have ramifications economically, socially and even psychologically on the lives of the victims. This entry seeks to elaborate on the social harms resulting from such activities.
Psychological Harm
Most corporations, with the intent to cut on operational costs would often resolve in cultures such as low wage payment. Despite the existent labour policies setting the minimums payable wages, many corporations devise other evasion methods such as worker misclassification and refusal to pay employees for overtime Matthew (Lichtblau, 2020). The inability and unwillingness of victims to sue their employers for their rightful wages result in stress due to the inability to cope with other economic demands such as bill payments. As a result, the victims may resolve in engaging in other criminal activity to fill the gap.
Economic Harm
In as much as victims may suffer on an individual level as a result of such corporate offences, the state’s economy suffers in an equal measure. The amount recovered in private lawsuits in the year 2012 in private lawsuits in the united states, for instance, tripled the amount lost to robberies nationwide Matthew (Lichtblau, 2020). While labour laws such as federal labour standards are violated, it is estimated that such unscrupulous activities deny the economy at least $50 million annually Matthew (Lichtblau, 2020). It is thus imperative that state labour departments be well-staffed to curb this form of theft.
Physical Harm
Consequences suffered as a result of negligence and failure of corporations to comply with existent labour laws have implications on staff involved. Extended working hours will often impact the performance of a who may be overwhelmed by job demands Matthew (Lichtblau, 2020). Fatigue will often compromise the quality of an employee’s output, and thus the final product quality will also be compromised.
Direct and Indirect Victims
Maximization of profit and limitation of costs motivates the corporate criminal activity of low remuneration, thus wage theft. While this happens, the direct victims here defined by Rothe & Kauzlarich (2016) as easy to identify are the underpaid employees. The indirect victims, on the other hand, is the economy. As millions are lost to such fraudulent corporate activities, the economy, appearing less important as described by Rothe & Kauzlarich, in this case, deems it the indirect recipient as opposed to the underpaid staff, thus qualifying it as an indirect victim.
Unknowing Victims
Subjects of specific administrative systems may deem certain policies normal, yet in real sense they deny the same victims what is rightfully theirs. Such victims unconsciously suffer consequences of policies as such thus the term unknowing victims. The victims on the other hand facilitate these woes through actions such as complacency, compliance, support and consumption of the same (Rothe & Kauzlarich, 2016). High unemployment rates among the youth for example, across some European States as well as the United States have been blamed on their population, often referred to as disposable. The youth on the other hand have been forced to buy into the narrative rather than acknowledging that the situation could be changed if the responsible state organs could get into the nitty-gritty of solving the problem.