THE EXPERIENCE OF POLITICAL HARASSMENT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF WORKERS

Abstract

This study examines the experience of political harassment in Brazilian workplaces within a context of increasing political polarization. The aim was to understand how workers perceive and experience pressure, coercion, or hostility related to their political positions in the workplace. This qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with workers who reported having experienced political harassment. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Five main categories emerged from the analysis: (1) political coercion and blackmail in the workplace; (2) polarized and hostile organizational climate; (3) self-censorship and strategic neutrality; (4) emotional and psychological impacts; and (5) institutional invisibility and difficulties in reporting. The findings indicate that political polarization has extended into workplace dynamics, turning professional environments into spaces of ideological dispute and pressure on workers. Participants reported experiences of psychological distress, fear, anxiety, and the adoption of self-censorship strategies as forms of professional self-protection. Moreover, respondents perceived institutional mechanisms as insufficient to effectively address such practices. The study concludes that political harassment represents a form of organizational violence that affects workers’ mental health and undermines the exercise of political freedom in the workplace.