01.07.10 The 8th Behaviour that Makes It Difficult for Others to Forgive You

8. Imposing ‘Sanctions’

Some people opt to maliciously punish victims who dare disclose or complain about an offender.  A case in point was when Birungi spotlighted a mistake that Lutalo had made.  Under normal circumstances, the boss was supposed to get demand projections from Birungi, as Marketing Manager.  However, just to ‘put Birungi in her place’, Lutalo had decided to present a Market Plan to the board, without allowing Birungi to cross-check the figures.  Immediately after the board meeting, Lutalo had summoned his team to his office; and expressed his gross dissatisfaction with the marketing department.  “People, we have to be serious”, he had snapped.  “These figures are erroneous, and the board is very furious” he yelled, throwing the file on the table.  That was when Birungi had sprung to her team’s defence, “but I did not see the document Sir”, she said firmly.  “I propose that next time, my team looks at the draft first, to ensure that the marketing perspective is adequately covered”; she recommended.  Lutalo’s eyes rolled in his sockets.  As far as he was concerned, no employee got away with ‘putting the boss right’, moreover ‘publicly’.  

Consequently, from that day onwards, Birungi hardly got considered for trainings or international trips, a thing which served to make her hate Lutalo the more.  “What a relief it was when I finally got employed where I could give my feedback without being punished for it…; Thank God Lutalo was not responsible for manufacturing my oxygen…, he would have switched off the machine”, she concluded.

Some offenders are renowned for denying victims due benefits or rewards as a punishment for being vocal.  They forget that ‘slamming sanctions’ on people does not necessarily stop victims from getting opportunities elsewhere.