Structural violence is not just a social theory. It is a lived experience at countless workplaces, camouflaged under hierarchy, politeness, and rules. Although it does not yell, it whispers in silence, in skipped breaks, and in washrooms that do not exist.
In a LinkedIn post, Mamaearth co-founder Ghazal Alagh shared a story that many leaders could learn from. During an early product launch, she felt confident about the campaign’s direction. The team worked under tight deadlines, and with pressure building, she expected them to stay aligned and move quickly. No one disagreed. The campaign launched, but the results didn’t match expectations.
A week later, while chatting over coffee, one of her team members admitted, “I had a different idea, but I didn’t know if you were open to hearing it.” That moment stayed with her. It made her realise that when employees don’t disagree with you at work, it’s not always a sign of loyalty. Sometimes, it’s a sign of fear. A healthy team does not agree with everything, but one where people feel safe enough to say, “I see things differently,” or “Can we try another way?”
An average Indian workplace is still far from being a place where people feel respected, heard, and valued. For many employees, even something as small as asking for a short break outside the official lunch hour can feel like stepping over a line. It brings us to a much larger, less visible issue happening in most workplaces: structural violence.
What is structural violence?
The term structural violence might seem too intense or out of place when discussing corporate culture. But it’s more relevant than it appears. First introduced in 1969, the concept describes violence that doesn’t come from individual actions but from systems and structures that quietly hold people back. Unlike direct or physical violence, structural violence operates through rules, hierarchies, and cultural norms that deny people opportunities, dignity, or even basic respect.
In a workplace, this can look like employees being overworked but unable to speak up without fear of consequences. It can mean policies that subtly favour certain kinds of people for leadership roles while others are repeatedly overlooked. It shows up when employees feel pressure to stay late just to prove commitment or when their input is routinely ignored unless it comes from someone higher in the chain.
Structural violence becomes part of the workplace routine, disguised as discipline, professionalism, or just “how things work around here.”
Corporate slavery in silence
Think about those unspoken rules, like needing to stay at your desk even when you’re done with work, or feeling judged for leaving the office “too early.” None of these things seems like violence in the traditional sense. But over time, they wear people down.
When we say these behaviours “wear people down,” we mean they harm both physical and mental health. Long hours without proper rest lead to chronic stress, exhaustion, and burnout. Sleep schedules get disrupted, and personal life suffers. People feel trapped in a cycle where work consumes most of their energy and attention, leaving little room to recharge.
In a now-viral Reddit post, a Bengaluru employee spoke about being a corporate slave in India, sharing how they hadn’t taken a break in 2.5 years. They spend 14 to 16 hours every day working or dealing with work-related tasks. The employee feels like they’re running on autopilot, stuck in a loop with no end in sight.
That is a clear example of structural violence at work. It’s not just one boss or coworker asking for too much. Instead, it comes from the way you build the company’s culture and systems. People are expected to work long hours, always be available, and put work before their health. Because these pressures are normalised and rarely questioned, workers often don’t realise they’re experiencing abuse until it’s too late.
Structural violence starts with what is left out
Perhaps the most apparent form of neglect in a workplace is the absence of a proper restroom for women. In the Netflix biopic Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, there’s a moment where Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena arrives at an air base, only to discover there’s no restroom or changing room for women.
Even today, many women in corporate offices, government buildings, or field sites find themselves adjusting to conditions that weren’t made for them. In some offices, women employees have no choice but to walk to nearby malls just to use a proper washroom. Moreover, even when a restroom does exist, it’s often poorly maintained, unusable, or shared in ways that ignore women’s comfort and privacy.
This is where we start to understand structural violence. It isn’t always about visible harm. It comes in the form of neglected washrooms, a lack of changing rooms, or workplace layouts that assume only one kind of employee.
When office rules become structural violence
A quick scroll through a Reddit thread titled “What’s the most ridiculous rule you’ve had to follow at a job?” reveals how structural violence hides in plain sight through rules, hierarchies, and cultural norms that seem normal until you look closer.
One user shared how employees were expected to wait for a bell to go off before taking their lunch break, almost like being back in school. Another post described how saleswomen weren’t allowed to sit, even when the store had no customers.
A company had a rule that employees couldn’t adjust their own office chairs. If they needed them a bit higher or tilted for better back support, they had to file a maintenance request. This shows that employees have little control over their own comfort, and decisions are needlessly routed through layers of authority.
Many people starting in corporate life encounter one unspoken rule early on. No one leaves the office before their boss. Official working hours may end at 5 or 6 p.m., but the office stays full until someone senior packs up first. This isn’t written into any policy, yet breaking it can mean social disapproval or being seen as “less committed.” Over time, it creates pressure to stay late, regardless of whether the day’s work is done.
When workplaces design systems that ignore basic comfort or personal autonomy, they create an environment that wears people down.
The final thought: Time to rethink what we call ‘Professional’
Structural violence hides in the details. In silence during meetings, in policies no one questions, in restrooms that don’t exist for half the workforce. What makes structural violence so difficult to spot is that it hides behind professionalism. Many employees don’t even have the language to describe what they’re experiencing, because these behaviours have been normalised for so long.
Change starts when leadership treats psychological and emotional safety as seriously as deadlines. Until then, we’ll keep seeing loyalty confused with fear, exhaustion dressed up as dedication, and a workforce too drained to speak up.
At Changeincontent, we believe it is time to call out the systems that wear people down and still demand gratitude. Read our take on the New Workplace Policy. It is an attempt to kill various forms of structural silence hidden behind celebration: Read here.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are based on the writer’s insights, supported by data and resources available both online and offline, as applicable. Changeincontent.com is committed to promoting inclusivity across all forms of content. We broadly define inclusivity as media, policies, law, and history, encompassing all elements that influence the lives of women and marginalised individuals. Our goal is to promote understanding and advocate for comprehensive inclusivity.
