Bossnapping

When workers kidnap their managers.

“French workers on Thursday freed the manager of a factory run by U.S. company 3M held hostage in his office for more than 24 hours in a labor dispute over terms for laid-off staff,” CNN reported, detailing the latest incident of bossnapping:

Luc Rousselet, who was unharmed, was allowed to leave the plant in Pithiviers, central France, early on Thursday morning after talks between unions and officials from 3M France.

“We have an agreement with 3M that they will provide the means to respond to our demands,” union representative Jean-Francois Caparros told news agency AFP.

“The negotiations will resume and that’s a very good thing,” said Rousselet as he left an office where he took refuge on Tuesday afternoon.

Forbes noted that such bossnapping was not new to France:

Less than two weeks ago, the head of Sony’s French operations was held hostage over night by angry employees, protesting the terms of their severance package. In February workers at a factory of tire maker Michelin held two managers hostage overnight.

In a Times article on growing unrest in parts of Europe – including thevandalization of a banker’s house in Scotland – Julia Werdigier and Matthew Saltmarsh quoted the clinical director of Harley Therapy in London, psychotherapist Sheri Jacobson:

“People are looking for someone to blame as they feel the crisis on a day-to-day basis and experience feelings of injustice and anger as they ask themselves, ‘What have I done to contribute to this?’ … For those who are the target of the scorn it’s extremely difficult, because for a long time they were the champions and they worked hard, and they also look at the situation, saying, ‘My intentions were good.’”