A construção social do assédio moral organizacional : uma análise a partir da experiência de trabalhadoras e trabalhadores do setor calçadista de Candelária (RS).

Abstract

This master’s dissertation analyzes the phenomenon of organizational moral harassment based on the experiences of female and male workers in the footwear industry of Candelária, a municipality located in the Vale do Rio Pardo/RS. The study is grounded in the understanding that moral harassment is not limited to abusive individual behaviors, but rather constitutes a socially and historically constructed process, linked to contemporary forms of capitalist organization of labor. The research combines theoretical reflection and empirical investigation. From a theoretical perspective, it draws on contributions from the sociology of experience and the social history of labor, especially Edward Thompson’s perspective, to understand how workers interpret and assign meaning to their experiences. Organizational moral harassment is analyzed as an institutionalized practice of violence, sustained by managerial strategies that intensify work rhythms, expand forms of control and surveillance, impose abusive targets, and naturalize organizational cultures oriented toward permanent stress. From an empirical perspective, the investigation was based on bibliographic research, analysis of secondary data (IBGE, CAGED, MTE), and semi-structured interviews with workers from the footwear industry in Candelária. The interviews were organized around thematic axes: sociodemographic data, work experiences and everyday relations, production processes and organizational conduct, as well as reactions, support networks, and care practices. The analysis of the narratives revealed recurrent situations of humiliation, constraint, excessive pressure, physical and psychological illness, as well as managerial practices marked by organizational violence. The results indicate that organizational moral harassment manifests itself as a management strategy aimed at control and productivity intensification, going beyond isolated interpersonal conflicts. Workers report experiences of arbitrary warnings, constant surveillance, lack of professional recognition, and the normalization of abusive practices. At the same time, they develop their own interpretations of these experiences, mobilizing values of respect, reciprocity, and justice, in addition to family, community, and religious support networks. These cultural mediations reveal that labor suffering is not only imposed but also interpreted and re signified, giving rise to forms of resistance, protection, and care. The dissertation demonstrates that organizational moral harassment, although often rendered invisible and naturalized in many contexts, constitutes a systematic violation of human dignity and labor rights. By emphasizing the concrete experiences of workers, the study contributes to expanding academic understanding of the subject, shifting the focus from individual behaviors to organizational rationalities that sustain violent practices. Furthermore, it situates itself within the field of Regional Development by highlighting how global transformations in labor organization manifest in specific territorial contexts, assuming particularities related to local economic, social, and cultural dynamics. It concludes that understanding organizational moral harassment requires considering both the structural constraints of contemporary capitalism and the processes of meaning-making elaborated by the subjects. The analysis shows that workers not only suffer the effects of organizational practices of violence but also produce interpretations, coping strategies, and forms of resistance that may contribute to building alternatives of protection and care. In this sense, the dissertation reaffirms the importance of public policies, union actions, and institutional initiatives aimed at preventing and combating organizational moral harassment, recognizing it as a collective and structural problem of the world of work.