Coercive Control is Now Illegal in Queensland.
The legislation may focus on intimate partners, yet the same psychological warfare plays out in our workplaces - quietly sanctioned, cleverly disguised, and too often ignored.
Let me spell it out.
In the workplace, coercive control doesn’t always scream. It whispers. It gaslights. It plots behind closed doors while smiling to your face. And when it’s done by a boss, a union leader, or a senior colleague, it’s called “leadership.” But don’t be fooled. This is control, not care.
🎯 You’re isolated — Cut out of meetings. Ignored in group chats. Left out of decisions that impact your role, then blamed when things go wrong.
🎯 You’re surveilled — Not for safety. For submission. Every keystroke monitored. Every calendar invite scrutinised. Your private life isn’t off-limits—it’s ammunition.
🎯 You’re destabilised — Constantly shifting expectations. Praise one week, reprimands the next. You begin to question yourself. That’s the goal.
🎯 You’re silenced — Speak up and you’re branded “difficult,” “emotional,” “paranoid.” Suddenly, you’re the problem, not the pattern of abuse.
🎯 You’re threatened — Not always directly. Sometimes it’s a look. A veiled comment. A well-timed HR referral. Your job is the leash.
This is not poor management. This is systemic sabotage. And for some of us, it didn’t just ruin a job—it nearly destroyed a life.
The law may not yet fully extend into the boardrooms and break rooms, but the behaviour is the same. The damage is real. Silence is complicity.
We need to name it.
We need to call it what it is.
And we need to stop pretending abuse stops at the office door.
Silent Saboteurs aren’t just lurking at home. They’re often sitting at the head of the table.
#CoerciveControl #WorkplaceAbuse #SilentSaboteurs #PowerAndControl #QueenslandLaw #WorkplaceJustice #UnionAccountability #TruthTelling #ReckoningIsHere
