Mustehsan Bashir

It is a matter of great privilege to write this editorial in the inaugural issue by the new PJPS editorial board. The principal focus of our tenure would be to publish the requisite issues for gaining PMDC and HEC recognition. The PAPS community is resplendent with brilliant ideas, innovations and re?ned techniques of our ever-evolving specialty. Not to transfer this genius would be equivocal to committing an atrocity against the healing and the healers. With the by now terribly cliched “publish or perish” culture becoming the yardstick for the success of an individual and an institution, it is dominating many of our needs as academicians and as clinicians in our quest for ?nding the perfect solution. We sincerely hope that the Pakistan Joumal of Plastic Surgery, once recognized by the relevant authorities shall be a facilitating nidus for residents to publish research as pan of exam requirements instead of drab, lengthy dissertations. It is perhaps the increasing competition or the perpetually increasing workload imperative to stay in the rat race that has muted our softer sides, turning us into task-oriented, cold and calculating robots. It is therefore not an unpleasant surprise when figures quote bullying and harassment at the workplace to be among the commonest causes of early burn out and fatigue. The problem is not limited to a strata or continent; it is rife globally. One would expect junior doctors to be the underdogs, but now the seniors are also complaining. Though bullying and harassment are oft used terms nowadays, most of us are uncertain as to their exact interpretation. Examples of bullying are unfair treatment, exclusion, spreading malicious rumors, repeated undermining of, frequent picking on, criticizing and humiliating a speci?c target, overloading the victim with work, unwanted physical contact/advances or coercion for the same. Workplace bullying is thought to be akin to domestic violence. The victim is in regular proximity with and accessible to the abuser with the same emotional and social repercussions. Harassment is synonymous to bullying except that the victim is chosen because of certain protected characteristics like age, gender, race, color, religion, nationality, or a handicap. These subtle tactics to harm and hurt in our “civilized” workplace environments are more common than we would dare to admit and acknowledge. The sufferer loses confidence, self-esteem declines, weekends and times off work are spent fretting and fearing the next assault. Sick leaves increase and work quality declines, giving further excuse to the bully to escalate maltreatment. The sufferer feels sufficiently guilty, inept and ashamed of being singled out as to not raise a concern. In our country, the handful of social media campaigns and facilities to report harass mentor abuse are for mainly for women. Sadly, these institutions seem to be more interested in personal gain and cheap publicity. Ironically, men are considered a species exempt from this af?iction. Worldwide, whistle blowers are looked upon as trouble mongers detrimental to an institution’s repute, a fact ably exploited by bullies. Therefore, genuine reporting of bullying or workplace harassment is seldom and the victim prefers to suffer in silence. Conveniently, such matters are swept under the carpet. Statistics collected from developed countries show that despite upgraded stringent laws and policies, the magnitude of workplace torture continues to rise at an alarming rate. In the UK this has led to a staggering increase in NHS dropouts and even suicides. Health and Wellbeing counseling sections existing in hospital trusts have also been ineffective in controlling this dilemma. Matters are hushed up even in these highly cultured societies as the onus of a formal complaint potentially re?ects the failure of the administration and adversely affects reviews by quality commissions. If matters remain unabated in the suave west, what should we the children of a lesser God do? In our society, there is a dire need to inculcate a culture of raising concerns openly and honestly without fear of retribution. For reporting maltreatment, we must designate persons who equitable investigate and take the necessary actions. Bullying and harassment policies should be inducted and promulgated irrespective of gender. Workshops and campaigns to highlight the problem and the steps to take to counteract such conduct should be held. A zero- tolerance policy against bullying and harassment needs to be introduced if we are to retain and utilize the capabilities of our bright talent by mitigating at least some stress in our highly competitive ?eld. Rhetoric aside and last but not the least, I hope the readers enjoy the new look of PJPS. We are very optimistic that with the co-operation and prayers of our PAPS fraternity, this journal of ours shall attain unprecedented success.