This issue involves a family member. She has been appointed to do "branch administration" at international company.
Due to inefficiencies by others, she has acquainted herself with virtual everyone's tasks, and can at this stage do most of their work, if needed (needed in terms of the fact that if she does not do what is required by others, she cannot do her part of that task).
She has also been trained in a course (cannot be mentioned here as that will identify her) which is specialised, and has the effect that it creates a proper trail of events, and responsibilities, steps to be followed to achieve a certain task, and is used to audit the results, if any queries arise. This result of these task is a internationally standard and is used as a legally acceptable result or outcome which is internationally accepted.

Since she started to work at the firm she had applied numerous times for promotions whenever the positions became vacant, but has always failed to be promoted. Persons with less skills were appointed, and persons from outside the company were appointed in these positions.

Since she started to work at the firm, she has had her "job description" changed numerous times to include work that needed to be done as and when these skills were lost by persons who resigned, or had been dismissed, to cover for that work. She was not awarded any compensation for this, nor any promotion. She was also not consulted with the addition of these tasks, and was not given any option but to just accept the situation. She can, at this point do most of the work of her colleagues due to this, and their failure to do their work.

She is being harassed and bullied by a senior manager, with the branch manager and certain staff supporting this campaign, which is responsible for the South African and African Operations of the company she works for.

At this point in time the harassment and bullying has escalated to the point that she she -

1. Has been instructed (senior manager) that she will not do certain tasks, which has to do with the training she received, and notified that she will never be appointed in that position. Should she not adhere to this instruction, she will be dismissed. When he gave this instruction, she was told that she will get an email to this effect.
Problem is that she still continuously gets instructions from her direct manager to do such work, and when she queries it as per her instruction above, she is also instructed by her branch manager to do that work. Effectively she is being forced to disregard the instruction from the senior manager. When she enquires about the email that was going to be sent, it is laughed off.
2. She has now been instructed to keep a record of what work she is doing on a daily basis, and report that via email to the branch manager. When she sent this report, she was told that they want it in an hourly format, every day. This is clearly intended to intimidate and humiliate her, as no one else has to do this.
3. She has now received a written "instruction" from another manager (of a different race) from this branch to do certain things - work related, but he tells her he loves her etc.! totally inappropriate. It seems that this vendetta has now given other persons the idea that she is "free game". She is scared to address this issue, as she has a family member which she is scared will be terminated, as he is on a short term contract.

This is obviously busy taking its toll on her health as she is in a permanent state of being anxious, and tense, with the related health effects of knotted stomach etc. She is busy developing n ulcer.

There is also no chance of getting her HR to investigate this issue, as with this manager’s seniority he is well connected with these departments. He had been investigated for allegations of corruption a few years ago, charges which were filed by her then branch manager, apparently with sufficient evidence, but witnesses failed to materialise at that stage, and the investigation abandoned.(Read interference and his senior position in the company). It would seem that she is suspected in having part in this allegations, even though she has only been employed at this company for a mere few months at the time of these allegations being made. Interestingly, that branch manager has also been gotten rid of, as has been another employee at this branch. When this employee were dismissed, the senior managers words was - one more to go!

Unofficial enquiries to another senior manager about the fact that she always gets overseen with regards to promotions, resulted in him admitting that the reason for this being overseen, is personal and from the senior manager. He will not acknowledge this officially.

Another interesting point is that this senior manager intends to move his office to this branch and operate from this base. another reason to get rid of anyone that he does not want around.

This is a long post, and from where I stand I cannot see that there could be any recourse for her to take, as this guy has obviously got the right influence at all the levels of this organisation to enable him to do as he pleases?

Any ideas?