Rigor, Cruelty, Harsh
Noun and な adjective
かこく
彼らは、不当に過酷な労働を強いられています。
They’re being forced into unreasonably severe manual labor.
Your boss surpasses his normal cruelty and rains severity down on your head. You had other things to do this weekend and now you have to work through it? Harsh...
This is a jukugo word that uses the on'yomi readings of the kanji. You should be able to read this on your own.