How to Get Your Employees to Sink Your Business

By Sonia Simone

A certain business guru has written a book about how to terrorize your employees. He's promoting it with glee, chortling about the idiocy of "nice" bosses and the importance of bullying employees into following your orders without question.

I've worked for some variation on this guy a couple of times. Any effort at conversation about alternatives is seen as naivete or, worst of all sins, wimpiness. What these guys did before Tim Allen invented that annoying whuffing caveman sound, I don't know.

(Not that they're always guys. This is an equal opportunity for stupidity.)

These are the bosses who see the workplace as (keep reading »)

Comments

[Anna Yeaman]

"Of course they spit in your food"... made me laugh out loud remembering a job situation like you described - thankfully years past.

They had cameras in all the offices, the boss who was just next door used to spend the day watching us on his computer monitor. He saw it as a plus to show us he was keeping an eye on us!

Understandably they had a high staff turnover...everyone working there started looking for another job within two weeks.

[Dave Navarro]

Did a spit-take on "veal-pen cubicles." Awesome.

[Jack Kuperman]

Sonia, I have to say that I enjoyed the reading immensely.
Nothing new, but the reading went as bread, butter and caviar (beluga).

I just discovered you (may be you'll sneer on that, laughing on how some nobody discovers somebody, but be forgiving).

You have very nteresting blog. And what I like most, there is no particular preaching in it. You speak about anything as describing Mona Liza. Thanks for your sharing your mind with us.

[Jack Kuperman]

I have just recollected a joke about "who is important for this work?".
It describes very truthly the behaviour of some bosses.

Two party leaders in USSR derove near the border river.
Suddenly, behind the turn, they saw a bridge.
When they reached it, the more important functionary told to another:
"it is very important bridge and we have to guard it."
No problem. The next day an old 70 years guard was on the bridge.
Next month, our two party members come near the bridge and the higher
Functionary said:
"Very good that there is a guard. But who checks if he works?"
The nexct day, they've brought a little prefab buyilding a very important supervisor too there his sit. His only job was to supervise the guard.

The next month the question was:
"And who will prepare to him the tea and will answer phones?"
And the next day the secretary began to work.

In a year, on one of their tours near the bridge, two party members came near the bridge.
A two-storey building stand near the ebtrance to the bridge.
Inside were :supervisor, his secretary, office manager, his secretary, her secretary, Salaries department manager, writing out scheques secretary, human resources manager with his three assistants.
And outside, on the bridge, 70-year old guard was dragging his legs from one end to another.

Our very important functionary saw this picture and said:
"It's too many personal but just one bridge. Decrease!"
And the next day the old guardman was fired..