As a company grows, it may reach a point where management becomes more concerned with stockholders than with employees. This can be a costly mistake because it can both foster or ignore despotic behavior. My mailbag is telling me that an increasing number of companies have tyrants in management positions. In previous columns, I have warned these despots to change, yet many choose not to. Therefore, today's column focuses on how employees can protect themselves from these persecutors as well as from company executives turning a blind eye to such despicable behavior.
Bosses typically manage by fear only when their own job has grown beyond their abilities.
They use fear as a way to keep others in line because they lack the courage and ability to act in a civilized manner. Try to record the details of the offensive behavior without letting your emotions get in the way. However, conclude each episode with a sentence describing how the offending behavior made you feel. One option for persecuted employees is to seek another position in the company under a different supervisor. If you are unable or unwilling to do this, and if the destructive behavior continues, discuss the situation in confidence with other employees who also work for this oppressor.