With all the stress people are already feeling in times of recession the last thing people need at work is being lined in front of a firing squad.
Some managers do not show much grace under pressure and turn into nervous Nellies, call them demotivators.
I was not that interested in Lucy Kellaway column recounting Her Adventures on Illicit Encounters with idle bankers (and others) trading risky bets for adultery (FT, December 8).
More interesting to me was John Quelch explanation of such behavior that "in a recession, people want hugs."
Jeffrey Hill shares a CNN Video on how Hong Kong Fights Financial Stress with Free Hugs offered to passers by on the street ( on The English Blog, December 2).
In The Secret of Success in a Failing Economy (Harvard Business Publishing, December 4) William Taylor notes that many companies "are encouraging their highest-paid, most-experienced
performers–that is, those with the most practice–to be the first to
leave" or when using threats and not hugs, discouraging them to stay.
An example of that, he says is "the media business–print, national TV, local news–isn't just
downsizing. It is inviting its best-known, most-experienced (and thus,
highest-priced) talent to be the first out the door."
This shows the return of an old saw, when things are good people are an asset, in times of difficulty, they become a cost (a liability).
We all want to feel valued, not dispensable objects.
What makes sense?
Monday Work Etiquette # 67
Previously: Time to Shrink or Time to Build?