Friday, July 02, 2010

What Does It Take to Get Fired?

Some workplaces are horror shows.

You read about them in court opinions and wonder if management had an ounce of common sense. Sexual harassment, threats, violence, and intimidation are ignored, explained away or given the mildest of punishments. Some perverse amusement could be gleaned from learning just what it would take to get fired in such places.

But let's set aside those disasters. What does it take to get fired in your workplace? I see places where lying, gross incompetence, and shabby treatment of customers are regarded as regrettable, but not a termination offense. Management fails to recognize how such conduct saps the strength and morale of those who want to do a good job.

They miss the cumulative effect of what they dismiss as small things and yet performance is mainly the product of small things. Put enough negative small things together and you've got a major disability.

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