Are under 30s or over 50s stiffed in this job market?
by Eve Tahmincioglu
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Eve Tahmincioglu
Bio:
Eve Tahmincioglu, known as the CareerDiva, is a well known journalist, author, and columnist. Her writings include 'From the Sandbox to the Corner Office: Lessons Learned on the Journey to the Top'. She is the 'Your Career' columnist for MSNBC.com.
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I’ve heard endless stories about tyrannical bosses from hundreds of people over the years. It can do a number on your psyche and make your work life a living hell.
But in many of cases, the jerky managers aren’t jerky to everyone. They have their favorites, the employees they just don’t bother with, or ones they’re afraid to be rude to.
You may think those workers are the lucky ones. Well, think again
A University of Florida study found that even if you weren’t the intended target of the rude behavior you may still be damaged by just observing it.
It’s the second-hand phenomenon of rudeness, says Amir Erez, a management professor and co author of the study.
It sucks for workers and it can also impact the bottom line because those workers aren’t as productive, he explains.
“Managers should be very concerned because the negative consequences of rudeness on the job are not limited to the person who happens to be the victim,” he said. “If five other people are watching, the effects are going to spill over into the rest of the organization.”
“As the modern workplace has become more sophisticated, it places increasing importance on complex and creative thought,” he notes. “Employees are expected to be more flexible and think outside the box, and the consequences of rude behavior stand to take an increasing toll.”
Unfortunately, the bad economy is only making rude behavior worse in the work place, as I chronicled in a past MSNBC.com column:
Marc Goormastic, the president of an executive search firm in Reno, Nev., tells of a CEO “threatening to throw a sales manager out of a second-story window because he hadn’t made his quota of personal sales calls.”
The behavior, he adds, “was totally unprofessional, and illegal.”
I’ve been hearing lots of hair-raising stories lately about bosses who may have had a tendency to be mean but are now acting like full-blown Darth Vaders. Many workplace experts believe tough economic times and the constant drumbeat to do more with fewer people may be driving managers over to the dark side.
“Employers are definitely getting meaner,” says Will Chen, managing editor of the career and personal finance blog Wise Bread. “I’m getting a lot of letters from readers complaining about negative behavior from their managers.”
Here are recent some examples from Chen:
* Managers are especially snarky about granting sick leave or holiday pay.
* Employee reviews are more negative than usual, perhaps due to the fact that managers are paving the way for a justified firing (so they don’t have to do a layoff).
* Employees are forced to do the work of two people without getting additional compensation.
So, all you jerks out there, put your civility caps on now.
And for the rest of you who know that’s never going to happen, here is a link to tips for dealing with the moron.
Maybe there should be anti-rudeness laws, similar to anti-smoking laws. Let’s ban rudeness from offices, restaurants and arenas. Come on, we could put signs in airplane lavatories.
Tampering with a rudeness detector installed in an airplane lavatory is punishable by a $2,200 fine.
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