Mindy Thomas

CAREER CHAT
Surviving An Uncivilized Workplace-What About the No A–Hole Rule?

Surviving An Uncivilized Workplace-What About the No A–Hole Rule?

There are horrid abuse stories out in the workplace. Many of these stories have to do with people that annoy us, bosses that are mean-spirited and people that show up psychologically hostile. So, wouldn’t it be awesome if every organization employed the No A-hole rule?

Recently while preparing for a university lecture about organizational empowerment and how to build a more civilized workplace, this rule popped up. It wasn’t the first time, I had heard of this rule. It made me think of a book about office politics entitled “Work Would Be Great If It Weren’t for the People.”

But, let’s not digress. This No A–Hole Rule is designed to “offset the harm caused by mean-spirited and abusive people.” In fact, if you really think about it, the actions of these (BLANKETY BLANKS) are so detrimental to the success of an organization. One friend of mine even coined the phrase, “One bad hire can collapse an empire.”

I am curious about how you or your company handles these folks. One thing is for sure . . . everyone (including management) needs to step up to the plate and support the goal of eliminating unacceptable behavior. I would certainly love to hear you weigh in on this one.

By the way, if this stirs you up and you are one of those victims, check out Bob Sutton’s blog on the Latest Tips for Surviving Workplace A-Hs. I think you will love that read…For me, I have and would — employ the all time classic — of escaping ASAP.

 

 

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