Ask the Stress Doc -- Q & A

Ask the Stress Doc Q & A/Digital City--Washington, DC Work Stress

1) Why Top Management Tolerates a Harassing Manager

Q. I've been with my new company for 9 months and really like my job and most of the people. I have one concern and that is: Why does the management keep the worst manager I've ever come across? He is the most mean-spirited, small-minded, antagonistic jerk imaginable. Of course his department has a high turnover, and I hate watching all the great people that are treated like trash be thrown out. His department produces well, but at a very high toll to employee relations. This guy has been charged with sexual harassment, harassment -- and even threatened in the parking lot. I manage another department and have had to tell him to leave my employees alone because he comes over to antagonize them. I will never understand why this guy is such a SOB. More importantly, I wonder why company management allows it to go on. I think I shouldn't trust them if they allow this guy to continue with only minor disciplinary action. Is there some reason that they may keep him? Some legal angle?

A. I think you've put your keyboard on the heart of the matter...His department produces well. And as long as the company: a) can find bodies to replace the employees who "can't take the heat," b) don't look far enough down the road to assess replacement training costs and c) lack sanctioning individuals or departments who will investigate harassment charges -- like HR, EEO, etc., then unchecked power corrupts. Let's not forget Henry Kissinger's memorable line (during the Nixon Administration) that may shed light on sexual harassment: "Power is the greatest aphrodisiac." (Alas, there is also the Bill and Monica tale -- power attracts and corrupts.)

Now some operations, to combat routine work, tolerate a high degree of ragging among employees. Sometimes people lose sight of the fine line between harassment and "joking, if not jerking, off." I recall an otherwise decent operations manager allowing two postal employees to razz two fellow employees who were viewed, with fairly good reason, as slackers. (The operations manager didn't believe he had another way of motivating or disciplining these two employees.) The dangerous aspect was finally exposed when one of the guys doing the razzing was getting so worked up he made death threats against the two slackers to his psychiatrist. You just never know when tolerating "good clean fun" will have a destructive dark side. (See your parking lot reference.)

A legal angle, blackmail or an ability to expose ghosts in the closet, is always possible. (And sometimes your only recourse is to retain legal counsel to fight this system.) However, often we only need look at incompetence and/or just plain meanness to explain a dysfunctional manager. But invariably, there's a dysfunctional system -- from good old boy (or, even, girl) to bottom line sucking "Type A"s -- standing by. I agree, trust to this system should be given sparingly. Be ready to move quickly. And, of course...Practice Safe Stress!

Mark Gorkin, LICSW, the Stress Doc, a psychotherapist and nationally recognized speaker, trainer, consultant and author, is also known as AOL's and the internet's "Online Psychohumorist" ™. Check out his USA Today Online "Hot Site" website - www.stressdoc.com  and his page on AOL/Online Psych, Keyword: Stress Doc

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