The moral in this company is very low due to the lack of respect for the employees which causes stress and a sense of hopelessness for all that work in this environment. The bad treatment of employees has also created a much higher than normal turn over rate and the loss of some very talented folks who were very sincere about the success of the company. In a couple of instances the owners would not tell and employee they were let go, they just kept telling them they didn’t have any work for them at that time. There are also continuous snide and hurtful remarks made to employees on a daily basis by the owners and the owner’s pet employee.

From a job security standpoint it is a very poor company to work for to say the least. The owners put no value at all in their employees and have a process that will demoralize the most competent worker to a point of depression. No matter how good of a job an employee does or how hard they work it is never good enough and this is the case with all employees that work for this company.

Because this is a small company there really isn’t much opportunity for advancement or growth. In all fairness however this company really does have some nice potential if the right folks with some people skills and business training could run it on a professional level without the childish antics.

Thanks for the post and your great advice.

There’s a section in my book, “How to Stop Bullies in Their Tracks,” devoted to recognizing the stealth (subtle, covert) bullies at work and in your home life. You know; the manipulative, back-stabbing, critical, controlling, righteous, deceitful, verbally abusing, emotional intimidating bullies. There’s also a section on how to stop the self-bullying that keeps people from taking effective action to get the bullies out of their lives. You can find it at http://www.BulliesBeGone.Com.

Just because people smile and act polite and civil, doesn’t mean they’re friends. Make a list of what real friends do (not say) and you’ll readily discern your real friends.

My rule of thumb sounds like the same as yours: If you don’t resist bullies immediately, they won’t think you’re being kind our taking the moral high ground. They’ll think your giving them an invitation to grab for more.

Don’t waste you life staying in a hostile workplace you can’t change.

Best wishes,
Ben