Public Commons

Blog: Henrik Bechmann's Blog

Say you were a Parks, Recreation & Forestry manager and you wanted to squeeze out some line workers who were protected by their union. How would you do it?

Hmmm, let's see. Let's be ironic and rely on human nature to do the job for us, in spite of being technocrats. So we'll just make them miserable, and watch them leave (this is a form of malicious compliance). How about:

• bring in a direct supervisor who tells you the important substance of what you've developed has to be changed
• demand time sheets in 15 minute increments, when the job is multi-tasking (impossible)
• re-organize people according to a scheme that has little or nothing to do with the work required, and breaks established work patters
• suppress collective action by insisting that communication with the department be done through individual email accounts, not shared email accounts
• enforce a break with community participants by making it clear that any communication about internal affairs with community members was sanctionable
• demote key workers from responsible positions to starting positions (pool attendants), using work scheduling
• reduce workers income through rescheduling to lower level positions
• reduce workers income through interference with income-topping through local fund-raising
• reduce local fund-raising through scheduling
• reduce local fund-raising by suppressing cash handling
• reduce local fund-raising by taking money away from local operations and depositing it in general revenue
• aggressively pursue management grievances against workers, and continually threaten sanctions
• impose strict procedures, even when they don't make sense (for example: watch the pool even when there are no kids in the water)
• remove workers from work schedules for minor infractions of strict procedures that don't make sense, thus threatening their incomes
• withhold support from workers who have become anxious, paranoid, and depressed (foster low morale)
• impose social isolation, ordering workers from one division not to so much as talk to another
• implement a practice of attrition, such that new workers have no relation to previous workers in knowledge, commitment, vetting, or relationships

In general, create a work environment that squeezes the meaning and fun out of the work, and promotes anxiety and uncertainty. Make sure the workers understand that they're not appreciated, even for a decade of dedicated effort.