Financial messages translating into bossy bosses

With Lehman Brothers in the tank, Merryl Lynch bought by Bank of America, and AIG coming to financial grips, its no wonder that managers and employees alike in both sides of the continent (and the world) are uneasy and unsure of their continued employment even if they are not directly working in the financial industry. A conversation with two colleagues in two separate occassions over the weekend made me think about this connection because they've identified the sudden thrust for immediate response times from managers who were normally more calm and collected and these quickly irritated managers use the current financial news to be more competitive in their respective market segments. The usage of "termination" meant that "fear of unemployment" becomes de riguer and to my mind, is not healthy nor will reap long term benefits for the overall attitude and loyalty of employees.

Do you agree with this theory? I asked a couple more managers today how they felt about this financial gloomy situation and thousands of individuals losing their jobs prompting them to comment in the range of "those people will now try to come to this country" to "we will be affected one way or another." What steps are you taking to ensure that your employees continue to be loyal whatever the situation outside your company looks like? Do you see someone in your office use "fear of unemployment" as a tactic? Do tell.

TAGS: Aig, Bank Of America, Leadership, Lehman Brothers, Merryl Lynch

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