I was recently in a situation where the manager of business was talking to a customer when a person in a upper management position, who really did not know the entire situation, proceeded to question the manager’s decisions in front of the customer.

Not only was this upper level behavior rude but it also made all involved very uncomfortable and undermined the manager’s authority. Wouldn’t the situation been better handled after the customer left, or if the upper management person excused themselves and had a side conversation with the manager?

It has been my experience as an employer that employees who are treated with respect and dignity make better employees and those managers or employers who feel the need to degrade and undermine people who answer to them are naïve, insecure, jealous or just plain tyrants.

After all businesses are just another form of community and if we all work together then the common goal is achieved and since we spend more time at work than home we should treat our people with the respect they have earned.

You decide…