"Two ways to look at a leaner, meaner work situation"

Answer

I suspect that your company has been feeling a lot of competitive pressure and, as a result, has shifted into a leaner, meaner philosophy in order to survive. Let's take two different looks at this situation.

First, do some soul-searching. Even though it appears that management is the bad guy in this scenario, is it possible that there are two sides to this story? Has the company been too complacent in the past with respect to employee expectations? Do some employees do their work the same way they've always done it and resisted change? You say that people are being "robbed of responsibilities". Is it because they haven't responded proactively or quickly enough to get needed results? Are responsibilities removed because the business is trying to get more efficient or because employees are resisting new methods? You say the new leaders are tolerated because they "know how to get things done". Does this mean the former leadership wasn't able to make needed changes?

I don't want you to infer from this line of questioning that I agree with their tactics. I'm only trying to get you to examine the whole picture. If top management is tolerating - and even encouraging- this management style, it could be because they believe it's the only way to shake the company out of it's complacency. Most long-term employees believe that they are "conscientious and hard- working" but if they aren't also adapting to the accelerated pace of change, it's not enough.

Now let's look at the other side of the story. If these leaders are unethical and amoral and are bullying and belittling there are a few alternatives, but both of them require an escape plan. For this reason, before you pursue either one, get your resume on the street and start networking immediately.

The first alternative requires a strong backbone and a willingness to take some heat. It means going to your manager and discussing honestly what you have observed and how it is affecting you and your work. Be specific when describing examples of unethical behavior, lies and other potentially explosive accusations. If you believe that your manager is engaged in any of these activities, and you think it is jeopardizing the company, you may even want to go to his or her managers.

The second approach is to contact your Human Resources Department. If there are unethical and amoral activities taking place, they may be in a position to step in or bring them to the attention of senior management. Often, in cases like this, senior management is unaware of what is really going on at lower levels and only knows what their managers want to tell them. In other words, senior management may have communicated the need for results but isn't aware of the methods being used.

In the final analysis, you may decide that leaving is the only solution. If you are staying because you have a great salary and benefits package, I urge you to weigh the trade-offs. The job market is better than it's been in ten years. Even small companies are offering competitive benefit packages to lure good employees. No job is worth your loss of dignity and self-respect. If you're staying out of loyalty to what your company used to be, wake up and realize that that company is gone forever. Go find a new company that recognizes that a large part of employee motivation is generated from a mutual partnership born out of trust, respect, and open communication.