Thoughts on Yahoo's Workplace Culture

Gregory Anderson, suing Yahoo for manipulating the rating systems that cost him his job.

Earlier this year, a NYT article by Vindu Goel called "Brain Drain Shows Level of Faith Lost Inside Yahoo,” outlined how CEO Marissa Mayers, in attempting to quell the growing tension at Yahoo, promised employees that "the bloodletting was finally over and shortly thereafter, she changed her mind and demanded more cuts" to save her own skin.

In a follow up article in the NYT on Feb 2 called “A Yahoo Employee-Ranking System Favored by Marissa Mayer is Challenged in Court,” Goel outlines how a performance rating system introduced by Mayer is used to get rid of employees. I am very familiar with this system and I view it as discriminatory and easily manipulated. Yahoo is rationalizing their layoffs as culling out poor performers, when it is a systematic way to get rid of employees without having to give statutory notice. 

This system, developed by management consulting company McKinsey and Company, has proven to have had a "corrosive effect on productivity and employee morale." Interestingly enough, Amazon, a rat’s nest of workplace culture toxicity, also uses this model.

Mayer is a dismal failure who has proven she cannot be trusted, and will continue to ruin the lives of employees to prove to her investors that she is able to increase the enterprise value. At this point, the only way for the enterprise value to go up is for her to go down!

Photo Credit: Gregory Anderson by Laura McDermott for NYT

A Tale of Two Corporations

GM CEO & Chairwoman Mary Barra

GM’s CEO and Chairwoman, Mary Barra, provides a completely alternative way to handle scandal when compared to the recent VW emissions disgrace. When faced with a grave safety crisis that cost 124 lives, 2.6 million recalled vehicles, and over $900 billion, Barra focused on apologizing to the public, owning up to faults and rectifying cultural issues within GM that allowed the safety issues to go ignored. Contrastingly, VW has been doing everything it can to sweep details and news of their wrongdoing under the proverbial rug. Read more about Barra's appointment as GM chairwoman at The New York Times. 

Photo Credit: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

Response to Maureen Sherry's NYT Piece

The behavior described in this article is appalling. Besides raising awareness about harassment in the financial workplace, a big takeaway from Maureen Sherry’s brave article is that continued indifference to sexual harassment in the workplace does just about as much for its victims as it does for the company – that is to say, indifference solves nothing. Victims of workplace harassment will continue to suffer, and corporations will continue to hand out settlements and have unmotivated employees. The idea of banning obstructive in-house arbitration is one way to help rectify some of the issues presented here – and something that governments should seriously consider pursuing. You can read Sherry's full article at the New York Times.

Art Credit: Jasu Hu for NYT

Response to BBC Scandal

This story is harrowing. The Jimmy Savile sexual assault scandal at the BBC is one of the worst ways a harmful workplace culture can manifest itself. The report described in this article cites a culture at the BBC that “discouraged young women from filing complaints” about “sexual misconduct or harassment in particular.” Just as upsetting is the idea presented in the report that the atmosphere for whistle blowers is even worse now than it was when Savile was there. What explains the gross negligence at the BBC? Was it a culture of indifference, a lack of knowledge or a lack of belief? Considering the ample evidence amassed (over 400 witnesses to Savile’s abuses were interviewed to compile the report), it’s easy to believe that the truth was willfully ignored by those who didn’t have the courage to stand up to the worst of the worst kind of workplace bully. You can read more about the scandal at The New York Times.

Response to Marcel Aubut Harassment Probe

The situation at the Canadian Olympic Committee did not need a costly inquiry into what is frankly a rat’s nest of a work environment to take action. Based on the timeline presented in this article, almost everyone at the job was aware of the sexual and personal harassment taking place. Even non-COC staff reported seeing abusive behavior on the part of former COC president Aubut – so the bullying was clear even to outsiders. He should have been removed sooner, in addition to others who engaged in harassment – many of whom are apparently still present at the COC. You can read more about the probe at The Globe & Mail.

Notes on "Chronic Indifference at Veterans Affairs"

The situation described here at the US Department of Veterans Affairs is either a case of not knowing how to handle organizational cultural restructure, or “chronic indifference” as the author puts it. It seems to me that people at the top are being protected, while low-level employees are playing the role of sacrificial lambs – all the while whistle blowers are being retaliated against for pointing out glaring disconnects within the system. Note that not one senior level executive has been fired, despite the mismanagement and corruption. Read the full article at the Wall Street Journal.

Photo Info: Robert McDonald 2014, via WSJ and Getty Images

Response to NYT Piece on Depression in the Medical Profession

This article is extremely brave in the way it stands up to social shame surrounding mental issues. However, it’s important to note that while depression and mental illness are highly stigmatized in the medical profession, stigma and fear of reporting are not unique to any one profession. Some professions may have more humiliation associated with mental illness than others, but the issue is pervasive across industries and sectors of the economy, and the negative impacts on organizational structures are the same. By creating psychologically safe work environments where employees struggling with mental health concerns can disclose feelings without fear, organizations will benefit along with their employees. Read the full article at the New York Times.

Art Credit: Jody Barton for NYT

Response to "Is Your Workplace Full of Corporate Bullies?"

This overview of workplace bullying, or “workplace incivility” as author Dan Pontefract puts it, is really helpful for diagnosing any harmful activity taking place in your workplace. In addition to the stats presented in the article on how bullying affects productivity, noted psychologist Heinz Leymann found that 95% of people who have experienced workplace bullying also exhibit signs of PTSD after incidents. The costs, both financial and human, of workplace bullying are too high. Check out the full article at Forbes.

Photo Credit: Thomas Ricker for Forbes

Response to "Saving Corporate Cash by Hiring a Chief Health Officer"

I agree with the suggestion that businesses should take on Chief Health Officers to improve employee quality of life. However, I would like to take this opportunity to point out that there’s more to “quality of life” than physical health. Agus does make mention of workplace stress, but over 120,000 annual deaths in North America are related to workplace pressure. If Chief Health Officers are to become an industry norm, there must be a greater emphasis on creating psychologically healthy workplaces, in addition to physically healthy ones. Check out the full article at The Wall Street Journal.

Photo Credit: Getty Images for WSJ

"Commit to Caring for the Culture More than the Quarter"

“You have to commit to caring for the culture more than the quarter.” This is the ideal mantra that every business leader should adopt. Jessica Herrin, founder and CEO of Stella & Dot Family Brands, was recently interviewed for the New York Times, and she seems to have the right idea about putting employees and business partners’ psychological safety first. If more CEOs had the same attitude, they’d see a difference in the quality of the work their employees do and a difference in their bottom lines – not to mention that creating an environment of well-being is simply the right thing to do. Check out the full interview at the New York Times.

Photo credit: Earl Wilson for NYT