Your Xmas bonus is on its way...

That was the caption to one of the funniest holiday cartoons I ever saw. It had Santa sitting on the chimney making a deposit. Too often that is exactly how it feels in the workplace, particularly after the accession of the Chimposter and the resulting implosion of the economy. Employers are now using their 'leverage' to cut benefits unilaterally and to essentially squeeze their employees to fatten their profits. Of course, the squeezing is not simply done at the economic level, as the article below demonstrates:

When the Boss Is a Bully: "Hard times sometimes bring out the best in people, but anxious times can also bring out the bullies lurking in corporate ranks. There are several flavors of bad bosses, but bullies are the ones who misuse their power over others. They verbally abuse you, humiliate you in front of others....

Bully bosses overcontrol, micromanage, and display contempt for others, usually by repeated verbal abuse and sheer exploitation. They look over your shoulder. They constantly put others down, with snide remarks or harsh, repetitive, and unfair criticism. They don't just differ with you, they differ with you contemptuously; they question your adequacy and your commitment. They spew on people in support functions, on competitors, perhaps even their own bosses...."

The best advice in the article? Don't try and psychoanalyze the bully, focus on specific behaviors you would like to see curbed. As if that matters any....