# How Do You Punish Your Employees?

Source: https://www.yegor256.com/2016/01/05/how-to-punish-employees.html

Punishment ... how do you prefer to do it? There are many ways to punish
employees; some are rather effective, while others simply don't work. This is
not an exact science. Actually, I would say it's an _art_. You must be creative,
innovative, and very open-minded. You never know which method of
punishment will work with whom. Some people respond to one method,
while others may completely ignore it. The overarching goal, of course, is
to make employees _scared_ of _you_, their boss, so they will obey enthusiastically.
Here is a list of the most effective methods.


{% jb_picture_body %}

Disclaimer: I'm using the pronoun "he" merely for simplicity of speech. The
same exact rules apply to both males and females.

{% youtube F6NwcQyEY18 %}

**Use Your Voice**.
This, of course, is your best instrument of
[punishment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punishment). Make sure he is scared
of you. He must know who he [works for]({% pst 2015/jan/2015-01-26-happy-boss-false-objective %})---you, his boss. The rule
of thumb is that the one with the strongest voice is the boss. Thus, you
must be heard, you must _rule_ with your voice, and he must physically
feel your presence in the room. Even if it's just a Skype
[call]({% pst 2016/aug/2016-08-23-communication-maturity %}),
your voice must sound stronger than all others.
Moreover, don't let him speak if he is trying to
[argue back]({% pst 2017/jan/2017-01-03-how-much-you-love-conflicts %}).
You're the boss! The
[alpha](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_%28ethology%29)!

**Play Hard to Get**.
Is he feeling [guilty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilt_%28emotion%29) for
an error? Simply ignore him. Or, even better, schedule
[meetings]({% pst 2015/jul/2015-07-13-meetings-are-legalized-robbery %})
and don't show up. Or reschedule many times. That will demonstrate
that you're not interested in him anymore. His frustration
will grow. You'll still be in the office, having meetings with other employees,
eating lunch, laughing, walking, and talking. You exist, but not for him.
He is dead to you, because of his mistake. He is nothing and is getting
the [silent treatment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_treatment).
Then, suddenly, you attend a meeting! Oh, how happy he will be.
He will literally kiss your hands, and you will love that feeling!

**Make Fun of Him**.
We inherit this technique from good, old-school
[bullying](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullying). We all know how it
works. Select the person who messed up and make him the target of your jokes.
In the office, this method works even better than in school, because
you're the boss and he basically can't do anything to you. He will first try
to laugh alongside everybody else, but this won't last for the long term. In the
end, everybody will laugh at him, and he will do whatever it takes just to stop it.
He will obey any order you give!

{% quote Having a personal life outside the office is not for everybody; it is a luxury %}

**Mistakes Must be Visible**.
Is he wrong? Did he miss a deadline? Did he deploy a broken version to production?
Did he forget something? Don't resolve this face to face. Always make such things
public, simply to let others punish him. This approach is known as
[peer pressure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer_pressure), a very
useful technique. His coworkers must keep up the momentum and punish
him using [social rejection](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_rejection).
That's why, by all means, you as a leader must encourage back-stabbing.
You will rise to
[power](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_and_control_in_abusive_relationships)
much faster if your employees are not only afraid of
you but also of each other. Use their fear wisely!

**Late-Night Phone Calls**.
Having a [personal life](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_life)
outside the office is not for everybody. It is a luxury, and
you are not just going to give it away. He must earn it, and if he is
[guilty]({% pst 2019/sep/2019-09-03-injection-of-guilt %}) of
not completing a task on time, his private life will be ruined by your
late-night phone calls. He must remember that. It doesn't really matter
what exactly the calls are about. Just make them somewhere around 11 p.m.
Your key message is this: "I'm worrying about the project while you're
enjoying your family time!" Guilt is what you're planting with this.
He won't be able to ask you not to call him after work; he is not that brave.
He will instead try to please you somehow so that you stop calling him.

{% youtube ibT5oKToMoQ %}

**Don't Check Results**.
This technique is close to playing hard to get, but here you don't ignore him.
You communicate with the guilty employee, but you don't talk about his
results. You discuss his uncle's wedding, his snowboarding weekend, his
new bicycle, etc. But you don't ask about the migration to PostgreSQL he
has been working on for the last three weeks. You are _not interested_. This is
a perfect method for demonstrating that you don't see him as a valuable
team member anymore. The [team]({% pst 2016/feb/2016-02-18-holacracy-autocracy %})
doesn't need his results. The team can live
without them. You will see how soon he realizes who the boss is and
what it means when the boss is not happy!

{% quote Obviously, the best desk is the one at which nobody can see your monitor %}

**A Bad Office Spot Is a Great De-Motivator**.
This is a classic instrument of punishment: The worst desks go to
those who forget who the boss is around here. Obviously, the best desk is the
one at which nobody can see your monitor. Give those to good people who
obey your orders and don't argue with you. They are your core team. They
support you as a
[leader]({% pst 2016/may/2016-05-24-who-is-project-manager %}), and they help you rise to power. Others must
sit closer to the door, and their monitors must be seen by everybody.
As with all other techniques, [conceal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_manipulation)
your intentions---you
locate people in the office due to their job descriptions in order to help
them communicate effectively. Everybody will understand what's really going on,
but you must look like a
[laissez-faire leader](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadership_style#Laissez-faire).

**Easy Tasks Are Rewards**.
You decide who does what, and you distribute tasks and projects---that's your
instrument of power. Easy-to-do tasks are how you reward those who are
[loyal]({% pst 2015/oct/2015-10-06-how-to-be-good-office-slave %})
and supportive. They complete such tasks, hardly expending any effort. Complex
and risky projects, on the other hand, are assigned to the under-performing employee. He will most likely
fail, and there won't be anyone to blame---it's just a project, like
all others. Boring, ambiguous, unfocused, unnecessary, under-funded, and routine
tasks all go to the employee who deserves punishment. Of course,
you must look unbiased---be very polite and supportive, acting as if you're
a good friend!

{% quote Leaving the office at 5 p.m. is a privilege; only the best employees can afford it %}

**Spread Rumors**.
Simply show your annoyance of his poor results, but not to his face. Talk
about his performance with his coworkers. They must know that you're not
happy. Furthermore, they must suspect that you're thinking about
[terminating]({% pst 2015/sep/2015-09-16-how-to-fire-someone-right %})
his contract. Don't say it straight away, but don't deny it if they
ask. I doubt they will ask, though. Very soon, these rumors will
reach his ear, and he will do whatever it takes just to hear that you're
not thinking about termination anymore. He will likely be scared to ask you directly,
but even if he does ask, deny it. He will be afraid of you anyway. That will
make him much more manageable!

**Overtime**.
Leaving the office at 5 p.m. is a privilege. Only the best employees can afford it.
Ideally, everybody must ask you before they leave. The one who feels
guilty won't be comfortable asking you whether he can leave at 5 p.m. He will
stay longer just because he is afraid to ask. That's exactly what you need!
Just to earn the ability to ask whether it's possible to leave the office,
he will work harder. The question is how to make employees ask for your permission
to go home in the first place. I recommend you stay late and schedule
interesting meetings at 6 p.m. Of course, you will come to work at 1 p.m., while
everybody else must be there at 9 a.m. sharp. The point is that you must be
in the office when they leave, and you must do something important. They will
be afraid to disappoint you by showing ignorance, so they will ask for permission.
That's what you need!

<hr/>

{% badge /images/2016/01/management-stripped-bare.jpg M https://amzn.to/2bNjruM %}

This list is definitely not exhaustive. I'm sure there are many
more [interesting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy)
methods and technologies. Don't hesitate to
share them below in the comments. As I said above, I believe this is
an art, not a science.

PS. If you like this article, you will certainly enjoy this
[Management Stripped Bare: What They Don't Teach You at Business School](https://amzn.to/2bNjruM)
book by Jo Owen. I actually borrowed some ideas from that book.