Snitch strategy

Wandered upon on the intergoogles, and very germane to today: "How to Find and Stop the Workplace Snitch"

One of the first lessons that most people learn in grade school is: "Nobody likes a tattletale." But some people never get this idea through their heads, and eventually, these pint-sized snitches grow up and join the work force, where they make colleagues' and managers' lives difficult.

Trust is a key component of any successful company or team, and it only takes one problem employee to kill the atmosphere. This will naturally lead to decreased productivity over time. Snitching is also bad for employee morale and camaraderie; who wants to be friendly with people that might stab you in the back? Besides creating an overall dysfunctional workplace, tattletales can also lead to increased employee turnover, costing a business the time and money it takes to recruit new hires.

That said, there is a big difference between being petty and what is commonly known as whistle-blowing — exposing a person or company for illegal, dangerous or unethical behaviors and practices. Employees should be encouraged to inform their managers or the HR departments of serious conduct breaches, such as sexual harassment, embezzlement or threats of violence. And if this results in no action, employees should take their complaints to the relevant state regulatory department.

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1. Whose job responsibilities have been marginalized: Employees whose job responsibilities have been gradually taken away from them may be in danger of an eventual layoff. The natural reaction to this is anger and indignation, which may cause some people to lash out at their fellow employees. Workers who feel insecure in their positions may resort to snitching as a way to cast themselves in a more favorable light with management and thus avoid losing their jobs.

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4. Who is regularly seen sucking up to management: Bootlickers are nearly as reviled in offices as tattletales, so it makes sense that these two personality flaws tend to go hand in hand. Such employees may use any face they get with upper management or executives to point out other employees' wrongdoings, once again to cast themselves in a more favorable light (and to make sure that the higher-ups are aware of the snitchs' vigilance and staunch adherence to company policies).

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For Managers:

1. Never reward a snitch. Rewarding a snitch with a promotion or work on a big project only encourages him or her to continue this destructive behavior. The employee will naturally connect the reward with the tattling and will begin to bombard you with tales of the latest employee indiscretions.

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Remember: A work force or team built on trust will be happier, more productive and more effective. So don't let one person ruin the dynamic for everyone.