Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

Manager criticizing employees openly in front of everyone

  • 19-01-2025 1:23pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4


    So there's a group manager who all our department heads report to, and they will come into our office at times and put employees on the spot in front of everyone; "you did this wrong" , "you made a mistake here", "why did you do this", etc. now obviously when people eff up and make mistakes, of course they should be held to account (and to clarify they're not screaming and shouting at them), but I just think it should be handled privately and not in front of everyone.

    I admit I always looked the other way along with everyone else but it has recently happened to me. And look, I made a mistake and have no problem with taking criticism, I held my hand up straight away, but I felt really embarrassed for it to be done in front of everyone, is it just a case of being overly sensitive or am I right in thinking this is unacceptable?

    And yes I realize it's somewhat hypocritical to only find a problem with it now that's it's happened to me.



Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,352 ✭✭✭Pauliedragon


    IMO its unprofessional. I'm a manager in hospitality and I think behaviour like that is counter productive as it just makes people hate you and therefore they'll have the attitude " why should I work hard for this dickhead" type thinking. You do sometimes have to come down on people but in private. It's not that hard to say to someone let's go to the office and have a chat.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,731 ✭✭✭cml387


    It's definitely not optimum, not on a regular basis anyway.

    Although I do still smile when I remember one manger (having been caught out in an audit) who came down in a rage to the responsible person shouting "YOU HAD ONE F****** JOB!" It's useful "pour encourager les autres"



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,105 ✭✭✭Deregos.


    I bet he's berating employees in public like that, so that those listening also learn from your mistake. Depends on the manner of his approach, theres no exuse for him being nasty about how he says it, but sometimes it's better to say these things out in the open so everyone's aware of the circumstances, so the same mistake won't be repeated and if everyones on the level, it helps clears the air.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,061 ✭✭✭Trampas


    Can always make it a general statement in a group meeting than picking on someone in particular. Sometimes it’s a person wanting them to feed their ego to make sure everyone knows who’s the boss and I’m hard.

    Don’t see any real benefit in slaughtering someone in public and treating people like children. Mistakes happen with all the times as everyone is human and there’s a statement called human error. Sometimes managers like to make a small error into world is ending. Better to fix the error and clean up the mess and prevent ways for it happening again than picking the person out. Maybe if he had better controls then members of their team wouldn’t make them



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,386 ✭✭✭✭Mrs OBumble


    All depends on his attitude and manner.

    Addressing errors in private is best if there's client privacy or sensitive personal issues involved. Or if you have a useless employees who's being PIPPED.

    But for regular issues, a culture of openness encourages learning and also taking responsibility for your errors.



  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,599 ✭✭✭✭Flinty997


    As others have said it depends how it's done. Is it done in a way that's usefully educational, learning. Or it isn't.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,809 ✭✭✭caviardreams


    One person's educational learning is another person's criticism

    if it's a "Dave, next time can you check in with IT before the project kick off meeting so we don't have a comms issue again" I don't see an issue - but personally would probably do it in private

    If it's "Dave, this really isn't good enough, you have made a stupid mistake and you need to do better" then I wouldn't think it's appropriate



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,599 ✭✭✭✭Flinty997


    Depends how it done.

    Also if its the team culture to share everything including mistakes in a constructive manner. If it just finding fault all time thats different. Its not clear from the OP. But the tone suggests it the former. But that OP is isn't used to it.

    It would be less common. 9 time out of 10 I would say its not good management of a team.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 34 cgorzy


    if everyone is looking the other way nobody is going to learn anything from this criticism not being handled privately.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,599 ✭✭✭✭Flinty997


    What people will do after being lambasted in public is to cover up mistakes and hide them. That is what they learn to do.



  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,290 ✭✭✭witchgirl26


    Can I just clarify - are you in an open plan office? You say they come into your office and say this. Are they standing in the middle of it (as you say they aren't shouting) & saying it or are they over beside the person it's intended for? Is it a case of more you can hear the person getting told it rather than it being done as a public shaming spectacle of "look at this being done wrong". I've seen both types. One is just where maybe the manager isn't being as quiet as they could be in a potentially quiet open plan office space and everyone hears as opposed to them deliberately drawing everyone's attention to it.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,422 ✭✭✭10-10-20


    That's a toxic work environment and it will only serve to encourage people to depart and leave poor reviews in Glassdoor, etc.

    You'll see in some job adverts now "Blameless fault analysis" or similar. It's a better method of identifying a root-cause of a defect without outing the individual. It still counts as a human error at the management level, but it's less abrasive.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3 Tom Sanders


    I don't know. If there's no shouting or cursing then it mightn't be too bad. I'd need to know more… like for example, are there certain employees who get away with making mistakes.

    It can be very interesting in these situations to see how people won't admit they're afraid of a particular person. You might hear a lot of things like "he's actually fine if you play ball with him". In these situations your colleagues can be very good at down playing such matters… and then you might meet that same colleague 3 years later and only then are they willing to say "that manager was an absolute tyrant". When someone is an ahole and no one is willing to call a spade a spade and say it, it will give you the impression that it's all in your head. But trust your instincts.



Advertisement