Every business organization striving to beat the competition today tries to have the least number of employees and retain only those who are more competent and highly productive. The conservative style of management and obsolete belief, that fear is what makes an employee work is rather dangerous now; it could produce only minimum and average results, which was all right for a monopolistic market of the past. But in the new economic scenario a business cannot survive without being the best and producing at maximum levels. Therefore, regardless of the circumstances, no manager can elicit exceptional performance from employees by treating them with hostility, contempt or even lack of respect; much less retaining a good workforce.

In the Indian context we can conclude a thumb rule that if the employees are mistreated or face incivility at work place, they will grab the first chance to form a union with or without outside help; which may later grow into a monster. Further more if the grievance redressal is delayed or dispute resolution is delayed beyond six months, there are all the chances of eruption of violence. This has been concluded from prominent cases from the last more than ten years.

However, on a day to day basis, it is common to see ‘fear’ eating into productivity and profits of many a business or shop floors. Fear is more often than not the latent cause of every reactionary indiscipline, strike for petty reasons or any crisis on the shop floor. The illustration below makes the cause and effective relationship in this regard very clear:

Each of these layers keeps on adding and promoting fear and consequential overreaction amongst the workforce, thus creating a latent force to flare up any crisis situation. The supervisor disowns his responsibility of humane treatment of the workforce, misbehaves and then blames the reacting worker for obstructing production. Then the shop floor manager lacking sensitivity to the situation and also ignorant of the difference between production and productivity – simply telling the personnel manager to ‘get rid’ of the ‘erring worker’ – is a typical situation. If the personnel manager has not developed any grievance redressal procedure he is bound to conform to the ridiculous request. But the ultimate cause of all evils is the culture and perception of top management, which may not have enough business sense about the losses it may incur in terms of productivity on a daily basis and on account of a crisis, created due to the misbehaviour by the manager on the shopfloo. The ultimate result is slow death of such organizations; and survival of only those organizations/managements, which are competent, and sensitive enough to manage well.

What is the high cost (losses) of an atmosphere of FEAR on the shop floor :-

• It prevents the employee from expressing creative ideas to boost productivity.
• Lowers self esteem, prevents skill development or even career advancement leading to further frustration by a multiplier.
• Fear results in loss of trust, pride and confidence on the relationship with organization.
• Results in wrong priorities lack of self-management, increased dependence and cost of working.
• It prevents the employee from pointing out mistakes or incompetence of peers and superiors.
• It results in a general negative atmosphere for reactionary indiscipline or even crisis over on not so explosive issues.
• It reduces efficiency of an employee when inefficient peers or superiors are treated better for irrational causes.
• Return on investments is poor.

FEAR in general MUST not exist in the work place and should be replaced with trust and productivity focussed self-actualizing environment. HOW?

• Acknowledge the irrational and deliberate on causes of FEAR.
• Abrasive situations and should be discussed openly to shed any looming fear in the minds of the work-force so as to make the overall thinking and culture so light that objectivity should dominate the thought process of one and all. Worst case situations and challenges discussed openly will bring out good ideas for the overall progress of the organization. It will also eliminate the role of disruptive elements if any.
• Zero tolerance to incivil language or behaviour or corporal punishment for mistakes at work.
• An effective grievance redresal system must be ensured in the organisation.
• Unreasoned decisions, lack of direct communication or responsiveness to suggestion must be replaced with a system where all own and associate with the actions.
• Once the causes of fear are acknowledged, then eliminate or reform the negative causes and replace with positively motivating interactions and interventions.
• Develop healthy culture of inter-personal communication and conduct. free and healthy communication and a general culture to eliminate FEAR, it will produce results.
• Healthy criticism must replace coercive style and threatening approach to management on the shop floor.
• It is necessary to establish trust and promote value criticism and even reward those who come out with innovative ideas to change work systems or management styles. Open appreciation of criticism, new ideas and risk-taking is the only way to victory in the future competition.
• Transparent management, open communication and most of all a persistent Social Dialogue is very necessary for overall development and projection of a progressive and productive organizational culture.
• The perception and objectivity of the top management in decision-making and communication has to be made expressly clear for one and all in theory and practice.

Therefore, to eliminate fear of loosing in the highly competitive market for lack of innovativeness and productivity, it is necessary to fear the existence of FEAR in the organization.