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Re: Article in Chronicle of Higher Ed



What amazes me about the article are the undesirable characteristics of
the work environment she touches on....that is, they seem to be traits I
hear from many friends and colleagues who work in academia, and even
public facilities. Some of the things I picked up on are:

* No concern for morale on the part of management
* A strange need for managers to conceal fundamental info. about the
normal activities of the department (Is this an archives, or the CIA?)
* Annual reviews that turn into emotional muggings, based on subjective
and petty criteria.
* Inappropriate treatment of an employee's attempts to learn more (I,
too, once had a boss chastise me for "asking too many questions.")
* Across-the-board rejection of subordinate input.

Believe me, I am not trashing the public sector. Corporate environments
can come with their own little pathological behaviors (remember, you
can't spell Enron without Nero!). But my experiences, and stories like
this article have taught me to remember on a daily basis that everyone
on your staff has something to offer, and their experience, ambition and
curiosity should be nurtured, not silenced.

Bill Jackson
Senior Archivist
Harley-Davidson Motor Company
Milwaukee, WI
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