I came across an older post by Alex Papadimoulis on TheDailyWTF.com, dealing with the Dead Sea Effect described by Bruce Webster.

Frankly, it's one of the most interesting and thought-provoking posts I've read regarding employee retention.

The Dead Sea Effect (in I.T.) is the predicted end result of many years of having the best employees leave, without replacing them with people of equal or higher skill levels. What's left? An accumulation of staffers who are less ambitious, less talented, and generally less capable of finding work elsewhere.

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	The Cravath Firm And Its Predecessors: 1819-1947 author: Robert T. Swaine ASIN or ISBN-10: 1584777133

What can you do when you work in a severely dysfunctional environment? Can you do more than just 'grin and bear it'?

As some have found, there's a learning opportunity in every work situation.

If nothing else, you can take comfort in knowing that you have an opportunity to learn valuable lessons even while suffering:

I was lamenting the confusing interface to a piece of software the other day, when a colleague said it sounded a bit like 'grousing' because I wasn't able to suggest any improvements. I capitulated, admitting I wasn't close enough to the problem to offer any useful feedback at the time.

Later, though, I was thinking about the exchange, and began to put it in perspective, especially regarding a recent post about the truth being filtered as it made its way up the company hierarchy.

Suffering from low morale? Wondering why your crew isn't as chipper as you'd like them to be? Thinking of bringing in an outsider to evaluate their state of mind? Consider this sage advice from a seasoned software engineer:

When the company president hires a psychologist to interview all of the engineers (in an effort to find out what is wrong with the development process), it is probably time to leave. Past time, even.
Link

I assume that the author of that gem has experienced such nonsense. Or he has a fertile imagination. Or both.

Bob Sutton (co-founder STVP, Stanford University) gives a talk about the true costs of allowing assholes in your organization.

This video (Flash player is required) is well worth a watch (or listen.) I suggest you crank it up during the next staff meeting.

Link

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	The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't author: Robert I. Sutton ASIN or ISBN-10: 0446526568
	The No Asshole Rule, Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isnt [UNABRIDGED CD] (Audiobook) author: Robert I. Sutton ASIN or ISBN-10: B000TKBYX8

I was thinking about the unpleasant things I've encountered in various workplaces. In my experience, there are few things I find more repugnant than explicit, blatant punishment.

I am reminded of a scene from The Hudsucker Proxy:

Mail Room Orienter: You punch in at 8:30 every morning, except you punch in at 7:30 following a business holiday, unless it's a Monday, then you punch in at 8 o'clock. Punch in late and they dock you.

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	Other People's Habits: How to Use Positive Reinforcement to Bring Out the Best in People Around You author: Aubrey C. Daniels ASIN or ISBN-10: 007135915X

According to Zogby International, there's a strong correlation between your willingness to apologize and your potential income level.

In a survey sponsored by The Pearl Outlet, Zogby found a significant link:

Americans earning over $100,000 a year are almost twice as likely to apologize after an argument with their other half as those earning under $25,000... ...the more you apologize, the more you earn.

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	Cool Careers For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance)) author: Marty Nemko PhD ASIN or ISBN-10: 0470117745

I'm here to teach. And to learn.

Once we move beyond the basics of earning a paycheck, why do I show up for work every day?

Simple. I want to learn. And I want to teach.

The San Jose Mercury News reports on a Manpower survey about the aging workforce and employer policies towards that workforce.

The conclusion: Most companies do not have policies to attract or retain older workers. (14 percent have policies to attract and 21 percent have policies designed to retain aging workers.)

Stack ranking - or curve ranking - where team members are rated against one another - is used at Microsoft and other companies. Basically, it's rare or near impossible to rank all team members at the same high rate, even if all team members have earned it, because the system requires that some are ranked highly, some are ranked as average, and some are ranked as below average.