Power and Politics at Play in a Company Christmas Party

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Recommended: Importance of ethics values in business world

I will never forget the company Christmas party of 1994. My ex-husband worked for a very successful cancer treatment center; so successful, they had built a new multi-billion dollar facility that year and the five physician partners who owned it had rewarded themselves with Villas in France, ranches in Wyoming, new cars that equaled a nurse’s pay for maybe ten years, etc. Instead of having the Christmas party at their usual lavish location, it was held in the reception area of the new Cancer Center.
Every year, Christmas bonuses were given out to all the employees at this Christmas party. There were a number of employees who depended heavily on these Christmas bonuses to provide decent Christmases for their families and even the employees that made more money used the bonus to pay off their credit cards for their Christmas purchases. Even with the common knowledge of huge company profits, the display of their financial successes with the new facility, and the well know recent purchases of the partners, one of the partners had the nerve to stand up at the party and say that he hoped everyone had a wonderful time at the party – and then lowered the boom. No Christmas bonuses this year. No excuse. Just no bonuses. Needless to say, the tone of the party quickly went from one of joyous celebration to devastation and many people left soon after the announcement. It was a well know fact that a lot of the employees quietly returned the Christmas gifts they had purchased the next day and their families had meager Christmases.
Why would a group of doctors so blatantly successful do such a cruel thing to the people who actually did all the work – who helped them to make their lucrative profits? Because they can.
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... middle of paper ...

... obviously prejudicial and demeaning to the women within the organization. Sexual inuendos, comments about their bodies and their appearance were totally out of place.
It was very uncomfortable reading this case study of power and politics at play as I could feel for the employees, having been in their situation in the past. Working for employers that are embroiled in power plays instead of working as a team player with the entire company in mind – including the employee’s well-being – is a very negative feeling that can lead to a lack of self-esteem and a destruction of your ability to perform your job efficiently. Using power as a means to motivate is one thing – using power as a means to intimidate is another.

Works Cited

Conrad C., & Poole, M. (2012) Strategic organization communication in a global economy
(7th ed.). West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons

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