Team wants to quit, how to handle?

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Superman

Instead, get HR involved by using this phrase: "hostile work environment." This points a finger of liability right at the supervisor.

I am with most others, the last place that I'd want to go is HR, but this is a valid point if you can get everyone to agree.

Originally Posted by Norm K

This is a very powerful statement that not only points a finger of liability at the supervisor, but (and this is what gets their attention) squarely at the company.

_

Yep. Especially these days.

Originally Posted by svandamme

is there politics involved, eg, is that supervisor superbest friends with anybody up the chain?

very important factor

Absolutely. Very important, but maybe less important with a public company if HR is involved.

It really depends upon if the dick sup is friends with someone and what sort of relationship the team has with others farther up the chain.

EVERYONE is expendable and can be replaced. The org could get rid of the sup or the who team if they decided to go that route.

[911 Rod]

It usually starts at the top so tread lightly.

[berettafan]

Sometimes we climb the ladder due to our own efforts and other times we pick up a rung or two simply because others **** up. Both give the same result.

[matthewb0051]

Originally Posted by Superman

I'm telling you...."hostile work environment." Sup is treating different people differently. There are prejudices. Playing favorites. Uneven treatment. Is there a person of color or a woman on the team? This would cause explosions in the heads of HR and upper management. When the investigation begins, the team sings like canaries.

I called it 'toxic' but that is more a DoD term. Hostile is the same thing and you are spot on.

Those terms/allegations really get people spun up. Plus it put the company on notice that down the road legal action could put them in a bind. (Edit: which is why they get spun up and start listening/acting)

[john70t]

Originally Posted by flipper35

The issue is the supervisor is not a good supervisor. The sup tends to run everyone down and blame the team for things they aren't really responsible for and doesn't really do anything themself. This team has a high turnover because of it.

That may have been intentional.
The sup may have been chosen to do exactly that.
Get those quarterly numbers for managers and the company doesn't pay retirements.
Win-win. Until competition eventually takes away that lead and the big company goes out of business like Xerox/Sears/Netscape/etc.

The problem might be the person directly above the supervisor as well. Their numbers.
It goes up to the Board and then up to Shareholders. Pump and dump the entire thing.
Company structures sometimes reward long-term failure unfortunately.

I don't have an answer. Internally or externally.