| Having said that, employees being taken advantage of by a belligerent and malicious employer who has proven time and time again to be ignorant of the law and disrespectful of it is absolutely and unequivocally unacceptable. |
The Ford steamroller has paved a new road for negotiations with unions by first taking down CUPE Local 416 and their unreasonable demands to maintain job security in a weak economy - even over pay increase (which would save the City money).
This is just the latest in his HR gaffs. Though I suppose his biggest gaffe was hiring someone competent to head the TTC - someone not willing to follow the tagline of the day and collect her paycheck but indeed wants to improve conditions for Torontonians by stopping the Ford-made underground gravy train. People do sometimes forget that a political figure such as Mr. Ford is also a manager, and with such a title comes great responsibility. To be a great Mayor you need the same qualities as a great boss - listen to your subordinates, they may have some good ideas; respect your employees (and shareholders!); and absolutely most importantly of all - keep your ego in check, because when it's out of control it makes you and your company/city look like fools.
Since being elected, he has successfully alienated many on his own team (another reflection of poor management - even the top dogs at the now disgraced Goldman Sachs had a strong core team of supporters). In fact, even the Ontario Conservatives have distanced themselves from his message. He has also managed to alienate neighboring businesses, with Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion threatening to go after City Hall if the new transit plan intrudes on her own plans for developing transit in the West end. Just as Premier Mike Harris did before him, Mr. Ford is poised to leave behind a legacy of short-term decisions designed to support his allies and family-owned companies while leaving Toronto's vibrant community to pay for the increased tension between the Public and public employees, reduction in job security and quality of life (even if you drive, since one of the proposals would add tolls to Toronto roads to pay for the subway extension). We have yet to bring Ontario's standards up to pre-Harris era in terms of funding for education, health care, and public transit, and continue to pay for his costly decision to amalgamate the GTA (a direct cause to Ford's election). It seems we will now spend the next two decades digging ourselves out of the hole Mr. Ford is digging us into.
Bottom line - short sighted managers will lose their best employees, the loyalty of their staff, and the trust of their stakeholders. I do not expect to see Mr. Ford return after the next election, but I suspect he will continue to "manage" employees in the same negative and demotivating way.
