When I was a senior in high school – many full moons ago – I volunteered at a haunted house to help raise 
money for families in need. Very quickly I learned that scaring people was like crack on dry ice. I loved, loved, loved scaring the hell out of people.
My costume was simple; a black robe, black hood, platform shoes to make me look seven feet tall, hideous face makeup, and big heavy chains around my shoulders.
I hid behind an unmarked, pitch-black dead-end that was invisible due to a blinding light. Before they entered my scare zone, they had already experienced several “did-I-just-poop-in-my-pants” moments. As they approached me, I slowly walked out from behind the blinding light, looking down at them, howling and rattling my chains. That’s all it took.
It was freak-out time. Some people came close to passing out. Let’s just say there were many times, we had to request the clean-up crew. And they paid to experience this nightmare.
Too many times, going to work is like entering a haunted house. The place is filled with hideous traps and grotesque practices that torment unsuspecting employees. In these workplaces, it’s like Halloween happens every day.
Below is my Top Five List of Scariest Workplace Practices:
- Attendance policies (you hire adults – treat them like it)
- Employees must ask permission to leave the office or take PTO (it is not high school anymore)
- Incivility and cut-throat politics (it might be funny on reality TV, but not at work)
- Supervisors who value face-time over results (it’s not the 1950’s anymore – we are all digitally connected and can work anywhere, anyplace, anytime)
- A CEO who fails to see the importance of company culture (these companies have lower revenue, two-times the turnover, higher levels of stress, higher healthcare costs, and employee relations nightmares waiting around almost every corner)
