MASS RESIGNATIONS

I have been the organiser of mass resignations on two occasions.

The first, acting as "Dream Bishops" (with regalia) to a team of HR people, I and my associates persuaded the entire HR department to resign. In fact, they wrote their resignation letters there and then. There was only one abstention. It was quite a large department. The HR Director had no idea what was happening. In fact he was away on holiday and returned to a pile of resignation letters on his desk. The deal was this. The HR Director and his senior team had concocted a vision for the department that its role was to make the business come ALIVE. As part of this work we had given each of the directors an ALIVEOMETER, made from sculpted and welded steel. In events with the HR team we allowed its members to explore what their role could be in "aliving" the business. At the end of the event we offered them all the opportunity to resign from their jobs and adopt new titles as the wizard of X, the Aliver of Y and so on. They all took the opportunity.

The second was less orchestrated, but perhaps more heartfelt. I was asked to lead a team event for a marketing team. In the preparatory work for this event, what became clear was that the morale of the team was at an all time low. There was a single reason. Though the Marketing Director, who was the immediate boss of the team, was well liked and respected, the Group Director, to whom he reported was all over the team with what can only be described as abusive behaviour. I made a recommendation that the real answer to this team's issues was in working with the Group Director. His ego, however, prevented this. Perhaps predictable. The Marketing Director asked me to help him, by creating an environment where the team could take, as he put it "an emotional and motivational shower". The Group Director was not physically present for the event, though his malign presence filtered into every discussion. Lets call him Dylan. It was Dylan this, Dylan that, Dylan the other. Realising that the team could not move on without really expressing its feelings, I adopted the empty chair approach, except I filled the chair by playing the part of Dylan. I remember I had a big sign saying DYLAN in front of me and I invited team members to approach me and say what they felt they really wanted to say.
They didn't need the sign. For the next - I'm guessing - hour or so, they each approached me with a level of hatred and anger which I would have thought impossible in a normal workplace.
"How dare you pick your feet in front of me."
"How dare you make rules for us, criticise us for breaking them but flagrantly break them yourself"
"How dare you shout and swear at me."
"You treat me with utter disrespect, you sad little fuck."
Even:
"You are a total fuckwit. I wish you were dead."

Within three months the entire team, including the Marketing Director, had resigned. The Company ignored this, and backed the golden boy - their Group Director. He went on no doubt to abuse another team.
Did I feel I had done a good job?
I've sometimes wondered. Complacency in my job is inappropriate.