Extrajudicial Motivation
May 05, 2008
Self-help company in hot water over torture claim
By A.E. Smith
Waterboarding may not be torture, according to some, but does that make it a good motivational tactic? A practice similar to the interrogation technique hotly debated in the U.S. intelligence community is at the heart of an ongoing lawsuit between a Utah man and his former employer.
Provo, Utah–based executive coaching firm Prosper Inc. says its mission is "to make the road to personal achievement meaningful, rewarding, and enjoyable" through "hands-on experiences." But in a complaint filed in January in Utah County District Court, former employee Chad Hudgens accuses the company of being a bit too hands-on, using "physically and emotionally abusive and intimidating conduct for the express purpose of increasing the productivity of the team." The alleged tactics included drawing fake mustaches on the faces of employees who did not hit performance goals, hiding their chairs and randomly slamming the desks of employees with a wooden paddle.
In May of 2007, to prove his loyalty to this company, Hudgens volunteered for a team-building exercise and was asked by his manager to lie on a hill outside the office, with his head facing downhill. He claims the manager proceeded to pour a gallon of water over his face, while his coworkers—in a reversal of the more traditional "trust fall" team-bonding exercise—pinned down his arms and legs as he struggled for air. The lesson, explained the manager at the close of the session, was that he wanted the team to work "as hard on making sales as Chad had worked to breathe."
Hudgens claims that his subsequent report to the human resources department was ignored, and he began to suffer trauma from the event, including sleeplessness and depression, that eventually led to his departure from the company. He is seeking unspecified damages for the emotional distress of "an outrageous attempt to improve his sales performance."
Representatives of Prosper have responded that Hudgens' characterization of the event is exaggerated. The manager, a top earner for the company according to the suit, apparently based the demonstration on an ancient Greek parable, in which the philosopher Socrates half-drowns a disciple to teach him about the desire for knowledge. The manager denies that waterboarding, a torture practice that dates back at least to the Spanish Inquisition, was the inspiration.
Prosper CEO Dave Ellis told The Salt Lake Tribune that the company launched an internal investigation into the incident and suspended the supervisor for two weeks, and that his company does not "condone or endorse any kind of training that causes discomfort." In fact, last year Prosper was a runner-up for a Utah Work/Life Award, singled out for offering loans to employees in financial straits, and for spending almost $1 million on an office renovation designed "to create a more inviting and professional workplace."
Ellis says all the media attention surrounding the incident hasn't hurt business. Does that mean Hudgens would be welcome around the watercooler? Don't hold your breath.
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