Hugs not Threats, What People Want at Work in A Recession

With all the stress people are already feeling in times of recession the last thing people need at work is being lined in front of a firing squad.

Some managers do not show much grace under pressure and turn into nervous Nellies, call them demotivators.

I was not that interested in Lucy Kellaway column recounting Her Adventures on Illicit Encounters with idle bankers (and others) trading risky bets for adultery (FT, December 8).

More interesting to me was John Quelch explanation of such behavior that "in a recession, people want hugs." ...