Hard Core Discipline: CIA Lessons

Much has been made of the recent disclosure of detailed memos describing interrogation techniques used by the Central Intelligence Agency against terrorist detainees, like keeping them awake for up to 11 straight days, placing them in a dark, cramped box, and putting insects into the box to exploit detainee fears. There was also forced nudity, slamming detainees into walls, and dousing detainees with cold water.

And the now infamous waterboarding, also described in detail by the memos. A prisoner was strapped to a gurney inclined at an angle of 10 to 15 degrees while water was poured over a cloth covering his nose and mouth from a height of 6 to 18 inches for no more than 40 seconds. Sometimes, however, waterboarding was used “with greater frequency than initially indicated” and “large volumes of water.”

Comparing the war on terror with serious workplace problems is problematic. The fear caused by the September 11, 2001, attacks turned into paranoia, with good people believing they had to do whatever it took to prevent another attack. Some will argue that the CIA techniques prevented another attack. We’ll never know for sure. In hindsight, what the CIA did looks like what we’ve accused the Japanese, Russians and Chinese of doing in the past.

There’s a need for workplace discipline. There are times when discipline gets out of hand. Pushing employees against a wall, slapping employees, bloodying a nose and throwing an employee out of a workplace are things you hear about. Last year, there was waterboarding at work in Provo, Utah. This isn’t discipline. It may well be criminal activity and a violation of OSHA that will lead to a civil lawsuit against the employer. There’s no place for hard core discipline in any workplace, and your supervisors need to understand that.

1. 

   Mike Maslanka says:

   April 22, 2009 at 5:30 pm

   Abuse at work is seldom physical. It is, however, often mental and verbal. Mike
2. 

   John Phillips says:

   April 23, 2009 at 11:33 am

   Mike,

   I think it’s hard to separate one from the other. Physical or verbal abuse always has mental/emotional/psychological consequences. Abuse that is purely verbal or purely mental always has debilitating physical results.

   John
3. 

   LKS says:

   April 23, 2009 at 1:14 pm

   The problem is that mental and verbal abuse can often be harder to prove and therefore handle – the bruises being to the psyche instead of the body.