“We all know the Golden Rule: “Treat others the way you want to be treated.”
That old adage has served society well for the last few millennia, but unfortunately seems to have fallen by the wayside in recent times. At a societal level, growing polarization has made it easier than ever to dismiss or demean those with different perspectives — and that same impulse is finding its way into the workplace. As we slip into an increasingly automated world, a troubling trend has emerged: businesses and managers are dehumanizing employees. Rather than treating people as valuable human beings worthy of respect, managers in some cases are treating them as mere cogs in a larger machine. This approach not only ignores the value that each individual can bring to a company, but it also leads to a self-destructive cycle of high turnover and low morale.
When employees are seen as expendable, they are more likely to feel undervalued and disengaged, leading to decreased productivity and apathy. It’s no wonder that company loyalty is quickly becoming a thing of the past. As a result, companies may find themselves constantly searching for new hires rather than retaining and investing in people they already have on their team.
It is important for employers to recognize and nurture the critical role that each employee plays in the success of a company. By treating employees with respect, companies can foster a positive and productive work environment that leads to staff retention and greater business success. In an increasingly competitive marketplace, companies that prioritize the needs and well-being of their employees are those most likely to thrive in the long term.
In this article, we share four typical situations that demonstrate the ways employers are dehumanizing employees, and the effects these actions have on individuals and overall workplace morale. Unfortunately, these stories are based on real-life events we’ve seen play out dozens of times in our work as strategic HR consultants.
Elia’s Sick-Time Anger
A man owned a successful independent bookstore with about 30 employees. On the day of a mandatory shift managers meeting, one of his employees, Elia, called in sick with a stomach bug and had to miss the meeting. The owner was furious. He felt disrespected and took it as a personal insult. What’s more, he felt that his manager was not dedicated to the success of the store and contemplated taking disciplinary action.
Elia felt she was not being treated fairly. She was a dedicated employee who had never missed a meeting before, but suddenly she was on thin ice. The store owner was viewing her only as a shift manager, and not as a person with her own life and problems. Life doesn’t stop for meetings, and a stomach bug is not something we can easily suppress. Had the owner considered how he wants his employees to feel about their experience working for him, he would have handled it differently. Instead, he gave no thought to how Elia felt about being seen and appreciated as a human being. In all likelihood, this single event will be enough to send Elia looking for a new employer.
Marcus’s Invisible Review
Marcus was a mid-level project coordinator known for being reliable, collaborative, and solutions-oriented. The past year he had led a successful product launch, mentored a junior team member, and received strong feedback from his supervisor — so when review season came, he was cautiously optimistic. Then the results came: no raise. The explanation, via automated email, was that his ‘performance score’ had not met the threshold. No conversation, no context — just a number from an algorithm that had never once observed him do his job.
Marcus’s company had migrated its entire review process to an AI-driven platform that weighted only quantitative metrics — email response times, meeting attendance, task-completion timestamps — with no input for leadership, creativity, or interpersonal contribution. The result was a textbook case of dehumanizing employees at scale. Performance reviews exist to open a dialogue, recognize growth, and reinforce that each person’s work is seen and valued. By removing human judgment entirely, the company didn’t just short-change Marcus — it told the whole team they were nothing more than a row in a spreadsheet. In 2026, one of the trendiest ways of dehumanizing employees is to automate without accountability.
Janine’s Pregnancy Rules
Janine got pregnant while working for a company out West. She went to her employer about medical leave and temporary disability options for childbirth. The employer was excited for her and proud to announce that the company would generously offer four weeks of leave, two of which would be paid. Janine was shocked. She already knew that their state required a minimum of 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a newborn or adopted child — her boss had offered her less than half of that.
The employer wasn’t being “generous”; he wasn’t even following the law. Assuming that employees are unaware of state laws, or failing to update your policies following shifts in legislation, is setting the company up for a costly lawsuit. Treating employees like human beings means not only understanding their needs, but knowing and abiding by state and local laws and ensuring your policies meet at least the minimum requirements. Falling short is a surefire way to make people feel dehumanized and is unlikely to breed loyalty or longevity. In this case, Janine calmly pointed out the error. Her boss was embarrassed but accommodated her, providing the full 12 weeks.
Tom’s Silent Ousting
Tom, a Senior Vice President of Finance, was a dedicated employee at a small but growing company. He had been with the company since its inception, had a positive reputation internally, and was well known throughout the industry. Despite this, the company decided to hire externally for a Chief Financial Officer — a position superior to Tom’s role. Despite his years of experience and contributions to the company, Tom was not even interviewed or considered for the role.
The official explanation was that Tom was dealing with some personal life events and the company was being kind by not adding to his responsibilities. In reality, the company simply wanted to bring in someone new to lead the finance department. For Tom, being passed over without even a conversation was incredibly demoralizing. He felt as though the entire company — which he had devoted years to helping grow — had turned against him. He is unlikely to continue giving his full effort knowing that the company doesn’t value his contributions, and will likely take his skills and experience elsewhere.
How to Create a Culture of Respect
Treating workers as people is not hard to do. The trend of organizations dehumanizing employees is starting to backfire, and word gets around quickly. Those that continue to treat their employees poorly will soon find that their best people have left — and that no one wants to take their place.
The answer to all of these problems is simply to treat your team with respect and to communicate openly with them. If you’re noticing negative employee reviews on Glassdoor or similar sites, or hearing rumors through the grapevine, call Flynn Barrett Consulting. We’ll help you develop a strategy for supporting your employees and creating a culture of respect.
