Trade unions in Scotland are demanding an inquiry after managers at HBOS bank tried to motivate two employees by leaving a cabbage and a cauliflower on their desks.
The row started after a cashier in Glasgow found a cabbage on his desk, while a manager in Paisley gave a worker a cauliflower.
John Nolan, national leader of the Amicus banking union, said this misuse of vegetables was an unacceptable way of getting employees to meet targets.
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“The company has been pretty successful over the past couple of years so it doesn’t need to revert to these tactics anyway,” he said. “It owes its success to the staff.”
An HBOS spokesman said the bank liked to focus on positive measures such as good bonuses for strong performance. He admitted the managers had “got it wrong on this occasion”, and had apologised to the staff in question.