In a development described by human resources experts as "not at all surprising," Friday's public humiliation of staff accountant Larry Nisberg by his supervisor, Tom Jeffers, actually may not have increased his productivity.

"If that abusive alpha-ape thinks that after his screaming at me in front of everybody I'm going to work overtime this weekend, he's crazier than I thought," commented Nisberg. "That must be crazy juice in his cup, not coffee," Nisberg added, returning to work on this month's accounts payable aging report. "I'll do my work, same as always, but no extra effort now, that's for sure."

Jeffers is pleased with the results he believes his public humiliation of Nisberg has achieved. "My motivational speech to Larry really did the trick," beamed Jeffers. "He has buckled down and worked really hard this week. Challenging him in front of his co-workers added that little extra bit of pressure he needed to be a peak performer. And the beauty of it is," added Jeffers, taking a sip of his 'coffee,' "he was already doing a good job." He finished, "Oh, and I made sure to mention that, too, when we spoke on Friday. That managerial workshop I attended has really paid off."

Jeffers was presumably referring to his recent refresher course in Total Quality Management, a management program referred to informally by the rest of the office staff as "TQM - BFD."

When asked whether he thought Nisberg's productivity had improved, fellow accountant John Levine was clear. "Larry was so pissed off after Tom's rant, I doubt he did anything useful for the entire rest of the day," he noted. "And in the days since, he has repeatedly mentioned 'the incident,' as he calls it. He's been doing his job, but more productive? No way." Levine then added, "In fact, his obsession with 'the incident' is becoming a little disturbing.  Has he told you his theory about 'crazy juice'?"

Jeffers remains unaware of any ill-will or grudge Nisberg may bear for the public lambasting. "I think Larry's glad I 'raised the bar' for him," he noted confidently. "Sure, he turned red and shook, but I know deep down he appreciates the challenge."

"If that crazy-juice-swilling bastard wants me to, I'll increase productivity. Yeah, by productively working on my resume," added Nisberg while scribbling, then scratching out, "Tom Sucks" on his legal pad over and over again.