[smiths1999]

These are all legitimate issues and would certainly have me looking for another job, but I think to say these "instill fear" trivializes truly fearful situations. Being an immigrant using a coyote to cross the border into the US seems like a fearful situation and a far fetch from not getting your vacation days approved. Were you legitimately afraid during these situations?

[joe5150]

I don't think "actually afraid for your life" is necessarily the floor for whether or not management tactics are fear-based. I can easily see a lot of these problems, in a certain environment, originating as a means of making people fearful of workplace instability.