[willpower101]

as i pointed out above, it's not like this is some game. They keep track of this stuff. They are well trained. They have procedures they follow. The only reason people feel like playing hardball works is because HR has done a damn good job to make sure that you feel that way once you jump through all the required hoops to get something done. People generally do not understand this nor have any concept (or awareness for that matter) of the field of corporate psychology.