The city of Rotterdam, The Netherlands has installed cynicism hotlines so that individuals can report their coworkers who are too cynical about work.

Since last week civil servants in Rotterdam can report ill-tempered colleagues to an online ‘cynicism’ hotline. The city says the move is part of a drive to improve the working environment.

The announcement on the city administration’s intranet has caused a stir among the more than 14,000 civil servants in Rotterdam. Some say the measure is superfluous; others fear it will encourage snitching among colleagues. “It’s just another case of the nanny state,” sighed one civil servant who requested anonymity.

A spokesperson for the city denied the initiative encourages snitching. “Perhaps the word hotline was ill-chosen, “he said. “It is not about punishment, but about support. It is not about specific people, it is about a specific type of behaviour. People are bothered by negative behaviour.”

I’m afraid my first thought was not nanny state, but big brother and/or stasi state.