In 2009 the Deutsche Handwerks Zeitung, the newspaper of the skilled trades, advised: Ein Lob an eine einzelne Person wird immer unter vier Augen ausgesprochen … Praise for an individual is always given under four eyes, between two people, with an exception for official honors. Ein zu öffentliches oder zu einseitiges Lob schürt Neid und Missgunst. Praise that is too public or too one-sided stirs envy and resentment.
In 2015 the Deutsches Ärzteblatt advised doctors who lead a practice to consider carefully whether to praise a staff member in front of the team. An orthodontist quoted in the article said that praise must not arouse the envy of the other staff. The doctor should never start a contest of praise. Das führt allzu oft nur zu bösem Blut im Team. That too often leads only to ill feeling in the team.