One of my first masters classes, back around 1992, was in management. Our instructor was the former director of a large, well-known hospital. They had one problem employee who'd reached a certain level of employ in the organization and his performance started to slide. Whether union or contract rules, I'm not sure, but they couldn't simply fire him. He was still doing some of the work, just not the work they needed him to do, and he was avoiding any and all no-no's which would have been instant grounds for termination.
They let it slide for a couple of years, but then this guy starting creating problems for the other employees, including various comments which, although they didn't cross any lines of continued employment, were causing some real problems with morale and discipline among the staff.
His solution: He created a new unit of a dozen people with a wonderful corner office view. After a month he proceded to remove the people one by one over from that unit until after six months, poor dufas was left up there all alone.
His move was 100% in accordance within the rules and regulations, but what was not forseen is what someone would do when they're left all alone, day after day. Essentially,
they starved him of human companionship, to the point where he was faced with either not doing his work just to interact with his fellow employees, or to retire and spent the rest of his time with his family.
He retired at the eight month point, and the next day the manager moved thirty highly-productive individuals up to that choice corner office.