a nervous employee bows deeply with exaggerated humility before a stern-looking executive seated at a large desk. The employee's posture shows extreme deference with hands clasped together and head lowered almost to the ground. The powerful executive leans back in an expensive leather chair looking down with satisfaction at the display. This submissive behavior happened after the employee made a mistake and now desperately seeks forgiveness. Other office workers in the background watch uncomfortably as their colleague grovels. Some shake their heads while others look away from the embarrassing scene. someone acting with obsequious deference and fawning subservience