"Nip in the bud" is not retaliation. You can ban politics at work in order to "nip in the bud" political bias, or ban some sorts of intimate relationships amon

"Nip in the bud" is not retaliation. You can ban politics at work in order to "nip in the bud" political bias, or ban some sorts of intimate relationships among employees and the pursuit thereof to "nip in the bud" allegations of sexual harrassment. It's ridiculous to consider these as retaliatory moves.