Corporates in today's day and age have a bad reputation of working their employees to their bone. Is it Why the ethical and moral obligations of the employee and the employer seems to be fading?
If you have heard tales of how it was to work in the 70s, 80s or 90s; you would know that the pay was far less than the scale it is at today. Yet, there was a certain level of loyalty affiliated to the company. This may be because of proper working hours and paid overtime.
Another aspect could be the employee-employer relationship. I remember growing up hearing stories of how my dad who has worked as a manager in multiple companies had treated his subordinates. In one of the companies he worked for, he had 900 odd workers underneath him. Whenever they came visiting, they only had good things to say about their manager.
One such instance I remember is from when I was a little kid. My dad and I were on our way to meet my grandmother. While we were walking, a man approached my father. He was unknown to me and my father also seemed confused. He asked my father if he recognized him, but my father stood there puzzled. The man introduced himself and told my father that they worked at the same company.
My dad had quit his job in mid-90s and this incident happened in late 00s. My dad realized who he was once he mentioned the name of the company. My dad put out his hand, offering a hand shake. But the man bowed a little and said you are our manager how could I shake hands with you. My father said that he use to be a manager back in the day, but on that day they met as two human beings and there was nothing wrong in giving a hand shake.
He shook my dad's hand and looked over at me and said that my father was a manager who never treated them as someone below him, but same as him. He was always fair and never favored one party over another. I felt so proud that day and my naive mind thought that was how relationships were in an organization... One of loyalty and respect.
And was I in for a surprise, when I got into a corporate job. Nowadays, the managers and their subordinates call each by first name in order to blur the distinction in authority. But in this process they also miss out on the respect that the position holds.
When previously managers were called as "saab", which is for sir/ma'am, it was out of respect. If not always for the man who held the title, then for the title itself. There was a certain weight given to the words of a manager. Unlike now where the lines are so blurred that these seniors are taken for granted.
But can we only blame the lack of fealty on a change that is now socially accepted. The answer is no. Back in the day, employees were allowed to have a life outside of the companies or factories they worked for. I remember having my dad's company employees coming over to wish him on his birthday.
Be it a celebration or a demise, everyone from the owner of the company to the janitorial staff would come to show support. In today's companies, they buy one cake for all the birthdays in that month. There are standardized emails sent by corporate managers and heads on birthdays, thanks to Google Calendar. There are hardly any efforts made to create a bond. Rather, the more the distance, the easier it is for them to replace/relieve you.
Both the company owners and the people working in it are not striving to maintain a standard nor to create a big name, but rather to make money. Isn't it the blatant reality of today's market.
The companies are competitive only to have a higher profit margin than others in their field. Whereas, those on pay grade are in it for being able to pay the bills and make ends meet. With this money mindedness, there is no place for moral values like respect or loyalty. I bet you have read these words more times in this article than you have observed at your own work place.
I do not intend to shame the work environment that we have today on its entirety. However, we must take measures to bring back these emotions that could become driving force to increase productivity and not just having unhappy employees slog all day within four walls and ending the day with no human connections, but resentment and depression.
P. S. The images belong to their rightful owners and not me.
