(no subject)
Jordan was livid when he found out about the lay-offs at work. His friend, Nathan, was one year away from retirement. Pat, the grandmotherly cashier, had served the company for 25 years. He fumed about the decline of true customer service, the expectation to increase sales with less and less staff.
Today at breakfast, my mother brought it up. Uh-oh, I thought...sore subject. I was surprised to hear my mother say that the bottom line is, and will always be, that 'they' (my company, your company, all of 'them') don't care about you (me, you, anyone). She used my last job as an example. I had bought in so wholeheartedly to the company's vision and standard. When I acted out of those beliefs, they turned on me because I was challenging one of their decisions. In the end, the people I thought I could trust...really didn't care.
Her statements stuck a nerve. I replied (perhaps too emphatically) that her view was just...so..cynical. After all that has happened, I don't think an employee can be successful (and content) if they believe that their employer has it out for them at every turn, that they truly don't care. Corporate America will always stand for something - good and bad, depending where the chips fall. However, it is that defeated viewpoint that will keep us from maintaining any sort of work ethic.
Right now, my new job looks and feels like a beast. Still, I have to press forward...and trust. Trust that I will be supported, that we are working towards a common goal, that we can create innovative solutions.
Today at breakfast, my mother brought it up. Uh-oh, I thought...sore subject. I was surprised to hear my mother say that the bottom line is, and will always be, that 'they' (my company, your company, all of 'them') don't care about you (me, you, anyone). She used my last job as an example. I had bought in so wholeheartedly to the company's vision and standard. When I acted out of those beliefs, they turned on me because I was challenging one of their decisions. In the end, the people I thought I could trust...really didn't care.
Her statements stuck a nerve. I replied (perhaps too emphatically) that her view was just...so..cynical. After all that has happened, I don't think an employee can be successful (and content) if they believe that their employer has it out for them at every turn, that they truly don't care. Corporate America will always stand for something - good and bad, depending where the chips fall. However, it is that defeated viewpoint that will keep us from maintaining any sort of work ethic.
Right now, my new job looks and feels like a beast. Still, I have to press forward...and trust. Trust that I will be supported, that we are working towards a common goal, that we can create innovative solutions.