Not long ago, I met Charlie, an employee of a large manufacturing firm. Let’s just say we all grew up with the food product his company makes. I talked with Charlie about the company’s work environment, and he told me that the company was in bankruptcy, that he hadn’t gotten a raise in 3 years, and that the only information that he got on how the company was doing was what he was able to get on the news or over the internet.
This is nuts! What is this management team thinking? Do they ask themselves about the impact on staff or are they so overwhelmed by company problems that they can’t see past themselves?
I’m curious, does management understand and recognize that many (if not most) employee’s would have a hard time staying positive, committed, and hard working under these conditions? Is this management so deluded as to think that people “ought to just be happy they have a job in this economy”?
Unless they are in the habit of hiring saintly types, it’s not likely that too many people are going to be able to remain positive, committed and hard-working for an extended period in those circumstances. I’m not suggesting that employees don’t have the capacity to do it, what I am suggesting is that it is unrealistic to expect it from employees because “it’s what they are paid to do.”
Employees are paid to do the job, but there are expectations that are unwritten that go along with the agreement to provide work for pay. Though it is not in the job description, employees expect to work in a positive environment, they expect to be kept informed, and they expect to at least be able to keep their financial footing which means they will get raises equal to the inflation rate. If these circumstances are not being met, management should consider that they are fortunate if they have positive, committed, and hard-working employees.
Oh, and one question: How many executives got bonuses during this same time period?
