Man Versus Business – Can’t We Coexist?
Courtesy of JenniPenni
I was walking home from the gym and read this horrific story about the trainer that got killed at Seaworld. The interesting thing was… it still opened the next day.
Understanding both the business side and the human being side of things, it really made me think what the right thing to do would be.
Should the park be open that soon after such a tragedy? What should happen to the whale? What would the trainer have wanted? What about the trainer’s family? Could this have been prevented?
On a more broad scope I thought…
Should companies respect the human being side of things? Is big business more concerned about the bottom dollar than the human beings that bring in their dollars?
Although this particular individual loved their job, I believe now more than ever people are keeping their jobs despite their unhappiness. You might be asking, “Why would someone do such a thing?”
Let’s face it… a lot of people are scared of “the economy.”
But the thing is, when more people work more jobs they dread… more tragedies happen. Don’t they? Speaking from personal experience, I’ve been hearing more stress induced diseases the past few years than ever before (leading to emotional and even physical death).
But is their a right and wrong way to handle these issues? Should business still go on – so soon after a tragedy? Can’t man and business coexist as one happy family?
Maybe business should lead with their heart, not with their mind. Simple? Yes. Common? I’m not so sure.
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Maybe it is because some people have no heart. They think tragedy is part of life and do not stop for one minute to think of how it will affect other people. Who knows. It is sad, I know when I am driving my bus, and i hear someone is hurt, or there is an accident somewhere, my heart pounds very hard trying to concentrate on my driving thinking “is anyone really hurt”, I hate tragedy
Hey Winnie, I think that is a great point you made. That is why I wanted to talk about this – I think it’s an important theme to discuss for the future of a lot of businesses (especially ones in the US).
Jared, I can see the idealist coming out in you, it’s great! Personally, I can’t see how business and people can do without each other seeing how business is a creative product of humans. Of course, each incident needs to take into consideration all of the relevant factors affecting a case, but in general I believe that business today does not consider the human side of things enough. The human element too often goes underappreciated.
Modern capitalism requires too much focus on the bottom line. Instead of seeing their goal as providing a service to humanity, business is too often focused on the money they can make from their service. First money, then service (despite what the orientation materials and employee training seminars are saying). I believe this is hardly controversial and merely an objective observation.
This will change, and is changing, when people begin to want more for themselves and demand it from business- more respect, more consideration, among other things. If business can’t change then those of us who will not allow ourselves to work in any type of disrespectful situation will find others ways to live, independent of this type of relationship.
Since business needs people, business will have to change as we change.
Brian… very well said. I TRULY hope those that need to hear what you said, find their way to this.
I’ve not found an employer yet who prioritized people over profits. Perhaps that’s why they were making money? Or, perhaps they were making money in spite of this fact? I wrestle with this issue. But, for the businesses who honestly couldn’t care less about their employees, there are plenty of people simply willing to work in any condition nowadays. Yes, they’ll complain, but they’ll keep going back. Gotta have the bucks, gotta survive. Options are extremely limited currently. Plus, did the Sea World audience complain about the park being open the day after this tragedy? Probably not. The money kept moving, as it always does.
Hey Mark… some good points.
It’s tough for some – morals versus survival. It also raises some interesting points. Who is to blame? The employer for setting these conditions… or the people that don’t speak up (for fear of losing their job) and just continue to work in them?