Why is the corporation so hostile to workers?

Why is it that so many companies in treat their workers with such contempt? It seems that the attitude of management in most organizations is that workers are just widgets that can be replaced without any regards to ethics or morality. I understand that business is sometimes forced to make hard decisions and make changes in headcounts, but what I am talking about is a prevailing adversarial attitude towards workers in general. Sadly it seems that companies no longer value their people, the bottom line comes above all things, and this is a culture that is widespread. It almost seems in some cases that they are intentionally striving to treat their workers as poorly as possible. I guess a better question is, why are we as human beings, tolerating and accepting all the mistreatment that is taking place? There just seems to be no concern for making workplaces decent places to go any more. One thing I have noticed is a large division between salaried workers and hourly workers, who are treated as less intelligent second class citizens (never mind that there are a lot of very smart people who just never had the resources for college). And there is persistent push to remove protections, benefits, and basically any perks for workers they can take. What is the goal? Do they realize that miserable people make miserable workers? There are studies that show that productivity is directly related to happiness. Just a rant, but it seems to get worse every year and you wonder where this is going to lead us all. You wonder what would happen if someone introduced a workplace where people were actually treated well and their happiness was an actual metric in the boardroom. I wonder how such a company would do against the standard model? Is this the only way to do business?


Study linking productivity to happiness

www.theguardian.com...



Workplace depression linked to bosses, not workload


sciencenordic.com...

a reply to: openminded2011

A bit of a generality in this post. How about an example? Name the company and the circumstance.

I'm not saying this doesn't or isn't happening, I do see an extremely powerful H.R. that protects it's workers-perhaps to avoid legal issues-more than any time in my 65 years.

Wages and benefits should be excluded, in my opinion, as economic factors trumps and they change regularly.

Family time, pregnancy time, sick days etc. all were non-existent not that long ago.....

a reply to: openminded2011

A lot of it is anchored in Policies created by people that don't even work their anymore. They often write policies based on what's best for the company financially. This gets them promoted. The new people in charge wont dare change policies that might reduce the bottom line even when they can see that it is not good for the employee.

They only make change under lawsuits.

It seems that a happy worker is a productive worker.

I doubt most businesses treat there employees like crap, but there are many managers who believe that the low skilled, low paid workers are a dime a dozen. I know because I've been in that situation before, so there are hostile work places. But worker turn over would indicate a problem for managers, esp. if you're doing a good job and then quit or get fired and they have trouble keeping any new workers for more than a week. That's a lot of paper work every time they have to hire new employees.

Personally I'd like to see some stats on this and what big corporations have trouble holding on to workers.

The thing is workers are all competition for top positions at the company. The reason many are probably treated so badly is because the ones at the top are more worried about their job security than the average worker, so they treat you as potential threats to their livelihood. If the average worker makes an effort understand the kind of pressure their bosses are constantly under they would probably fare a lot better than those who make constant complaints and gossip to their co workers.

My company treats me like a family member. I work my tail off for them, and they return my 110% with increasing wages and benefits (although those have gotten rather expensive the last couple years). Sometimes, the workers should appreciate that others are willing to pay them to work in their business.

I am not saying that some employers aren't scumbags, but so many people who have never paid payroll taxes, unemployment taxes, workers comp insurance and waaaay more, just dont realize how much MORE the actual employer is forced to pay in order to keep the average employee un the payroll. It has alot more to do with taxes and other aspects of our laws than simply paying a good employee a good wage, often times (but not all) it's all a company can afford...often times their greatest "needs" that keep them in business are what they spend the most on, and then they too have to contend with the backlash from that.

No, all employers are not treating their workers like slaves

a reply to: openminded2011

They only care about money.

If all their employees died screaming but made them an extra nickel they wouldn't care.

a reply to: openminded2011

Sad fact of the matter is you are just a widget that is easily replaceable. I've been told as much by people in the large corporation I work for.

Funny thing... I just got a corporate email a few weeks ago basically telling me that, above all else, the company matters most and my personal well being comes second. Not kidding.

Bottom line is all that matters to the executives that collect massive bonuses, they don't give a rats behind about you or your families happiness.

My advice is to take what you can if you work for a corporation like this and don't be loyal, if something else comes along that is more to your liking, take it and don't look back. Eff the man.

a reply to: Gully

The solution in a widget environment is to become an extremely valuable widget...

a reply to: nwtrucker

Sure, that can work... I've also seen it first hand where it hasn't.

But you also have to contend with nepotism. And if you aren't an ass kisser sometimes it doesn't matter how good of a job you do.

a reply to: openminded2011

Because they don't see them as human beings or even living beings, they see them as a resource.

a reply to: Gully

That is true. There is no sure path to a good career/job.

I have yet to see a job or position that didn't have the same pitfalls, be it corporate politics or small company weirdnesses.

At least these days career mobility is an accepted fact. In the day, one was stuck where one was. Far more options these days, from on-line training, starting one own business, or just moving on.

The quality people, if they persist, have the best chance of finally finding their niche.

Blaming others for one's situation is a complete waste of time.....

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

Allow me to introduce you to Walmart sometime. There's a fantastic documentary about it called "Walmart : the High Cost of Low Prices". Guaranteed to make your blood boil.

originally posted by: nwtrucker
a reply to: Gully

That is true. There is no sure path to a good career/job.

I have yet to see a job or position that didn't have the same pitfalls, be it corporate politics or small company weirdnesses.

At least these days career mobility is an accepted fact. In the day, one was stuck where one was. Far more options these days, from on-line training, starting one own business, or just moving on.

The quality people, if they persist, have the best chance of finally finding their niche.

Blaming others for one's situation is a complete waste of time.....

"blaming others for one's situation is a complete waste of time"......I wonder if marie antionnette, or the peter the tzar of Russia, said that right before they murdered both of their entire families........I guess there wasn't enough of those "quality" people to protect them from the massive groups of poor people

Publicly traded corporations have an obligation to their shareholders to obtain maximum achievable profits. Private companies have to compete with these corporations.

This system started and worked for some time relying on an enchanted work force. The American dream. Work hard as a team, pay your taxes and enjoy national prosperity.

Our "teams" have been departmentalized.
Taxes are being squandered
Things are not so prosperous all around.

It is not that the corporation is trying to be hostile, it was designed to adapt to conditions set by our government policy and regulations. So when something happens like; CHINA gets allowed into the WTO, corporations must adapt and they did.

When our government policy and regulations only require a slap on the wrist for profits made doing something illegal then there is a market value in that. Penalty/profit is formula that gets profitable results which is a corporations obligation to shareholders. It is not the corporations fault that there was a window of opportunity created by law and policy makers.

originally posted by: redhorse
a reply to: openminded2011

Because they don't see them as human beings or even living beings, they see them as a resource.

Employees are a resource. Sorry but that's the cold truth.

I suggest that anyone wanting to know the historybof the modern corporation and the effects on society watch this video. It is a MUST if you do not already know.

The Corporation



This is a good video narrated by Martin Sheen.

Death by China



That should tie up your Saturday

a reply to: jimmyx

That post doesn't even make sense. This isn't the same time or circumstance. I'm talking individual survival/success.

Spouting how one is 'victimized' by it all, serves no purpose unless one a politico.

There has NEVER been a society where there wasn't stress to survive...EVER.

That's reality. How one deals with those stresses is my point. Crying about it all is only successful for babies with their mothers. Doing something about it, on an individual basis, is the key.

originally posted by: Hoosierdaddy71

originally posted by: redhorse
a reply to: openminded2011

Because they don't see them as human beings or even living beings, they see them as a resource.

Employees are a resource. Sorry but that's the cold truth.

Only the life insurance policy corporations take out on workers that do not have one are a resource. The rest is a liability and harmful to profit margins. That is why the corporations are here and most of the workers are in Asia... their problem.

a reply to: openminded2011

There is generally a difference being employed by a faceless gigantic organisation, and by a smaller company where people actually do meet and greet.

Corporation sees only the anonymity of its workforce, because they are fulfilling a socialistic dream. There are corporations and there are employees. It is an ideology. Individual employee is just a wheel in a machinery, replaceable, measurable, statistics.

A smaller entity, a company, represents capitalism in its purest and in its best. The individual employee and his/her input is valuable and recognised, cared for.

But when a company grows, buys other companies and grows even more - it very often shreds off all the good parts of capitalism, and embraces principles of socialism. Including hiring psycopaths-only into their management.