Emman 
The landscape of corporate business has changed over the years. And this has frustrated thousands of millennials. When can we taste the sweetness of “back in the day”? Is there any hope of reverting to the past?
Imagine this:
Your senior worker of about 25 years in the company is telling you great stories about how great their boss was before. Benefits were great and employee recognition was apparent.
Their old boss taps their backs and says, “Good job! Thank you for your contribution!”, as your senior worker describes it.
You had observed that his eyes were glimmering, and it pitched his voice higher than usual. He was enthusiastic about his story of how great their boss was.
I bet you heard these kinds of stories in your workplace, once or twice.
For over 5 years and jumping to 4 different companies, it’s no stranger to me that my senior colleagues have talked about terrific experiences with their bosses many years ago. It’s like a wonderful fairy tale to them. Where employees and management have co-existed harmoniously.
The boss loves them and they love their boss back.
They always sing the same tune as what working was like many years ago.
Are we late for the party?
Why does it feel like we are late for something beautiful?
Why does it always have to be, “It’s better back in the day”?
Currently, corporations are now measuring a lot of metrics more than ever. They translate everything into money. It’s all about profit and shareholders.
Now, we’ve now become disposable assets, and we’re reduced to become commodities. Employees were not first anymore, they are now part of the calculations. Management is degrading.
Instead of employees peeking over their shoulders over the board, they are now part of it. We’re now just a piece of the pie chart.
That’s how they see us now rather than complex human beings. It’s sad to know that as we progress in our evolution, business decisions are based on the numbers that run on someone’s spreadsheet.
In April 2015, Gravity Payments CEO Dan Price announced that all of his employees will receive a minimum wage of $70,000 to live a “normal life”. In exchange, he slashed his salary of $1.1m to the same amount. Yes, he’s only taking $70,000 as a CEO.
Some say it was too trivial, revolutionary perhaps, but it worked for him. They dubbed him as the “best boss in America”.
When COVID-19 pandemic hit, Gravity Payments employees had agreed to cut their pay. Some volunteer to have a pay cut of 30%, some 50%, and some even worked for free. Workers stepped forward and made the move.
That made Dan’s company stay afloat despite the gravitating loss because of COVID. If you take care of the plant, time comes that it will bear fruit and give you shade when it becomes a tree.
Companies at the present are now counting things more than ever. Every buck that goes in and out of the cash flow is now accounted for. Every asset and liabilities, even man hours, are now counted in dollars.
But there are things that can’t count, that for me, matter most: happiness, contentment, servitude, and recognition.
You know… just some basic forms of humanity, the deep roots of a passionate worker. Can they cost that down? Or shareholders are so laser-focused on profits?
Where are the good bosses?
Are they gone missing or the business environment has just changed? Are they hidden somewhere or they can’t just play the game like they used to?
Why does it have to be that employees are always on the begging end?
Is there still hope to improve the conditions of an average worker?
When will business decisions become human again?
As I was writing these, I am inviting more questions than answers. I am just hoping we’re still not past that point where we can work with great satisfaction and a happy heart.
I believe it shouldn’t be this controversial to put your employees first and care for them.
I hope that in the future, I can no longer hear that “it’s better back in the day”. And I’m not losing faith.