When someone is hired for a job, they join a community. Companies have a reason for existence and each person has a role. The truth is that that 'reason for existence' has to take precedence over any individual for the community to work. This can be brutal if the supporting community behind the scenes doesn't function properly. We can pretend companies are like a family. We can have colleagues that are friends. There comes a point however that companies end up having to make tough decisions. A job needs doing. The person involved is not capable of doing the job. The person wants something different to what is required. The person must go.
Puzzles are built around the big picture, not the individual piece
A friend was telling me about the performance management process someone he knew was involved in. The person being managed was kind, friendly and well-liked. They were just awful at their job. It is nice to think they would know that, and potentially look to move on anyway. I think we are dreaming if we think there is a perfect job for everyone. We typically fit people into jobs rather than build jobs around people. The hard truth is that jobs often mean much more to the individual than to the company. Losing or cutting one person doesn't change the company that much. If it does, that is called 'Key Person' risk and is something most businesses work hard to decrease. If people change or lose their jobs, their worlds change dramatically.
Part of the reason I am a fan of the idea of Community Building and a Universal Basic Income is that it levels the playing field a little in the work space. There is a big difference between working because you want to, and working because you have to. There is a big difference between buying into the 'reason for existence' of what you do, and doing it because you need the pay check. If a boss has to lay down the law and make you do something you don't want to do, because it needs to be done, you should be able to walk away. Most people can't. Most people have to suck it up. This means our happiness becomes overly dependent on the quality of our archy. There is a world beyond archy. There is a world beyond desperation.
I am looking forward to that world.
Part of the reason I am a fan of the idea of Community Building and a Universal Basic Income is that it levels the playing field a little in the work space. There is a big difference between working because you want to, and working because you have to. There is a big difference between buying into the 'reason for existence' of what you do, and doing it because you need the pay check. If a boss has to lay down the law and make you do something you don't want to do, because it needs to be done, you should be able to walk away. Most people can't. Most people have to suck it up. This means our happiness becomes overly dependent on the quality of our archy. There is a world beyond archy. There is a world beyond desperation.
I am looking forward to that world.
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