Corporations now sick work environments
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COMMENT, Melbourne — Corporations are often unhealthy, sick work environments. Not physically. At least not in the West. Emotionally.
Whilst corporations may have cleaned up the physical environment, we have created an unhealthy psychological and emotional environment.
Leaving many corporate workers of having the feeling of being empty and alone. Hollow vessels at times, especially over many years. And leading to unhealthy and socially irresponsible behaviours.
Instead the outcome of the upper echelons of the modern corporate workforce often seem to reward bitter, manipulative, win-at-all-costs people.
Why corporate workforce health matters…
We spend a lot of our lives at work. Many of us in corporate workforces, or in my case consulting to them.
This journal is about positive social change. And one aspect of that is changing the work environment where we spend a majority of our time, and where much of our adult humanization occurs.
2thinknow believe that the tolerance of political games and manipulation in the workforce has to cease.
Psychological health is not ‘being happy’ at all times. But corporate workforces to maintain and grow in staff numbers will need, for their own interest, to become mentally healthier places to work.
Political leaders are aware of this. I have seen numerous politicians give speeches on mental health, which is an urgent issue affecting the cities where we live, work and play. And the backbone of those cities are the corporate workforces which populate them.
Healthy cities need mentally healthy people.
On a personal note, many people have spoken or written to this journal at times about the corporate experience. Many are unhappy.
2 Personal examples of corporate ill-health
And as of this week, my own most recent experience, in a litany of experiences has been with 2 very negative people.
The first, a former senior manager, pretending to be egalitarian. Instead being misogynist, controlling and manipulative. Using anger as a control technique. And wanting to manipulate and judge others to cover his own lack-lustre performance.
Another a former senior corporate-lifer, seemingly hell-bent on tearing down new ideas.
I have so many times seen the corporate system turn out bitter, twisted individuals like this with psychological issues. Many of you have indicated to me similar experiences.
The reasons are less than clear. There have been some study into this, notably work on workplace psychopaths, including Dr John Clarke’s work.
Beyond that I might add the more meaningless the work tasks, the more manipulative the workers. Working to save lives is meaningful, working to make 1 cent extra profit on biscuits is not.
The Answer?
No one can say for sure. The corporate system does create cruel and unusual behaviours, much as the royal courts did in the 19th century.
Any overly bureaucratic system creates abnormal behaviors and resultant issues, as do many ideologies based on maximising self-interest. An overly dominant system always causes strange and unusual behaviors.
But here’s 3 steps to getting started for corporate workforces:
1. But we have to admit first of all that in corporations manipulation, undermining others and destroying other’s self-esteem do happen. Regularly.
2. Then admit that these are not healthy behaviors. Despite the short term results achieved by a specific manager.
3. And finally declare they are not acceptable.
And you can’t be friends with people who are mentally abnormal. And the corporation is increasingly forcing some of its workers in the upper echelons to choose between normal, positive, empathic behaviors and short-term ‘results’.
Results-driven behaviors lead to poor social outcomes
Polluting an environment, or destroying local farmers to make 1 cent extra profit per pack of biscuits is mentally unhealthy behavior. Long term it leads to a lack of empathy.
And I would observe that corporations, and their workforces often experience a dulling of feelings, or sensations. A dulling of joie de vivre. Some people become dead inside.
Not all corporations or workers in corporations experience this.
But having a lack of empathy, lack of feelings and psychopathic behaviors, is something that will not harm you in a corporation. At least not short-term.
We can do better in our societies
We need to redefine the nature of work in our workforces. We need to look at whether the corporate employers are acting again in the interests of society.
We need a conversation about work, and it’s effect on the psyche.
A conversation in each of the cities we work in.
Because in the end, we are not buried with our work colleagues. In the end we are not buried with our money. In the end we are not buried with our corporate title.
In the end, it is our family who will visit our grave and remember us.
And it is our family, and the cities where we work, live and play that determine how we will be remembered.
Your Say:
What do you think? How have your corporate work experiences been?
Speaker. Author. Editor-In-Chief. Executive Director of Innovation, 2thinknow.
One Response to “Corporations now sick work environments”
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I’m surprised I’m the first to comment. I couldn’t agree more - the corporate workplace is toxic. The trouble is if you say it how it is you’re seen as ‘negative’. Noone wants to acknowledge that the place they invest so much of their lives in has problems. People can’t see an alternative - so just try to make the best of it. I see so much unacknowledged stress and depression around me. Much of it is due to hierarchy and people being kept down because they don’t have/want the political skills and toxic personality required to “succeed”.