dear John Payson,
i aggree with you about the humanity. one question who will going to fire those executives?

Minutes after reading your post I suggested “escalating” an issue. As the word came out of my mouth I laughed inside and questioned what I really meant. Powerful stuff. As your work is focused on efficiency I imagine you are keenly aware of de-humanization on a daily if not hourly basis. I applaud the fact that you recognize the pitfalls of de-humanization and are concerned enough to write about it. Social interactions take time, energy and consideration – making them more “efficient” is counter-productive as deep human relationships are both highly productive and rewarding. We are by nature social creatures and have developed an interdependent society that is crucial for our survival as individuals and as a species. Technology, particularly communications technology, as a means of both connection and division for people is interesting to watch.

btw, Welcome to Backcountry!

-Sandi

The existence of an Human Relations Department in modern corporations is the ultimate of your example of dehumanizing.

The reason the function exists is so that operating management does not have to face the human beings they decide to fire. I am sure there are those who argue otherwise. But upon full reflection most people will see that the reality of how HR is used is that work is assigned to keep people occupied so that they are available to carry out the firings– so that the executives do not have to face anyone.

When a company lacks the current or future ability to productively engage and employee a human being it may have no choice but to lay-off or terminate the employee. That said; there should be no pretense regarding what is occurring and no diminishment of the amount of anguish and disruption faced by the employee and their family.

My goal as a manager is to avoid lay-offs through careful planning, conservative spending and flexibly and creatively approaching problems. When lay-offs or terminations have been unavoidable, my goal has been to: communicate specific information as far in advance as possible, to be fair, to be as generous as possible and to treat each individual with compassion and respect.

This practice has actually helped me make better and more thoughtful hiring decisions, critically examine my plans and assumptions and work really hard to prevent the circumstances that lead to terminations and lay-offs.

AND don’t forget the Sam Clemen’s quote,
“The difference between the right word and the Almost right word is the difference between Lightning and the Lightning Bug”

Take a breath and reflect before you speak … highly recommended.

Exactly right, and in business, the way in which customers are treated does make a difference in consumer purchasing decisions.

Let me share a personal example. I live in a small country town in South Korea. Whenever I feel like a drink with a few mates, there are three or four decent ‘beer houses’ to choose from, but I personally always suggest the some place every time.

Why? Simple. Because the other beer houses treat me with politeness, but the owner of one particular venue showers me with friendliness, as opposed to mere politeness. Although she does not speak much English, she always has a big smile, referring to all of her customers by name.

Other beer house owners give the attitude of “I will serve you politely because you are a customer,” but this one particular owner gives the attitude of “I’m glad you came and I will be delighted to serve you because you are an important person, not just a source of revenue for my business.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar's_number