by Una Hearne.
Boss vs staff. Employee vs employer.
Why is it so hard for people to work together in harmony? We depend upon each other and yet we often end up treating each other as enemies.
This is such an age old question and so much horseshit has been written and said about it that I hesitate to add to it. Hesitate yes, but of course still going to go right ahead and add my tuppence worth!
Here’s an example of being the boss setting up a business. You set up a company. You want to earn a living – hopefully a nice living from running something that provides value for customers who will pay for that value. You feel entitled to earn more than your employees because you are taking on more risk, responsibility and stress. You employ people in the business and pay them. You provide them with a regular income so they can buy a home, raise a family, go on holidays, drive a car – do all the things they couldn’t do without a decent income. Are they grateful? Do they treat you like the hero you are? No, of course not, they are too busy with their own concerns to think about it from your point of view. And you are dependent on your staff to some extent.
Here’s an example of being the employee. You get a job. You work your ass off and do your job really well. You contribute your brains and do even more than you were asked. You suspect your boss is earning FAR more than you (sometimes that’s true, sometimes it’s really not). Do you feel appreciated? Heck no! Your boss mostly doesn’t notice all that you do, often doesn’t even say thank you. Your boss is earning a fortune off the back of your work, how is that fair? They don’t see things from your point of view, they don’t understand your problems. You have a mortgage and bills to pay and it always seems like there isn’t enough money. And you are dependent on your boss to some extent.
Obviously both have valid points of view, everyone does. We often don’t understand or see other people’s points of view because we’re busy and it takes time and effort to think about things from someone else’s viewpoint. A lot of the time we don’t need to, but just sometimes it would make the world a better place for all of us if we did make the effort. When we are trying to live and work together and co-operate for everyone’s benefit, it really does makes a difference if we can remember that everyone has their own point of view and that it is equally as important as our own.
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