Two events over the last month or so have prompted this piece...............
Event # 1:
Yesterday over dinner, a friend of mine ( He holds a senior position at an IT American MNC ) was describing how people are fired in his establishment. Apparently the sacked employee receives an e mail from the HR that he need not turn up for work the following day & would he be so kind as to deposit his id card, lap top & associated paraphernalia at the front desk.He/She is told that they would receive their dues by post in the near future. Excellent I said, very simple and uncomplicated.
Event # 2:
On my morning walks ( my wife says it's more of a stroll ), I bump into a vegetable seller, with his cart. The guy is there, come sun, rain or cold. No casual leave, earned leaves & so on for the bloke. On occasion when time permits & vegetables are required at short notice I stop over & a desultory conversation ensues.About a month ago the grocer looked disturbed and unhappy. With some prodding he told me that he had lost a close family member and missed the person.He continued to be morose as the days passed.
Yesterday morning he hailed me from across the road. He looked pleased as a punch and very happy. Why? He gestured to three pups that were nipping at his ankles and were full of fun. He offered me one of them, for free, as the mother had taken off & he had become the surrogate mom, a responsibility that he wanted to lighten.It was obvious that he loved the pup's and felt responsible for them. The guy looked positively radiant.He empathized. While politely declining his offer ( how could I look after this mongrel pup, who has the time, I'm moving home shortly ) I went on my way............
The point I'm trying to make ( in a rather ham handed way ) is why do we lose our ability to empathize, with education and progress? I think, one reason being that culturally we are very individualistic. Indian's are quite individualistic but with exposure to western culture ( read American ) we have become even more so. Individualism has its own set of advantages, primary one being, the ability to generate rapid material progress.You do not get held back by stragglers!Why waste time in surrogating roadside pups? Also, once in the rat race insecurities grow and it is extremely difficult to pull oneself back.
One city, similar people but different cultures & behavior. The vegetable vendor does not talk about bottom lines ( as in a P & L account ) and share holder value but for me made a point.
A fundemental trait for the HR is empathy & if the HR professional cannot empathize with people around them and feel their pain then it would be prudent to park themselves elsewhere..................................
Today morning I found one pup missing. 'Where's the pup I queried?' He tersely told me that it was run over by a speeding vehicle. While turning away, I suspect, he hid a look of disgust.
