What’s Wrong with Companies Today
The same things are wrong with our companies today as have been for many years. Correcting these problems could drastically turn around their productivity and give them a more competitive edge in the marketplace.
One of the most serious problems which has been ongoing for many years is that management is so detached from the rank and file employees and their concerns, they may as well be working on another planet. You know, management, the ones who hand down the edicts from above that are so off the mark, they are ludicrous?
There is probably not a person working today who hasn't rolled their eyes at the latest management directive that is absurd and should not be implemented for the good of the company. However, these giants of industry are so far removed from those who do the grunt work, they don't have a clue what is really going on or the employee climate as they remain aloft in their ivory towers and keep handing down their gems of wisdom.
Another problem is the lack of loyalty on the part of management. Of course, one can say that employees aren't loyal, either; but this may be attributed to the fact that employees are tired of being treated like chattel. They know they are expendable at the drop of a hat with no recourse. If there was more loyalty on both sides, it might be possible to have a truly strong company, held together by the cohesiveness of both management and workers. Will this ever happen? It's difficult to say.
Outsourcing is another huge problem today. Just make a call to any major corporation you deal with to try to obtain information about a statement. Do you know who you are speaking to or where they are located? Chances are they are not speaking to you from within the United States. It may be more cost effective for a company to outsource its labor force; however, do they realize how aggravating it is to the customer when they can't understand the person from whom they are seeking answers?
And another thing about outsourcing. Shouldn't companies realize that in these hard times, many unemployed workers are becoming desperate. Wouldn't it be kinder to keep jobs in the U.S. so our own work force could afford to live?
Companies who have cut salaries and benefits can't help but have an unstable workforce. Who in their right mind wants to work for a company that cannot offer a decent wage and at the very least some health benefits? It's bad enough when the wages are low, but to have to make less and try to pay for one's own health benefits is an unrealistic expectation on the part of a company. In today's economy, it's a struggle to keep a roof over the family and food on the table, let alone find money for extras like insurance.
American companies offering only one or two weeks of vacation per year are also sadly off the mark. If they would look at their European cousins, they would see that countries there give several more weeks of vacation per year and also give their workers a shorter work week. If this is being done in Europe, why can't it be done in the U.S.?
So, in assessing what is wrong with companies today, it can be said that most problems are caused by a definite divide in the way of thinking of management and workers. If the above problems (and others) could be discussed openly and honestly by both groups, perhaps they could come up with solutions that would create vast improvements in the world of business today.
The real question is do the heads of some of our biggest corporations want to do anything to improve these problems?
