Work until die…

It was in the newspapers and TV of a man committing suicide due to work pressure. Is this new? We are lucky in Singapore that we work by the law. There are so many hours of work, so many hours of rest, public holidays, shift work, part-time work, contract work and in between all the perks. However we still have people who collapsed at work of heart failure and died. You can say that the person deserved to die because she strives so hard but again, the pressure comes from the Management.

It was unfortunate to end one’s life by jumping off the roof. I believe the man had no choice. He wrote a last message to his parents apologizing for such action. When he was pressurized, who can he turns to…do Human Resource listens? NO! HR is for the Management…not worker nor staff. I was told this by Management. I was invited to sit on 'THE' HR chair if I get rid of this person subtly. The Management wanted him out and yet save their face and so I was asked to do it. Yes, I am to do it but with one condition attached… "if he walks in and say that it is either you or him, I am sorry it will have to be you" to leave. So you see how politic this is and I will be the scarifying lamb or the hero. I decided I do not want the job. I do not see why I need to do all these ugly things.

This factory in China owned by a rich and famous Taiwanese tycoon, is in the limelight for the wrong reason recently and the saga is not over yet. People grow their businesses so big, employed monkeys by paying them peanuts and let them loose. Main interest of a business man is to make money, the more the merrier because he can stand as social elite, have money to party, buy women around him, got power…and how those money break up with blood, they are blind to it. The tycoon stood up and say that he is not running an inhumane operations. He has to face the media and the public and probably because he is sitting on the fire now.

It is sad. I know production have time schedule to meet but human is human after all. Our body and mind have their limits. Some people are stronger and the stress thresholds are stronger but some are timid. Someone told me "In this world, if you do not work faster, work smarter, be with the right people, or join the gang…you are a gone-na". It is ever so true. I saw this with my own eyes. If you do not suck up to those who are the 'little people' in the company, all the worst and dirty jobs are done by you. Whether you like it or not, you perform, keep your mouth shut or you get the ‘boot’. The most mystifying thing…."Management believe in all these 'little people' and no matter how hard working you are, you will never get any where". The next most mystifying thing…”Management believes that anyone who holds a Degree, a Masters, a PHD are the brains”. These are the people that draw that highest pay, get the best benefits…does the least work…and get all the CREDITS! One reason…”because they have the gift of gap”. At a lower level we saw the effectiveness of these people, ONLY the Management are blind. Don’t jump the gun, I am talking about the people I know and not everyone is like that. Anyway Management never admit their faults…how can they admit they employed the wrong person? Loosing face is the utmost disgrace and after all it is not their company or it is public money, lose money just blame it on everything but themselves.

If there were 13 people committing suicides within a year or two, how can the Management be so numb that they did not realized something is not right? This happened in China’s Apple’s IPod factory . The Chinese are shouting not to support Apple IPod. Too bad Apple contracted their productions to such unscrupulous people. Yesterday in the news, the factory caught fire. I was wondering did this happened to redirect people’s attention…talk about the fire and not suicides?

Anyway, we are all out to make a decent living. Owner or Management just have to provide a decent job, decent pay, decent work hour, decent break time, decent housing, decent food canteen, decent recreation and decent overtime pay...so that we make money for them. I just wonder why anyone can be so proud of themselves, that they are better educated, holds a higher position, live in a bigger house, drive a bigger car and treated people who made money for them like dirt? Is this world logical?

Do we blame it on the people, no we blame it on the society. It is how to stand apart and be the elite.