Brothers and sisters, can you spare $3, and your opinion
I'll make this brief. Mainly because I've got to get hustling: If I can find 12 airport smartcarts in the next hour, I'll have enough sp'ange to catch a day transit pass - thus, Laura can stay home, in bed, instead of picking me up at work.
I've been thinking a lot about the meeting I attended yesterday (see below), and I'm ultimately questioning the appropriateness of the comparison between fostering our children, and coaching our coworkers and employees.
We're talking apples and oranges here - and it's not a valid comparison for everyone, if anyone. I'm thinking of the childless, but I'm also thinking of all of the lousy parents out there that are less than lovingly involved in their childrens upbringing.
And then, well, there's us: parents of dead children.
Let us remember, I work in the airline industry, an industry that has a larger than average percentage of potentially childless families; ie. Gay and Lesbian singles & families - now, I understand that Gay and Lesbian families have children, but until very recently it wasn't necessarily such a common thing, especially when comparing Gay and Straight families (us breeders).
So here we are - a larger than average pool of potentially childless people ... And yet, this is the only way for us to convey a message of fostering a positive work culture - by suggesting that we treat our employees and colleagues in the same respect that we treat our children?
Maybe I should say something - or maybe it's just mountains and molehills.
I've been thinking a lot about the meeting I attended yesterday (see below), and I'm ultimately questioning the appropriateness of the comparison between fostering our children, and coaching our coworkers and employees.
We're talking apples and oranges here - and it's not a valid comparison for everyone, if anyone. I'm thinking of the childless, but I'm also thinking of all of the lousy parents out there that are less than lovingly involved in their childrens upbringing.
And then, well, there's us: parents of dead children.
Let us remember, I work in the airline industry, an industry that has a larger than average percentage of potentially childless families; ie. Gay and Lesbian singles & families - now, I understand that Gay and Lesbian families have children, but until very recently it wasn't necessarily such a common thing, especially when comparing Gay and Straight families (us breeders).
So here we are - a larger than average pool of potentially childless people ... And yet, this is the only way for us to convey a message of fostering a positive work culture - by suggesting that we treat our employees and colleagues in the same respect that we treat our children?
Maybe I should say something - or maybe it's just mountains and molehills.
posted by justinian at 8:21 PM
5 Comments:
you know what i think - you should tell training it's not a great way to teach and why, or it will never change.
and thank you for spanging so i can sit at home with my diarrhea. mwah.
yeah, i think that's lame. tell 'em. very good point. you guys are so good together.
rachel
If their point is to relate to people then they should have a look at their target audience. You are right - the whole child/coworker comparison is not appropriate in your (or probably any) industry. It just won't resonate so why waste the time and money on something so ineffective?
And that's all apart from the cruelty of slapping you (in particular) around the face with that particular wet fish. You should help these morons save themselves some cash - tell them.
I agree that it isn't appropriate, dead kids or not. Employees aren't children, the company/managers aren't parents, the whole thing is flawed. I make great efforts to never characterize my students (who often act like children, being only 19 or 20) as children, or myself as a parent, or any of that crap. It leads you down a dangerous road.
Say something! But then I would say that, wouldn't I?
I agree -- it is all part of our child-obsessed culture, really. I don't agree with alot of the anger behind the 'childfree movement', whatever that really is, but you have to agree that there are alot of valid points there. Also, only after losing my own child did i realize how baby-obsessed this nation is...
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