Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Skills vs. People

OK, if workers are expendable, as I suggested in yesterday's blog, that means (according to the dictionary) that workers are "capable of being, or to be, consumed, used or sacrificed". Geeez that's a little scary. No, a lot scary. But apparently reasonably accurate given corporate America's approach to managing human capital. Workers are "consumed" by virtue of the fact that companies suck every bit of benefit out of them that they can. And "used" only to the extent a worker can benefit the corporate interest. And then "sacrificed", when retaining a worker is no longer in the company's immediate financial best interest.

Gives new meaning to the mantra that companies hire skills and fire people. Clearly, the corporate priority is skills, not people.

Is that right? Is that ethical? Is that compassionate? Should it be the American way? No, to all of these. But it is REALITY.

More later.

willy

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