An article caught my eye last night. It talked about the fears creeping into the upper ranks and the board rooms of big companies. Apparently Americans’ dissatisfaction with the enormous greed of some of these people has them wondering if someone will sooner than later take out their frustration on them in the same manner workers in Europe are kidnapping executives in ransom for labor demands. (A practice noted in the article as being considered quite acceptable by most folks in France, thanks to the entitlement mentality of labor unions that pervades the EU.)
Can’t say as I blame them. You lay in your bed, it gets wrinkled, kiddo. When you pay individuals multi-million dollar salaries to be nothing more than the spewer of weasel words to “analysts”, when you cut workers or their pay but still pay bonuses to your good old boys and girls at the top, you are behaving unethically. And somewhere deep inside your twisted, selfish little minds, you know this. I don’t condone violence, but you know that if something doesn’t change, it’s just a matter of time before someone else whose little balls aren’t in all the little holes decides to take you out with them.
The article quoted Kelly Klatt, CEO of Center for Security Solutions, an Orlando, Fla.-based consulting firm. “They are doing ‘what if’ planning. ‘What if it gets worse? What do we need to do to protect our management?’”
The answer is so simple even a 5th grader could answer it. Change your ways. One small move would change the climate and perceptions of big business forever: the executives of any company that has to lay off employees or cuts salaries in order to stay viable should automatically forfeit any and all bonuses for the year. I know of some companies where smart, honest, and fair-minded owners have chosen to tie everyone’s compensation to the performance of the company and everyone, from worker to owner, is quite happy. Their productivity is solid and loyalty is high. Because both owners and workers know their relationship is a symbiotic one – if one side thrives, they all thrive.
Just think of all the money that companies would save. In light of the mainstream media’s coverage of the AIG bonus outrage, I’m surprised shareholders from sea to shining sea haven’t already demanded this. Particularly when this fear of retribution swelling in the bosoms of CEOs and other executives is now costing the shareholders real money in the form of paying for physical security. But I suppose the boards and executives are counting on shareholder ignorance, the same way Congress counts on the ignorance of its constituents.