Selfish

Today I felt like sharing this.  I found out/realized/enlightened, whatever you want to call it, that everyone (can I generalise), everyone in the corporate world is a selfish person.  

If you say, no I am doing things for the company, I am not selfish.  Yes you are.  You are only doing what you are paid for.  You won't go the extra mile to help others.

And whatever bosses ask you to do, it is for their own benefit.  To prepare for their meeting.  To come out with projections for their own discussion.  You are just a slave to your boss.  Nothing more, nothing less.

Perhaps when the company offer you some benefits, like medical insurance, dental, spectacles allowance, you will like the company care for you.  But in actual truth, if you are sick with a disease and can no longer function the way you did before, the company would kick you out no time.  Selfish?  Yes.  As they don't want to keep paying for a staff that can't be their slave.

I heard recently from my insurance agent.  He asked why I am not buying additional medical card for myself.  I said I am covered by the company.  And my spouse and kid as well.  Then he told me this real-life scenario in which this person was working in this company for many years.  He didn't buy a medical card as he assumed he will work till retirement.  Unfortunately, he had cancer.  The company that he has slaved for many years, terminated him.  Because of that, he no longer able to enjoy the medical benefits and ended up having to fork out money for his own cancer treatment.  

Unfortunately this is the sad reality. 

It's such an irony that we all become this selfish person from 9-5pm and when we reached home, we have to become unselfish as we care for our kids and also teach our kids not to be one.  To find the balance in that, it's something I wondered today.

But, why is everyone so selfish at work?  Only thinking of their work?  I run errands for my boss today.  Her personal errands.  Like her secretary but I am not one.  And can I say no?  I can't because she is my boss.  I have to do it.  But why is she asking me to run her personal errands when she can do it herself?  Because she is selfish.  End of story.

Can we change that?  When I was working in the audit firm (not the Big 4), my colleagues and I build very good relationship together that lasted even till today.  Though work was horrendous, deadlines were crazy, but we all work together to come out with the results.  It was so good that when we went for team building, we build such a good rapport with everyone that we shared so much and enjoyed that bond.  

But now, in the corporate life, not audit, people just don't care what you are doing.  Team building is useless as the top management still get special priority.  Everyone is so split because of hierarchy in the organisation.

The bosses do not respect their subordinates and the toxic environment is just getting worse.

Probably the answer is there.  Hierarchy.  When we were in audit, all of us were the same hierarchy.  There were only 2 managers but the rest are audit junior or audit senior and the audit seniors is oblige to teach the audit juniors.

But here, we don't learn.  You are supposed to find things out yourself.  Information is not pass down efficiently.  Everything is a secret.  No one knows what the other is doing.

I really miss those times working in the audit firm.  We all stayed back together, had supper together, work weekends together.  But here, everyone is just thinking of themselves.  When I go on leave, no one would follow up on my work.  It's just sad.

If people are kind, the kindness get taken advantage of.  Because of that, the kind people became unkind or passionless.

I want to give back to the community without expecting any return.  The big companies that are doing CSR?  They only want their name to be heard.

I felt happier doing that.  Giving back.  Now I am thinking in what way I can give back to the society  with the little that I have.