I'm writing this post and my guess is it will be longer than my normal posts. You know when you sit down to write a diary post to sort out your feelings -- that's what this post is.
I have an MBA and I'm an entrepreneur. I'm a capitalist. I believe in capitalism (for the most part). I understand very well that profit is a strategic imperative. I understand that managers sometimes need to make what appear to be bad decisions or inhuman decisions to achieve profit. Unfortunately, I understand the rationale of laying off a division of a company because the organization needs to go in a different direction. In most instances, I view this type of rationale as a strength of the US economic and politics system as opposed to those countries that have stringent rules about when a company can fire a person mandatory employment.
At the same time, I think I have an understanding of the human toll of layoffs. I feel connected to the people I work with -- and even when it doesn't work out from an ongoing employment situation. I want to be friendly toward them -- and them toward me if I see them at the market.
However, capitalism shouldn't be a license to fuck other people or to be a dick. Unfortunately, that's what the US version of capitalism has come to stand for. It's hard for me not to be disgusted by the financial shenanigans of wall street over the past few years. And you should know, I believe in universal health care.
However, this wasn't meant to be a political post. It's a personal post. My dad is a rheumatologist. He's been in private practice for about 40 years and has worked the majority of his professional life with the same hospital. Just recently, my dad's practice stopped receiving referrals from that hospital. No one bothered to communicate that to my dad. As a result, my dad's business was affected ....but more importantly, his sense of connection to a career and to people has been deeply wounded.
I'm seeing where I want this post to go now.
I guess the thing that disturbs me the most is that the hospital didn't call and tell him directly of they're decision to stop referrals. It's this loss of human relation and acknowledge -- that may be uncomfortable or hard -- that is so important. It's not just business -- it is often very personal.
I know that the scenario I layed out is subjective and complex. I know there's many other sides to the story. But, I'm feeling bad for the humiliation my dad must feel after working somewhere 40 years and having that disregarded. That's gotta feel shitty. And at the very least -- this post acknowledges him and his work.
