Freedom to Comment Reflections

I worked at a company years ago and the company was so hostile towards certain employees that there were several occasion that I felt that I had to speak up. I was working for a transportation company and I was the warehouse manager. The warehouse workers were treated so badly that they were not even considered as equals with anyone else in the company. For instance, the warehouse was expected to open for business at 5am whether there was work to be done or not. The office would schedule work at any time of day on any day without regard for the workers personal life. Even the simplest of courtesies was never extended to the warehouse. One day I was at work and it began snowing after a few hours of the snow falling I began to wonder if the company was planning on closing early. When I went into the office to see what the plan was, there was no one in the offices. The company had shut down and didn’t bother to tell anyone in the warehouse. With this being said, I found myself as the warehouse manager constantly needing to defend the warehouse personnel.

The entire company blamed the warehouse for every problem that existed. This situation could be considered comical except for the fact that individuals were losing money and jobs as a result of this scapegoating. I was forced to fire three people while working at this company for reasons that were absolutely ridiculous. I kept finding myself trying to speak for the personnel but the management did not want hear me. In fact I was ostracized by the managers and the other personnel. Every time I tried to speak for the warehouse they would start pointing out problems in the warehouse operations. I knew they were trying to get me to shut up by morally I felt compelled to speak up. After a year I was terminated from the job without reason.

The organizational culture was hostile towards anyone who they perceived as an outsider. Because I would not bend to their demands I think they viewed me as being aloof or self-righteous. In reality I was just trying to do my job properly and fairly. What is really stupid about the situation is that the company was self-defeating with regard to improving their warehouse division because they hire managers that they know they are going to continue to attack. The company has gone through six managers since I have left the company. What a waste of money. To this day I cannot figure out how this company was successful.