Do we lose our humanity when we put on our work clothes?

I once worked at a company where the marketing team had come up with an idea that was overtly and deliberately socially and environmentally responsible. They had tied the idea up so that it neatly reinforced the brand proposition, and it wouldn’t have been an expensive initiative. It was for a business to business product, so the audience was corporates. When they showed the idea to the sales team, one of the responses was that, in their experience, corporates don’t care about CSR.

It was extremely disappointing and sobering. We couldn’t hold it against the sales team – their legitimate observations were that corporates are overwhelmingly driven by numbers and bottom lines; that they want to see factual stuff not feelgood stuff. But what jarred for me was that, in my personal observation, by far the overwhelming majority of individuals do care, do have a conscience and do want to make a difference, even in some small way. Why is it, then, that when we put on our work clothes and go to the office, that humanity disappears?

It’s like an adult version of peer pressure, but in a kind of reverse: as kids, we may be pressured to do things we don’t want to; as working adults, we’re pressured to not do things we do want to. That kind of adult pressure has a place when we’re potentially harming ourselves or others, for example by driving drunk, but how is it desirable if we’re trying to do good for others?

In many work environments, we’re led to believe, to varying degrees, that we can’t, and mustn’t, do good because the bottom line can’t afford it, shareholders won’t like it, and what counts is money, profit, share prices. Imagine how the very decent and moral individual employees must feel, even unconsciously, in their cars on their way home after a day at work in this kind of environment. It’s not a pretty picture.

Now imagine a contrasting culture, in which the company encourages us and makes it easy for us to do some good, not just of our own accord as individuals but as a collective; where the company feels a responsibility to be human, to contribute positively to society, and has initiatives that actively promote it. How much better would each employee feel about themselves, their job, their employer? How much more motivated and engaged would they be? How much more committed to the company? How much more strongly would they be vocal advocates for the company? How much more would customers respect and love the company, and how much more would they want to support it?

The short-sightedness of organisations only driven by profit is that it may not actually be the most profitable way to do things. There’s growing evidence that doing good is good for business. It’s becoming a much bigger part of the 21st century’s working zeitgeist. And it really doesn’t have to cost a lot.

None of this is hard to fathom. It’s just that some corporate sheep seem to have their heads down and have got lost, one blade of grass at a time. It’s time for them to lift their heads and look around. 

Being human at work is basic decency, and common sense.