I'm looking for a lot of feedback for this post, which is why I'm saying so right out of the gates. I'm really curious to know where our culture is headed on certain subjects, and I'd like to know your opinions on these topics. This post is only on one topic specifically, but I'm thinking about polling you, my readers, when it comes to certain situations, on how certain situations make you feel and why they make you feel the way you do. First, I'll tell you a story of something that I experienced, give you how I feel about it, and then I'll ask you to comment about it either on here or on FB, which many of you seem akin to using.
This story comes from a specific happenstance that occurred a couple months ago. I've only told this story to a few people, but if you have heard it, sorry for the redundancy. I already know how you feel if I've talked to you about it, but for the sake of polling, definitely give your opinion for discussion.
In May of 2014, two months after the company I currently work for moved from a 1-story building in Limerick to the top floor of a 4-story building in Wayne, a fire alarm went off in the building with no warning of a drill on our email system. The fire alarm was intermittent, but did not stop for a good 5 to 10 minute period. Many of those in my department looked around, joked that it was nothing, and continued to work. Meanwhile, me and a person, who has worked for the company since before I was born and also sits in the cubicle adjacent from me, decided to get out of the building. No one followed.
The building itself, for those keeping track, is about two football fields in length with an East wing and a West wing as the major areas where employees work. Both of those wings have a set of stairwells to walk down in case of emergency. Although my department didn't move, and the adjacent and visible department didn't move, we come to learn that other departments were moving to exit the building. I believe this company has about 10 or so departments in Wayne. And about 3 of them moved.
I was pretty infuriated. I could not believe that a building full of (seemingly) sane adults didn't know how to handle a fire alarm. If video was made of the moments in action and sent to a first grade class, the majority of that class, if not the whole class, would have raised their hand to their teacher and asked, "Ms. Hearst, why aren't the people leaving the building when there's a fire alarm?" The teacher, embarrassed, would have likely been speechless or said something along the lines of, "I'm not so sure, Billy. Maybe they like the heat?"
The problem that I see here is that the company created a culture where working is more important than a potential life-threat. You're probably thinking something along the lines of, "Well, that's corporate America for ya, Pat." And, lord baby Jesus, do I wish it was just corporate America. Those that I have talked to mentioned that a similar culture developed in their non-profit organization, or their private organization, etc. From certain feedback, it sounds like a cultural pandemic. I mean, if people really regard their work as more important than their own life, or less selfishly, their family, then that's a problem, right?
I'd really like to be told I'm not crazy for thinking the way I do about this, but I've been wrong before. Please let me know what you guys think about this one. Have you seen similar instances like this in your business culture? If something like this happened to you, would you be outraged? Compliant with the culture? Find a new job? Complain to the board/management? I'd love to know your approach.
All I did was talk to some people and write a blog, but trust me when I say that I had some radical thoughts that would have lost me my job if I acted on them. At the very least, this is my attempt to promote awareness on this subject, because unfortunately it's more common than we think.
- PatInTheHat
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