A rchive Date
[ 22-07-2000 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Canada ]
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['24/7' exacts a price
By PAUL BERTON - London Free Press
July 22, 2000
In the last few weeks, I've made the mistake of asking a doctor, a lawyer and a university professor how "business" is, without meaning it literally. But they all say that's exactly the problem. It's no longer a profession, they sigh, "it's all business. It's just business. It's only business."
What a difference a generation makes.
It wasn't so long ago, in Canada at least, that business was somehow seen as a career of last resort. In many cases, it was even discouraged. Doctors, lawyers, police chiefs and other professionals had more status.
Fortunately, that's changed. In only a few short years, we've come to admire entrepreneurs in Canada the way they have been in the United States for decades, and we've learned to celebrate business successes.
Meanwhile, business has taught us all a few important lessons and some hard truths. It has been a necessary part of our growth as a competitive global player, and everyone - entrepreneurs, employees, shareholders, communities - has benefited. But how far should we go?
It's important to keep an eye on the bottom line, but should the doctor, the lawyer and the professor be pre-occupied with money, as in many cases they are forced to be? Shouldn't they be thinking more about sustainable health, education and justice?
Shouldn't professionals be thinking at least as much about product as productivity? If they're not, what kind of a product are we getting?
Meanwhile, business has pervaded all our lives, to the unfortunate exclusion of too many other things. On billboards, at the movies, in schools, in parks, on our clothing, on the Internet, in "art" - business is everywhere. We talk about the stock market at parties, we read the mutual fund reports with what I consider to be an unhealthy regularity, we buy books by the thousands on how to succeed - exceed? - in business.
Once upon a time, casual conversation centred around religion or politics or art or philosophy; today we talk about companies or consumerism or IPOs. There's nothing wrong with that. It's the hot topic - for now. But what are we missing?
Meanwhile, life at work itself is becoming busier: more work, less time, fewer people. When they're not actually on the job site at all hours, employees - whether they're chief executives or lowly clerks - are increasingly connected to their workplaces by phones, pagers, faxes, e-mail and all manner of electronic gadgetry.
The term "24/7" has become the catchphrase of the millennium. Business takes place at all times of the day and night, on Sundays, on holidays, during natural disasters or family crises. It's all in the name of being competitive, or to be more crudely honest about it - it's all about money, which in the end won't buy personal health, happiness, enlightenment, justice
Somehow, it seems unsustainable.
When we're concentrating on maximizing profits and being globally competitive, are we thinking enough about reinvesting? Do business principles really and truly apply to all endeavours? At what price? And what about the consequences for the next generation?
Are we thinking about the health of our families? Indeed, are we considering our collective state of mental health? Funny how "stress" has become almost as big a catchword as 24-7. Hard work, efficient work, smart work - it's good for the company and it's healthy for individuals. But too much of it can can be exhausting, even deadly, and sooner or later, we will all pay a price.
Are we getting enough back for the amount we're investing? It's time we all started thinking more about this - before it's too late.
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
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