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I disagree with this point. "But one way to address this is to change workplace cultures to be closer to what poor and working-class people bring rather than j
by sixtypoundhound 8y ago
I disagree with this point.
"But one way to address this is to change workplace cultures to be closer to what poor and working-class people bring rather than just trying to teach those “others” how to adapt."
The standards of many professional environments have evolved to handle the expectations of many external stakeholders. Think about what you expect from your lawyer, an ad agency, and accountant: people you trust with your money, brand, or even your personal freedom. Or the engineer designing a multi-million dollar piece of equipment for your company. Or the priest or doctor counseling you on a private matter.
Personal behavior that is culturally appropriate on a shop floor or the Wal-mart Warehouse (yes, I've worked in both of those places) would be totally out of line in a professional environment. It would, in fact, work against the goals of the organization and threaten everyone's employment.
Culture should be driven by the requirements of the job. You are playing a role. I want my doctor to be infallible and calm. I want my accountant to have their act together. It's part of the service.
- skybrian 8y agoI agree with the larger point, but the bit about wanting a doctor to be "infallible" doesn't make sense to me. Medicine is not like that. Many common problems are mysterious and often some trial-and-error is needed to figure them out. The patient may have to do some of that sleuthing. What I'm looking for (ideally) is someone that can get me up to speed quickly on what the problem might be and what's the state of medical knowledge. I don't know how to find that, though.
- scarejunba 8y agoI suspect he may mean "unflappable".
- mleonhard 8y agoThe point makes sense when you think about the examples given: workplace fashion and unspoken rules. A company dominated by people wearing "rich casual" would benefit by explicitly embracing other casual fashions, such as various "poor casual" styles like track suits. This would let the non-rich-background people stop spending energy learning "rich casual" fashion. They could then spend that energy on things that actually help the company.