#75. My 75th Post ( I am glad I now stick to post blogs, #75 here, nearing #350 in my personal blog since 2005) is not about a single topic but a few collective thoughts that swept over my mind over past few days on events that I see happening around me.
1) It is all about Relationship; Stupid! I am a regular listener to Manager Tools (MT) Podcast since 2007,now more than 1000 podcasts, 11 years later, at 2 podcasts dished out a week, (The show began in 2005 July) I have not missed one of the 1000+ podcasts in both Manager Tools and their other podcasts “Career Tools. People who have reported to me in my corporate career, know that I followed Mike and Mark’s thoughts on 1)One on One’s religiously besides carrying out Performance reviews, Coaching, regular Feedback, that these events happen without pain or ill will. Many of my directs have modelled their personal life to focus on family first which MT emphasises. WSJ brought an article on Mike and Mark (West Point graduates) highlighting their achievement.
I was delighted to see that Mark Horstman, who leads the podcast which has Million Downloads a month, is planning to conduct Effective Manager Conference at BANGALORE in the Summer of 2019, during the month of May. The 2 days, (Effective Manager conference 1 day, Effective Communication Conference for a day) event venue at Bangalore, is not yet finalised, as yet. I would request EHS professionals as well as other managers to take advantage of this event, which is being held first time in India and participate to be a better Managers / Human being. (The conference has been on, since 2008 or so, across the globe) I consider Mike and Mark as Peter Drucker -II ! Their advice on how to save six months salary for troubled times, how to resign gracefully, How to keep networking, have helped me beyond work and quit corporate when I felt enough is enough.
2) Employees come to work to commit suicide like Terrorists do!!!
I was reading Dr Robert Long’s posts. The Australian based Social Psychology expert who writes his blog. Dave Collins who shares his thoughts with Dr Long in the Riskology blog comes out with his gun blazing in this post. Companies are hell-bent in going in for “Root cause”, that they miss common sense approach (Video) and try to lay blame entirely on Employees. Even in most cases, where employee is dead, the root cause, lies as though they interviewed the dead employee. I personally believe, that Every Accident no matter what, is fault of Management, and there are 3 causes which when failed, that lead to an accident/incident. (Organisations I proudly served followed this philosophy for course corrections) These are as Trevor Kletz quotes, 1) Prevention of hazard 2) Avoidance of Hazard 3) Management Systems failure. So where the hell employee comes in to picture?. Companies take the easy cop-out to blame everything on employees and many times, instruments like Behaviour Based Safety has fanned the wildfire idea that Employees are inherently stupid without realising that Safe conditions leads to a safe workplace thus productive work environment.
See the PPT of a fatality (Thanks to Dave Collins Blog) in Australia, where Incident investigation almost went to say Employee committed suicide. Danny-Cheney-Fatality-Learnings. If an advanced society like Australia has such an outlook, what is hope for Incident that happens to worker’s in Developing world, poor economy like China, Indonesia, South Africa etc?? my next thoughts !
3) Gig Economy is here to stay! Learn to adjust and secure your life!
I was not surprised to read an Indian Express article yesterday, that no one cares for injured employees with Amputations in a metal press near Delhi. (Workplace Injuries: Rage Against The Machine:- Somya Lakhani meets the untrained and under-equipped factory workers who have lost fingers to accidents on the job, and discovers the obstacles on the road to recovery these are all temp “GIG employees with no accountability) 
The new GIG Economy, where employee-employer relations are very blurred with temp, employment agency that comes in middle, makes ownership or taking responsibility for safety, wellness is blurred. In this case, many employees have lost fingers and no one cares. This Vice video explains, even the issue is same with Temporary workers who are left to fend for themselves at USA! 33 Minute Video on How temporary workers concept ruins things!!
No wonder Amazon is the most dangerous place to work!!! As this Guardian article investigates with no accountability on their end! (It is another matter Donald Trump is right, for a change, about Jeff Bezos and Amazon!! I wont be surprised if this is next ENRON !! Remember even weeks before collapse, it was greatest place to work, fun, most ethical company. We have few such here in India too, the bubble would burst any day, but unlike USA they wouldn’t go bankrupt as funds are pumped in a lot and lot!!!) 
So It is up to folks to stay safe, the diluted regulatory environment across the world (Especially in III World countries like India, China would make even things worst in coming days) the need to maximize profits, looking for all cheaper source be it in talent, or materials or methods of work would make Human beings at risk at work place. The best way to fight this menace is to improve knowledge and skills, even if, be at your own cost to stay afloat and to stay alive. If not to you, you owe it to your families! Such are the realities of 2018!! I wish I am wrong but how I wish I am proved wrong and it never happens!!!
Good luck.
Karthik
21/8/18
1230pm.
Health, Environment, Safety, Sustainability (HESS) 