I work for a company that has been in a sort of flux for some time now. A few years back we got a new boss in the R&D department which is where I work. He was forceful, he swore (not only to weed out the slackers but literally) and he promised new times with innovative ways to do things. We were almost the world's best company in our field and now we were going to be the best.

Truth was that he frightened the crap out of everyone but that wasn't all. Things like him saying that because 40% of sick days were falling on Mondays and Fridays we would now need doctor's certificates for those days if we were sick whereas we previously hadn't left us confused. We did the math (and in case you haven't...) and we realized quite quickly that 40% of workdays fell on Mondays and Fridays too (you are coming to the same conclusion we did right - statistically all was fine) so what was the problem?

We were surveyed and it turned out that most of us wanted to be better informed so he instituted quarterly information sessions when everyone, in groups of 25, would turn up in a meeting room and he would do a presentation. He called it communicating with us. We called it him communicating at us. No one dared to open their mouths during these sessions even when he asked for input except for the favored few. However, he could go back and say that we were all happy (we didn't question or challenge him while we had the opportunity in these "intimate" meetings) and we were informed because of these sessions. The illusion had been created that all was well and the people was getting what they wanted: communication and transparency.

This went on for about two years. Anybody down on the coalface (so to speak) could tell that people were less inspired and started to care less. The lower ranks of managers had to do their best to keep their people going. HR told them that although this man came across as hard and heartless he was "passionate" about the company and as such he was good for us. We were told we should have faith in him because he was going to lead us to great things. He hadn't been put in charge of three major departments (Sales, Marketing and R&D - now there's a conflict of interest!) for nothing.

Well, unfortunately this man didn't quite succeed in bringing us into greater times. He did however institute a management style in the higher ranks that meant that they were free to do (as my manager likes to call them) "impromptu performance reviews". They were basically dress downs that took place in public shouting so that all were left without doubt that the offending "plebeian" deserved this kind of treatment and was a complete fool. Many a good person fell foul of the higher ranks and they were slowly made to resign, or in some cases they were retrenched, while their only real crime was to know the business better than the higher ranks that had been brought in by this man we now had running the department.

In a sudden move this man lost all his departments and was left with (his half a million dollar a year paycheck and a) small department to run. He resigned yesterday and was seen out the door the same day. We all knew why he went and that he was never going to go anywhere in the company again. It would look bad to stay because for all intents and purposes he had been demoted. He had no choice but to go. Problem is that his legacy lives on and so does the damage that was been done. People are now so disillusioned that one wonders if the company will survive.

There seems to be a trend out there to treat workers as though they are not important in the bigger scheme. They are commodities and they are replaceable. What matters is the company profits. One has to wonder if this is what we really want and if this is what capitalism really is about. The majority of the people do not benefit but we are asked to swallow it hook line and sinker, and we do. People base whole careers on this system but they remain largely unfulfilled. Stress and dissatisfaction take their toll on us all. We feel fettered to a way of living that doesn't suit most of us but it's all we have to hold on to. The ultimate price we pay is environmental destruction as we become so disconnected from nature and the way we really are deep inside. We refuse to look inside ourselves because all we see in there is pain. The only way to change this is for all of to make different choices but most of us don't even know that we have the right to.