Your Home Away From Home

So, have you ever wondered why work feels a little bit like a home away from home? It is because it is. Your colleagues are your neighbors, your houses are your offices or cubes, the village green is the cafeteria and the police station is human resources. The president is the mayor and there are lots of cousins and people as close as family.

And just like in any community, there are people selling their products. Each of us are like our own companies - supplying our own specialized services to the community. And what is the community? It once was the town, now it is a "town" within a town.

The town has employed the baker, butcher and brewer because it values their services. It likes those services so much that all of the sudden the baker, butcher and brewer need help. The baker needs someone to take orders because he has so many orders to fill that he has to spend all of his time baking. Soon, because there is someone there full time taking orders, he has more orders than he has the capacity to fill. He needs an apprentice - and so the business grows. Along the way the baker is forced to raise the prices on his products because of his additional overhead. Just as the town hired him, he has hired them. Over time, as the town wants more and more of his products, he will have multiple bakers, apprentices, book keepers, store clerks and purchasers - and someone to hire them all (Human Resources) and make sure they treat each other well.

Does the town employ the bookkeepers? Does the town employ the clerks? No, they don't. If they did, they could fire them, right? Who employs them then? The town within the town. The baker has created his own little community - a company.

Those same principles of why the baker exists are why we, in our specialized positions, exist. The community ultimately buys the company's products and really is only interested in them. My community (that is, the company) is interested in my services - helping that company be better capable of supplying its products to the community - whatever that community is. For that reason, it is so important for businesses to recognize that there is a truly human need to make our businesses feel like a community.

Just as my town has city services of water, sewer and lights, so does my business. They provide water, bathrooms and electricity - just as my town does.

My town also provides parades, firework shows and public safety. So does my company - we do company picnics, parties and we have a security guard.

My community has a flag - something that identifies us as One. My company has a logo identifying us as a group of individuals united in a cause.

My community has laws. My company has policies.

Companies are like towns, towns are like small states, states are like small nations - all providing opportunities to sell products & services that people want and providing the basic infrastructure to make that happen.

I am my own "baker," except what I do the town wouldn't buy, but the baker would. The baker needs me and my services.

Just the same as the citizens of a town can go to another baker, my company can go to another HR person. It is my job to ensure that the company, a.k.a., my community, has the best HR services available. Why? You will have to read the previous post.

So, have you ever wondered why work feels a little bit like a home away from home? It is because it is. I hope your home away from home is a good one.

Ken Coman