What should we learn from Mega Millions madness? | The Business ...

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By Lauren | March 30, 2012

The biggest lottery prize in history is up for grabs today, and the excitement is growing out of control. The pot has swelled to an astonishing $640 million, up $100 million from Tuesday when the drawing failed - again - to produce a winner. Americans are lining up everywhere for a chance to buy tickets, their dreams of financial abundance lighting up their faces. I came across just such a line when stopping at the supermarket this afternoon. There was a line of customers waiting to purchase lottery tickets, and everybody was going after the Mega Millions even though they?d be far more likely to be struck by lighting than to win the massive prize. Just for fun, I asked the folks waiting in line what they?d do if they won the money. Everyone I talked to said, ?quit my job.?

While my question was hardly a scientific survey, their collective response really impressed me. It would be naive to expect every job to be intellectually stimulating, personally meaningful and stunningly lucrative. There?s a reason, after all, why jobs are called ?work.? Still, when asked why they?d quit their jobs if they won the lottery, the folks in line all had similar reasons. Their hours were grueling, the pay was less than they thought it should be, they didn?t feel as if they were making a positive difference and, most important, their immediate supervisors didn?t value their efforts. They were making a living, but their jobs didn?t help them make a life.

So, here are my questions. There?s a boatload of information out there about how to be a good supervisor, so why are so many bosses so bad at it? And why don?t employers seem to care much whether their employees are happy, when study after study suggests that happy, engaged employees produce more and better work? The politicians are forever promising to create jobs; why don?t they focus on creating good jobs? Especially since the 2008 meltdown, it seems to me that we hear a lot more about revving up the economy and rewarding investors than we do about the quality of life for workers on the job. But is it really ethical to ask people to trade away years of their lives for work that doesn?t necessarily support them financially or personally? After all, money is replaceable, but no one can buy a longer life.

Once again, it seems to me that we have a choice. We can continue to focus on profits at all costs, or we can redefine business success to include a more equitable distribution of assets and a better quality of life for workers. We can have both - we just have to choose to do so.

Topics: Business Ethics, Lauren Recommends, Personal Ethics, Social Ethics, corporate responsibility, ethics |

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