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When your job industry pollutes, should you stay or leave?

Results so far:

Stay
38% 33 votes Total: 86 votes
Leave
62% 53 votes
Stay

Hmmm so i know i chose the tough part "staying" :). Well i have been working in the software industry for the past 6 years and man do i know pollution!When you ar at entry level in your organozation you get bossed around and you think Ok its only for 2 years then when you are in the 3rd year in the same organization the conditions are still the same.So what do we do we switch organization! beleive me i fell prey to the same thing.but you know what it started all over again eh....

So now after 6 years in the line(i am not saying i have become a pro at this) i have decided to stay on and face the music. You know what its easier to handle pollution if you know the pollutants hahah i guess you will know what i mean. Its best to stay in our story dont go into unchartered waters here.That ways with sufficient practice you know whats coming and you are well aware of what you should do.I now have been in the same organization for 5 years and belive me i know how to get things done right from HR to Admin to my boss. I have learned the tricks of the trade.



I am not saying i am polluted, i make sure i behave with my subordinates .But atleast i know how to handle the polluted ones and perhaps give them a piece of my mind.My whole group is doing the same thing.We are not martyrs here, but we believe that perhaps this way we can show some mirror to some people and make sure that the newer ones are not like this.So if you are on my side and i guess there would be many dont leave!

I know there would be lots who would have changed their jobs a number of times because of some or the other work environment or industry problems but hey!after perhaps changing for the fourth or fifth time you would still find yourself in the same soup.So just for this once STAY! I am not asking you to become the same @@@ as them but atleast you will know what causing the problem and believe me once you get the knack of it( i mean how to handle ppl at work) you will enjoy your work more.Who wants to know a new bunch of people every year and then learn how to work,enjoy,adjust with them(our colleagues i mean!). Its more fun if your colleagues are your friends and if you can ask your boss for a half day leave without actually applying for it:)).

So if you kind of think on the same terms please hang in there! We all know there is nothing like complete bliss especially at workplace. And yes make sure you convince other guys too, you alone can make a difference but not a change.

Learn more about this author, Nidhi Gupta.
Contact this writer Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Leave

The saying goes "There are a thousand lands but only one soul." In other words, you only live once and the world is vast enough. If something unpleasant occurs, you should flee at the earliest possible opportunity... and pollution is definitely something unpleasant!

Nobody would consider pollution to be a good thing. If robbery and assaults are crimes against the victims, pollution is actually a crime against the entire populace, for it deprives the citizenry of their rights to clean air, water and other things nature has bestowed on all humans equally. Someone having acquired rights to control some resources or having gained more power does not give them the right to manipulate the common resources of the people, to suit their own needs. This is a fundamental ethical principle, and the law recognizes this principle.

Those who pollute, themselves do not consider pollution good, but nevertheless justify their deeds saying it is necessary for development and for the economy. Those whose job industry pollutes also have a same line of reasoning when justifying their decision to stick on with the industry. Their main arguments are

1. "I am not the one who is polluting. If I leave someone else will come in and nothing will change."

Imagine what the world would have been today if George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi has thought on similar lines. If you leave the polluting industry, it would not only put pressure on others to leave, but it would also force others to think twice before joining the industry. Without support and sacrifices at the basic individual level, no movement would succeed. Remember, you may be a beneficiary of the polluting industry, but the pollution affects the entire populace, which includes you!

2. "I am not directly involved in the polluting activity. I only provide a support role."

If the company's core process does not involve pollution, the processes that cause pollution could easily be shut out and none would be affected. If the company's core process involves pollution, the salary you get is out of pollution, irrespective of whether you are directly polluting or not. Robbery is a crime, and facilitating robbery is also a crime. Pollution is nothing but robbing the populace of their inherent right to a clean environment.

3. "If I leave I loose out on my seniority and promotion, and I will have to start afresh."

This is true and in fact the main reason why employees anywhere are reluctant to change jobs. However, this is not a justification to remain in an industry that commits a crime. The law does not condone an employee working for an extortion company, or even a financial company that swindles people's wealth, if they say they did it for the sake of their careers. In any case, the law will eventually catch up with the polluting company and at that time, you would anyway loose your job, along with the seniority and promotion. So why not quit now and start ahead before being one in the crowd trying to change jobs.

4. "Pollution might be bad, but it throws open so many jobs mine included."

And, so does opium trade, exertions, mugging, prostitution, all of them throw up job opportunities, and those jobs would probably be more lucrative than what the polluting company is paying.

5. "Taking action against pollution is not my job. It is the government's job."

So why wait until the government wakes up and cracks the whip. When they eventually do, you will be out in the cold with many others. If this is your reasoning you already know pollution is bad, and every moment you remain in the industry willingly, you are supporting something that you know is wrong.

Learn more about this author, Nayab Naseer.
Contact this writer Click here to send this author comments or questions.

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