Of Ups and Downs

Really high ups—the Red Sox. The downs—senseless murders in Pittsburgh and the attempted pipe bombings.

I am deeply saddened by the killings and injuries at a Synagogue in Pittsburgh. This was not a random act. It was planned by a person who was violently anti-semitic. If he were anti-Catholic, or anti-Hungarian descendants or racist, it would be just as devastating. Our nation, the U.S., is drowning in words spreading hatred of others and is not hearing words of hope and caring.

What are you saying at your company? Do you have racist statements on a company bulletin board? Do you allow your employees to wear a button supporting a cause or a political party? Do you have a bumper sticker that can be misinterpreted as a hate slogan to some? All of these will hurt your business and cause some customers to not deal with you, under any circumstances. Do not allow this in your company. Make it a point in your employee manual that hate speech, of any sort, is a definitive cause of dismissal. Don’t look aside when someone makes a racist joke. Take a proactive stance on equality in your employment practices and your own words and deeds.

Are you encouraging your employees to vote for one candidate because of your personal feelings? This will cause you to lose a good worker who disagrees with your thoughts. Don’t mix your personal or political thoughts with your business needs. Are there times when this is appropriate? Some may say there are. I disagree. Run the best darn business you can and on these skills your business will prosper. Don’t encourage customers to come to you because of a political or religious belief. As many as you gain, is equal to how many you will lose.