Linking with the posts of one-way and SparrowX. They talked about their store manager being also a young person, getting along very well, without any airs of authority. It made me think of the squad leaders and team leaders in my factory.
Maybe because my factory is relatively small, people are more familiar with each other. These squad leaders and team leaders can’t openly oppress workers or uphold rules. They are usually just like ordinary workers, joking around, chatting idly, and seem to get along very harmoniously. The kinder and more approachable they are, the more people are willing to get along with them. These little officials all live in nearby villages, with family backgrounds not much different from the workers. They work the same hours, only earning a few thousand more than the workers. I’ve observed that some rely on connections and gift-giving to get promoted, some are veteran workers with many years of experience, and some have been bought over later.
But, their differences from the workers are huge. Squad leaders don’t have to work with ordinary workers; besides casually strolling around with their hands behind their backs, they just hide in the workshop’s office desk playing on their phones. No matter how tense it gets, even when overtime is needed, they won’t help the workers; they just pretend to do a little bit. In collective labor, team leaders need to work with the workers, but they are responsible for the entire work, often picking fights, finding ways to control, pressure, and punish workers. These squad leaders and team leaders seem very happy and playful with the workers most of the time, but once production needs to increase or control over workers is required, they turn into completely cold-blooded figures. I found that this group of little officials has a set of uniform phrases. “I don’t want to be like this to you either. But if your performance is poor and your work is not good, the leaders will come to me. I am responsible for managing you, so I have to find you. I’m just a middleman, I also want to protect you.” “The factory has its rules; once you come, you have to follow them. If everyone doesn’t take it seriously, how can we manage?”
Almost everyone wants to avoid taking on the responsibility of being the executioner, portraying themselves as tools executing orders without autonomous consciousness. They want to dismiss a few words to cover up their harsh attitude at work. The mistakes are the workers’, and the management and punishment are the superiors’. I am just a worker earning my living like you, so just listen honestly. Why make things difficult for each other?
Yesterday I mentioned refusing to go on a business trip. Today, during the morning meeting, the squad leader subtly criticized me. Using the above set of phrases, basically saying I must follow the leadership’s arrangements without emotional reactions. She’s also experienced, and at a young age, she’s learned to endure and think more. She speaks so nicely, claiming to be good to you, and worried about you getting hurt, but isn’t it just for her convenience to control? None of these officials say anything trustworthy. Even if they seem close and playful, they can’t reveal their true feelings. After all, their work and the workers’ work are fundamentally incompatible. Whatever they think is only from the perspective of maintaining this system.