Last week, we read The Hidden History by Amy Godine. In her article, Godine discusses some of the paternalistic tendencies Adirondack companies employed to try and recruit newly arrived immigrants to come work for them. However, this paternalistic attitude in companies is not limited to the Adirondacks in the 1800s, many tech companies in Silicon Valley employ similar tactics today to try to attract the best tech workers.
Godine describes how recruiters met immigrants upon arrival, where they were then, “fetched north by train and steered directly to the enclave of their choice, where likely as not, compatriots received them with a hot meal and a stake to carry them to payday” (Godine, 48). Meanwhile in Silicon Valley, employees are offering employee perks like dry-cleaning services, onsite haircuts, free food, and massage services (Miller). While, clearly these are very different types of perks, and the companies are trying to attract completely different types of workers, the paternalistic mentality is ever present. Both the Adirondack companies of the past, and modern day Silicon Valley companies need workers to fill the roles within their corporations, so they are providing for their employees as a means of retaining current employees and attracting new ones.
In the Adirondacks, this paternalistic attitude was restricting and potentially dangerous for employees since their employers would always have the upper hand. The housing provided by the Adirondack companies was often hardly any better than no housing at all, and they had the power to evict employees if they stopped working for them (Godine). This gave them true power to exploit their employees, since many of them were just starting out and doing their best to get on their feet in a new country.
While modern day tech companies cannot directly abuse their workers in this way because of modern labor laws, they still manage to hold an upper hand. Since they offer such great perks, they truly expect their employees to be completely dedicated to their company – working at all hours of the day. This makes it very difficult for working parents at these companies – many companies are so focused on their product they do not even have new parent policies written up. Further, while they may appear family friendly because of generous newborn policies, employees are admonished for taking time off to volunteer at their child’s school or otherwise be involved in their lives (Miller). In this case, the perks companies offer are working to keep employees there and working for them at all costs, even while they are losing out on other aspects of their lives. Former CEO of software company MongoDB, Max Schireson is quoted in the New York Times article. He wrote a blog post after he stepped down last summer, citing, “people are doing 20 hours a day to get this or that done at all costs...what I’ve seen is forgetting the human aspect of it” (Miller).
The paternalistic attitude of Adirondack companies in the 1800s continues to shine through in Silicon Valley work culture today. Companies use perks to lure in employees and keep them there, denying them a life outside of the office, or time to spend with their families. Through paternalism, companies both now and in the past have been able to control employees beyond a reasonable measure to further the goals of the company without regard to the lives of the humans working for them.
Works Cited:
Godine, Amy. “The Hidden History: An epic tale of immigrants in Adirondack Park.” Adirondack Life September/October 1993: 46-53, 61, 63-64. Print.
Miller, Claire Cain. “Silicon Valley: Perks for Some Workers, Struggles for Parents.” New York Times 7 April 2015. Web.
This was a fascinating post Katherine. It's funny how paternalism in the Adirondacks seemed so old fashioned when we talked about it in class but it is still applicable today in Silicon Valley. As you point out, the cons are different then they were decades ago, but the affect is still the same because it makes workers question if the perks are really worth the stress.
ReplyDelete