One of the first things one learns about Commercial Law is that a company is a legal persona. An entity. Singular. The simple fact escapes most trainee financial journalists. When writing about companies they invariably apply “their” instead of “its”, needing to be weaned away from the plural to singular. This separate persona, however, is often taken literally in the business world. Staff transform when they put on the company’s uniform, becoming part of the entity. Too often their good manners and common decency stays at home.
Few of us would consider making an after hours call to a stranger’s cell phone, Â using their first name in a crude effort to strike up a conversation. But workers at call centres justify their crassness as a living. Most people I know would be too embarrassed to keep their dentist, plumber or electrician waiting to be paid. But become a member of the accounts team and suddenly stalling suppliers is a badge of honour. It says much about corporate culture that Financial Directors measure their efficiency by how much they’ve extended creditors and reduced debtors. Sometimes I wonder whether we wouldn’t all be better off if we all took more of our real selves to the office.
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