“We are the people (that our parents warn us about).” -- A bumper sticker.
HERE'S ADVICE for companies in need of creating better and more friendly environment. Stop security checking by the gateway. Stop harboring suspicion. Instead, let’s start nurturing trust.
Sound too naïve? To most building managers, it certainly does. But just get anywhere on Jakarta’s main roads—say Jalan Soedirman. Pick any office building and try to enter it. Chances are the security officers will have to halt and check you out, even if you have worked there for years. For you may be one of those bad guys.
The belief that men ought to suspect others has resurfaced after the 9/11; indeed, Bush’s political propaganda warring terrorism has been met with frenzy repercussions. As for Indonesia, national tragedies in Bali and Poso may well have been our unfortunate versions that helped heighten the disquieting atmosphere. No good site-managers exist who do not have robotic security checking implemented. World’s urbanites are teaching children that we are all potential crooks, and we should fear ourselves more.
As implied, such disbelief in humanity is hardly new. Some thinkers of the past did “specialize” themselves in focusing on the dark side of human soul. Never before is every single one pf us being regarded as a fox to our fellowmen than it is in our age.
Is such a philosophical maxim absolutely true? No longer must we believe that each of us being is also capable of being good. Otherwise, why chose and amplified the dark side? Why made suspicion a principle?
It is time to challenge the trend. Crimes committed by individuals do happen once in a while but they are actually petty and few, especially when compared to the devastation caused by, say, wars. Besides, this conspicuous security control is not always suitable for all kinds of businesses, for all kinds of office buildings. Certain businesses may need extra security. Security aspect has been included early on in every recruitment process. Employees are advised to wear tags partly for this reason. Reception desks registering guests are designed partly with such precaution.
Moreover, most security checking only becomes a routine done half-heartedly.
Unnecessarily it steals away our precious minutes. The long queue of vehicles entailing the process is, really, the last thing we need after the grueling traffic jams.
Therefore, this mostly useless practice must stop. Apart from yielding greater efficiency, this means putting more trust in fellowmen and respect to workers, differed as they are according to the role they play within the division of labor.
Convincing building managers on the benefits of this trusting business is no easy matter. They may think this proposal stupid. Yet, we all know that working environment used to be more friendly, more human. We know of the time when human beings were better more appreciated.
In the end, we are all workers. It's time, really, to re-appreciate ourselves.
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2 comments:
Hello, blogwalking from IndonesiaMatters.
Agree that sometimes security checking process becomes a routine and is done half-heartedly. However security checks now become standard safety precaution for every building in Jakarta, especially if the building carries high-profile clients like Stock Exchange, MNC, or other major oil companies which (think they) are vulnerable to bomb threat. Just for Indonesia Stock Exchange Building alone, when worked there and my company was the building manager for JSEB, I know that every few months we received bomb threats and there is special committee which job is to asses how serious the threat is. There was one moment I remember, we were asked to leave the building at 4PM because there was unattended black plastic bag left at the lobby, and the bomb squat was called. Guess why visitor cannot park in the building? It is requested by all MNCs for their own safety. You might think those security guards don't do their job well, but actually they do, and they do it seriously.
What the building managers must do, is actually thinking the most effective way to process the visitors without taking so much time. Not eliminate the security points altogether.
Cheers!
Thanks for waking up--and finally commenting ;-p. That security checks now become standard safety precaution for every building in Jakarta is what I think needs rethinking. Not all buildings need to adopt the precaution. I am not advocating elimination of security checking altogether. Cheers, Nad.
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