How do you treat the people who serve you?
- Gurvinder Singh
- 16 hours ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 hours ago
Those who serve us are commonly known as servants, and they are usually paid for providing service.
A zebra by any name is still a zebra.
In modern speak, servants are called employees. It makes them feel that they have a higher status than servants. Nevertheless, the relationship between the person who pays (the employer) and the one who gets paid (the employee) remains the same.
The relationship becomes hierarchical, and usually, the buyer of the service (the employer has significant power over the seller of the service (the employee). Naturally, the employer and their minions tend to become arrogant, unreasonable and rude.*
In most professional organisations and corporations, the servant works for a faceless, soulless entity driven by their immediate bosses, SOPs and the Human Resources department.
The employee believes he is serving the organisation, but in reality, he or she is serving people who wield great power over the employee's future, security and rewards, particularly the boss. Shocking revelations very recently by the police in Nashik (India) of gross systematic abuse of power, including sexual abuse and blackmail at one of India's most respected corporations, reveal the disconnect between utterances and actions.
Servants, as we know them, are not driven by the organisation's results, performance and top-line targets. They are concerned with job security, appropriate compensation, and respect.
Most bosses think paying more will induce employees to perform better, and it usually does, but only for a short while. After some time, the interest and commitment of servants drop sharply, reverting to earlier levels.
Any individual owner or organisation that fails to provide dignity to employees will lose in the medium to long term. Disinterested employees neglect customer needs and the quality of products and services.
I observe how people treat their employees and can quickly assess how well the organisation will perform. Unfortunately, many people achieve success through inheritance, timing, positioning, or luck, only to lose when they fail to respect their employees.
Acquiring new skills and knowledge is relatively easy because they originate from the outside and flow into us.
However, changing attitudes is extremely difficult because attitudes originate within us and flow outwards into the world. Change can only occur if the person or organisation recognises their shortcomings and genuinely seeks change.
Whether it is your personal or professional life, if you wish to succeed and be happy, focus on respect. Respect for others begins with respect for oneself.
*If an employee has unique skills and knowledge, the servant has more power over the employer rather than vice versa. If the servant is viewed as disrespectful, then the employer will discard him or her at the first opportunity.
Unfortunately, many bosses view disagreement as disrespect, and that creates its own set of problems.
Written and Posted: 14 April 2026
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