Monday, October 7, 2013

Hammergren's high pay may explain workers' low pay

At last an explanation for how McKesson's CEO John Hammergren can rake in $51.7 million and pay workers so little they can't afford health care and pension contributions.

He just doesn't care.

A recent New York Times op-ed, Rich People Just Care Less, describes how people with greater power ignore people with less power:
Turning a blind eye. Giving someone the cold shoulder. Looking down on people. Seeing right through them.
The Times cites a growing body of research proving the phenomenon.

The Times op-ed is making a point about politics. The author, Daniel Goleman, argues the Republican Party is more sensitive to the rich and powerful (though Democrats are certainly guilty too). He believes the GOP dismisses the truth about the ordinary people they rarely interact with. That empathy gap allows them to do things like cutting food stamps.

It may also explain why Hammergren can care so little about his own employees.