Why the ‘at all costs’ mentality just doesn’t work
More than 130 episodes in (and counting…), BBC’s The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Podcast makes for compelling listening.
If ever there was a perfect example of the BBC’s remit, it’s this podcast, giving a weekly summary of what took place during the previous five days of evidence.
The traumatic and grief-laden early episodes — hearing from those who escaped the inferno and their distraught relatives — have since given way to quite technical evidence from employees of companies involved in the refurbishment of the tower.
On the face of it, episodes detailing the way cladding material is tested, or how building work is checked should be as dull as ditchwater.
And yet, they’re actually the complete opposite. They’re a fascinating and somewhat grisly study in everything that’s wrong in certain areas of modern work, particularly the practices of some of those in the construction industry.
But just because most people don’t work in that industry, doesn’t mean that the faults are limited to the building trade.
Here are just some of the issues at play — read them and then tell me they don’t reflect many modern businesses.
- The use of corporate euphemisms to cover up underhand/unsavoury practices: ‘value engineering’ is a phrase that’s come up and time and time again during the inquiry. It’s a horrible word that basically means cost cutting, but is dressed up to make it sound as if it’s a good option.
- Putting profit above employee wellbeing. A significant number of the witnesses ended up being signed off or leaving companies due to ill health
- Putting profit above safety. At the heart of the construction industry (and possibly one of the main reasons Grenfell happened), but undeniably somewhere other organisations cut corners.
- Placing unnecessary levels of responsibility on junior staff. Time and time again, witnesses reported being overworked and not having enough time to properly devote themselves to the job, leading to proper procedures or checks not being carried out.
- Disparaging/dismissive emails about external clients being circulated internally.
- Circumventing the due diligence processes put in place to ensure everyone gets a fair chance or that a job is completed properly.
Sadly from listening to the podcast, it’s clear that none of the organisations connected to the refurbishment of — and the products used in — Grenfell Tower, ever considered the residents of the building at any point.
Every single company is trying everything to distance itself from the terrible events of 14 June 2017, but the underlying reason for the tragedy comes down to one overriding thing: profit over people.
