People have dignity

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Always speak the truth, think before you speak, and write it down afterwards – English writer and mathematician Lewis Carroll (1832 – 1898)

There is a traditional proverb which can be loosely translated in this way – “Right is protected by claiming for it”. There is another, which is “Rights need to be followed up”, among many others that uphold same concept when it comes to claiming or demanding your rights.

You practice your religion as a duty, and in return, you receive your religious rights. You hold the conviction that the worshipped Creator will not withhold your rights; in fact, you believe that the Creator will reward you more than you deserve. Here is where the term “believe”, or rather “think”, comes to serve the essence of this article.Naturally, human beings aspire for their rights before duties; in fact, duties have no value if there are no rights to be gained.

There are categories of jobs that are defined by contracts. The employee believes or thinks that, as long as his full salary reaches his bank account at the end of the month, he has received his full rights as far as the employment is concerned.

However, in some jobs, the salary is not the end game, as there are privileges attached to those jobs such as allowances, bonuses or even a new model vehicle for one who occupies a certain position. Such “add on” to the basic salary are common in the oil companies, higher education facilities and even for people holding some important positions such as chief executive officer or field supervisor.

Sometimes, the disbursement of privilege package, not the salary, is delayed. Such delays could be due to reasonable and acceptable reasons, such as delay in sending the list of those who deserve allowances, or even problems with the bank accounts.

Nonetheless, if the arrival of this package delays to the point of putting the employee in a difficult position, there is no problem in the employee seeking proper channels to claim his rights. This could be through the labor union or by requesting an interview with the concerned authority in order to obtain a perspective about the situation.

However, we have to agree on one thing. The claims made by a senior doctor in this regard would not be the same as those made by a junior doctor or even a junior employee in the same facility such a secretary or a storekeeper. Just to be clear, I am not here to condescend over any job. Only the smart ones will understand what I really mean.

Every door has a key; otherwise it will not be a door but a huge faded wooden stand.

There are proprieties that govern the act of claiming your rights. It starts with maintaining your self-respect and dignity, while at the same time presenting the argument that back your claims along with evidences. Once this is done, I believe your rights will not be delayed or will at least not be considered as a grant.

In most cases, it is easy to differentiate between a well-learned person and someone with limited education when it comes to claiming and fighting for rights. The learned person would seek proper domains, ensuring that he maintains his composure and dignity in every step.

However, someone with limited sense of proprieties for claiming or demanding his rights will use absurd language and choose strange methods to fight for what they deserve.

There is another type of people whose dignity and ego render them not to even attempt engaging and bickering over the privileges they deserve. In this case, it is important for the employer to have a sense of responsibility to fulfill his end of the bargain without assuming that everyone who feels unfairly treated would come forward to protest. Some can’t, regardless.

Islam teaches us the characteristics of dealing with people by advising us to place people as per their stature. This means to know the stature of people.

In this case, dear employers, knowing who you deal with is crucial in order to avoid any maltreatment or aggrieving of your dignified employees.

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By Yousef Awadh Al-Azmi

This news has been read 10693 times!