About the talent, waste and hope for the future

This week, I will write to you only about two topics: the exploitation of immigrant workers and the new sanctuary of peace, culture and education in Wellington, New Zealand. 

Minimum wage – maximum waste

A couple of weeks ago, I met a talented young Chinese man who came to New Zealand to build a better future for himself. His girlfriend was already doing her PhD in science in a field with a significant talent shortage globally. This young man got a work visa as her partner, which made things easier for him. Or so he thought. 

After some months of settling down and searching for the ideal job, the man was desperate. No responses to dozens of job applications, no interviews – zero results. And this man has a stellar work history, a post-graduate degree, a pile of certificates and a skill set that would envy same-age Kiwi blokes.

He had been working as a part-time kitchen hand at a local hospitality joint. Part-time here is another name for ruthless exploitation: his shifts can be 12 hours five days a row and then 2 hours here and there until the boss calls him again, and he has to drop everything else to keep the job and minimum wage salary coming.

To my great surprise, I met his boss a while ago at a business function. He is a well-respected Kiwi businessman who has made his house, batch, and car out of the hard work of these immigrants without a hint of regret. He supports the local sports club, providing them with t-shirts with his logo printed and made in Vietnam. How nice! At the same time, a dozen or so immigrants work their arses off in his dodgy hospitality establishment. 

When this young Chinese man (an expert in optimisation and machine learning) suggested that the roster could be a bit more employee-friendly to spread the workload more evenly and predictably, his hours suddenly dropped to a minimum of 2 per week, which was, according to the "contract."

So, for this philanthropic businessman, it was more important to have his brand on the t-shirts of little boys than to improve his workplace culture, operations and employee satisfaction. 

And this story is not an exception. 

We have PhDs driving taxes and MBS packing stuff in supermarkets. Then we have so-called senior managers with no other degrees or certificates but a Diploma in Wasting Talent (not their own, though, because there is so little to waste).

I had also been the recipient of this systemic talent waste. I worked for a large organisation, and the GM was my boss. Because I had an accent that she found uneducated, she also thought I could not think and write in English to her standards (I never found out what those standards were).

I was then putting together a proposal for the senior leadership team about an important initiative. The CEO liked the draft written by three external experts (each with a PhD and a native speaker of English). Once the GM returned from her holiday, she edited the draft she thought was written by yours truly 12 times, telling me that she had to fix its flow and language. The three PhDs were a bit upset, and I was amused. The proposal was rejected because the execs didn't see any point in it after the revisions. And I quit the organisation six months later. The GM in question is still there, and according to the grapevine, she has got worse by the day. It's easy when you are an executive and have the taxpayer's money to spend.

In the public sector, the cuts should prune the top, not the roots, as seems to be happening now. We are wasting talent on all levels but not adding it to the top.

The castle of peace, culture and education in the heart of Wellington

Yesterday, the SGI-NZ (Soka Gakai International New Zealand) had their first open day at the newly custom-built community centre at the end of Cuba Street, Whare Soka Buddha (287 Cuba Street, Wellington).

Dozens of interested locals came to see what was inside this beautiful building, seamlessly joined to the renovated villa facing Cuba Street. The architects created an exciting flow from the city's history to its future, bringing people together to celebrate peace, culture, and education.

The old villa is an art gallery where local works of art or other creative messages can be displayed. Behind the gallery, the multi-purpose space can host meetings for 300 people or be divided into smaller rooms depending on the event. The beautiful, large photos by the late SGI President Daisaku Ikeda are framed on the walls, creating a view of the beauty of nature, life and its endless possibilities.

It is a Buddhist way to celebrate diversity, a place of worship for life in its myriad forms, and a humanistic way to help people gather together and learn how to improve their lives and become happy.

It was the highlight of the year to meet all those visitors and see how the new Whare Soka Buddha lifts the atmosphere of the whole city, a nudge towards a more inclusive and humane place to live.

You can visit the Whare Soka Buddha on weekdays from 10 am to 3 pm. Just pop in and have a good time in this sanctuary of peace, culture and education. I run a little introductory lecture series every Wednesday afternoon from 12:30 pm to 1:15 pm, Busshim For Lunch. It is for people who know nothing about SGI-Buddhism but are curious to know more. All are welcome.

The centre is also busy during evenings, so visit their website for more information about those events.

Have a wonderful week.

Ngā mihi

Jussi

The podcast of the week: The Huberman Lab

I have been listening to the Huberman Lab for a long time. 

 The Huberman Lab Podcast is hosted by the renowned neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman, a professor at the Stanford School of Medicine Department of Neurobiology. 

Huberman is known for his groundbreaking work in brain development, brain function, and neural plasticity. His studies have significantly contributed to our understanding of the nervous system's ability to learn new behaviours, skills, and cognitive functioning. 

His podcast is a deep dive into the depths of new scientific findings, using the scuba gear of his brilliant way of making science accessible and understandable for laypeople. It is often breathtaking but always brings you back to the surface of your life with a few more tools to improve your life.

Recently, his series about sleep with Dr Matt Walker has been an eye-opener (pun intended), helping you to sleep better and understand your sleep deeper than just tracking it with some gadget. This six-episode series is a must if you want to close your eyes and dream big :-)

And the podcast also has a goodie bag of links and additional information in the show notes. It is a treasure trove.

Here is the link to the Huberman Lab's latest sleep episode.

The quote of the week:

People who trample on others’ rights, no matter how respectable they may seem, are merely barbarians. Respect for human rights is a barometer of civilisation.

– Daisaku Ikeda