Foxconn’s sprawling, city-sized complex in China’s Longhua District, where it manufactures millions of iPhones, came under intense scrutiny when distraught workers began throwing themselves off the roof of buildings.
In 2010, there were 18 suicide attempts and another 20 workers who were talked off the ledge. Foxconn eventually hung large nets to try to catch bodies. A Guardian article explained the abuse and negligence: “Suicide notes and survivors told of immense stress, long workdays and harsh managers who were prone to humiliate workers for mistakes, of unfair fines and unkept promises of benefits.” Xu, a former employee, put it in stark terms: “It’s not a good place for human beings.”1
General Motors faced a major scandal in 2014 when news broke that 124 people had been killed (with more maimed and injured) due to a faulty ignition switch in several vehicles.2 Worse, evidence revealed that while GM was aware for more than a decade of concerns connected to the switch, they failed to act. When the new CEO Mary Barra took the reins, she lamented how “In the past, we had more of a cost culture…”3
When Bangladesh’s massive Rana Plaza collapsed, imploding five garment factories, 1,134 workers died under the rubble.4 The Rana disaster followed a string of previous factory fires and explosions already tallying hundreds of deaths. With each, management ignored exposed wires, inadequate exits, and degraded structures. But only after this high-publicity catastrophe did major brands (Gap, H&M, Walmart, Target, etc.) take meaningful action to address the appalling conditions.5
Casualties Everywhere
These public tragedies are both alarming and far too common. And it’s disturbing to realize how much unchecked corporate negligence doesn’t land in the news. A team at Tampere University researched 181 countries and concluded that in 2019 there were nearly 3 million deaths due to work-related injury and disease.6 One recent report revealed how in the U.S. alone, 343 workers per day die from hazardous working conditions, the result of either jobsite calamities or occupational diseases.7
Lives are shattered, but the industry grinds on. And these deaths are unnecessary. Building iPhones, designing vehicles, or manufacturing clothing doesn’t inherently involve risks that harm employees or customers. However, when a business fixates on immediate profits, they compound a “toll of neglect” and leave a trail of casualties in the wake of their voracious pursuit.8
Thankfully, many admirable businesses take the opposite approach, prioritizing care for their employees, customers, and all whom they serve. When a company serves others well, it contributes to human flourishing and strengthens elements essential for every sustainable, healthy business. Doing good, as it turns out, also makes for good business.
The Well and the Warriors
There’s an interesting story in the Bible (2 Samuel 23), where King David and his soldiers camped near Bethlehem, a city occupied by their Philistine enemies. David remembered a well in Bethlehem and the sweet, cool water. One evening, David mentioned out loud (was this nostalgia or a not-so-subtle request?) how he’d love a refreshing drink. Without telling anyone, three of David’s “mighty warriors” snuck behind enemy lines, drew a flask of water, and returned to their king. When the warriors arrived back in camp, David was overcome by guilt, refused to drink, and poured the water out onto the ground.
While interpretations of the story abound, it seems David was dismayed when he recognized how his selfishness had endangered his men. In the 6th century, Gregory the Great referred to David’s “eager desire,” allowing his craving to overshadow the injury that obtaining the water might cause others. Repudiating his foolishness, David poured out the water, convinced it was irreparably tainted by his greed. David believed it would be unjust for him to receive any benefit from the whole affair. “Far be it from me, Lord, to [drink] this” David said. “Is [this water] not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” If any of the warriors had died or been harmed, David believed he would bear responsibility. David saw blood in the water, and he wanted nothing to do with it.
Reflecting on the story of David and the water prompted theologian Robert Barron to ponder the many ways our “self-interested passion…moves [us] away from love and justice.”9 Most of us, even if we’re unsure of Scripture’s wisdom, recognize the bedrock truth: selfishness and greed harm everyone. When we pursue our own gain without regard for the cost to others, then we obviously have abandoned the fundamental call to love our neighbors. When a business pursues ravenous, short-sighted gain, the questions of what is right and just and fair dissipate. When we forget that a business’ purpose is to serve others, then people get hurt. Inevitably, there will be blood in the water. As investors, we should never want to obtain profit by harming others. We want to invest in ways that move us towards – not away from – love and justice.