Astra USA‘s ground rules for recruitment and training were indeed peculiar. Recruitment of female employees as salespeople was mostly based on ‘good looks’. The recruits then had to undergo a nine-week long strenuous training program which decided their fate in the company, as a salesperson. One would say that it was indeed Astra’s way of setting a strong base. But with the pros, there were cons as well. The training program included a variety of things but most important was socializing where new recruits had to, quite often, attend late-night parties with (rather for) their managers and other top executives. It is a common thought that “The first Impression is the best impression”, so new-hires thought it to be fruitful if they had a chance with the top-level executives. But usually they weren’t prepared for what came next. It was found out and even said by some employees in the later years that female trainees had better chances. Quoting a statement of an ex-Astra employee,”Upper management was barely paying attention to male students, but they were all over the female students”. (Morgen, 1996) And often the after-effects of such parties decided whether one trainee is to be posted in the heart of a city or the countryside.
Lars Bildman, former CEO Astra USA, was known to have a penchant for fine wines and bright-colored suits. But these eccentricities were often acceptable for a man who was known for being disciplined and determined, one who would take credit for taking the company from annual revenues of $30 million to $360 million. It’s still not clear whether the prevailing culture of Astra influenced his approach or was it his own. Often described as autocratic, it can be said that it’s the power vested with him that made him a king and Astra USA, his kingdom. Lars Bildman and some other top-level executives were alleged to have misused their position and power for certain ‘unnecessary desires’. But singling out their faults is not totally right as the situation can be described as Astra loaded a gun whilst Bildman and others were the ones on the trigger. The unprecedented, unchecked power in the hands of a few at the top is enough to create a ‘make or break situation. So is the company’s greed to get bigger and better than they may recruit people who are able and charismatic, like Bildman, but with a flawed character.
Understanding the work environment is crucial to understanding what occurs there. Sexual behavior at work takes place in an organization having its own culture, its own norms and regulation, a hierarchy of job classifications, and diverse tasks carried out by a variety of people. Each individual worker has identical productive characteristics like being ambitious, competitive, and dominant but in fact, many organizations, like Astra, ignore individuals because of their gender. Even though, law protects employee from discrimination but discrimination in restaurant still happen to each individual especially to women. It is because of not only their gender but also the wage gap faced by women nowadays. In fact, many men find it difficult to accept women managers in restaurants just because they see that women as a weaker sex or as sex objects.
Certain factors must be pondered upon to avoid such demeaning scandals from happening. To start with it should be understood that in sales-business selling of ideas is more important, not selling themselves. So recruitment of female employees on the basis of ‘good looks’ should be discouraged. Rigorous training should include polishing of communicational skills. Certain ground rules should be maintained like conducting surveys to make sure that all employees, irrespective of their gender, have job satisfaction and their problems, if any, looked upon without delay. Certain measures should also be taken to ensure employees ‘right to retaliate’ to wrongdoings. The entire recruitment procedure in Astra needs to be revamped with full background checks on employees irrespective of the position of recruitment. There should be a system of having someone to check the authority of the top-level management. After all, only a company with a strong base and good ethics succeed.
Reference
Mogren, H. 1996. Astra USA: A Sexual Discrimination Scandal. Sweden: Astra AB of Sewden.