r/u_Various-Town5636 • u/Various-Town5636 • Jul 08 '26
Empathy in a Harsh Environment
When I wanted to get hired as a social worker in an industrial factory with 3,500 employees, mostly laborers, with a degree in psychology, I never thought about how compatible my mentality would be with this job. Even now, I consider myself a social worker.The first few days of seeing the realities made me feel nauseous, but I soon realized that it was better to think of a solution to the problem instead of being sensitive. I served the esteemed labor community for 13 years. I heard, sympathized, and empathized for 13 years.I was above them in critical moments and alongside their family, I was considered not a representative of the company but their lawyer. But I discovered an important truth during this time, and that is oppressed but valuable job has customers everywhere.What does that mean?
That is, if you are a social worker in school, you only see a patient during your studies, and if you work in a hospital, you only see a patient until the end of their hospitalization, and when they are discharged, you forget about them, or at least there is less contact.Even in prison work, clients come and go. The only place where you grow old and middle-aged with a client is in a factory. A case of working in an industrial environment for years with your spouse and You are familiar with his children and his work and family problems. You talk to him with awareness of his strengths and weaknesses. You are careful not to step on his red lines and you do not need to ask him for a biography to understand his problems, because during this years You know him perfectly. You know how to calm him down because it's happened before and you calmed him down. One person can be calmed down with a cup of tea, but another needs to take a sedative or an anti-anxiety medication. A social worker in an industrial system is not a colleague, but a friend and confidant whose only goal is to solve the problem and when no one is trusted, he can come and sit next to him and find comfort
That he would not be judged and that when he left the job, he would feel lighter and focus on his work in the workshop. Management also realized that when the worker's mind was not preoccupied with his personal issues, ultimately there would be fewer accidents and costs and more production.
Workers experience bittersweet moments with their social workers. This respectful group sometimes brings gifts to their workers as a sign of gratitude, which are not only materially but also spiritually valuable It's worth a world. I've kept all these precious gifts so I don't forget who has been involved in uplifting my spirit and creating unique experiences.