Who Is Serving Whom?

From a seemingly simple question in the lecture hall, two workers discovered the right relationship between employer, employee, and responsibility to society.

The hall fell silent after the teacher's question. Thousands of eyes turned forward, while outside, the rhythm of the company's work continued. In that space, a short question suddenly made everyone look back at their own daily work.

"In this company, who is serving whom?"

The question arose after the teacher spoke about the meaning of a life of service. In a business, people usually think that workers labor to serve the boss. They use their strength to create products, the company earns profit, and the owner enjoys the results. But if we only look at it that way, the relationship between people can easily turn into a matter of calculating gains and losses.

The teacher had also just spoken about employers who care for their employees. Some give houses or means of transportation to their workers. Mr. Thanh in particular builds one or two houses every year for those who have contributed for a long time. This created a tension in the mind: in the end, are the workers serving the owner, or is the owner serving the workers?

The teacher looked down at the hall and asked:

"Who can answer this question?"

A man stood up and, with palms joined, said:

"In my view, living in this ocean of suffering (dukkha), we must know how to love one another."

The teacher nodded:

"And within the company, how is that expressed?"

The employee replied:

"The owner serves the employees by creating jobs. The employees serve the owner in return by doing their work well, helping the company fulfill its mission and earn profit. The two sides serve each other; that is loving one another."

Applause rang out. The teacher smiled and praised the intelligent answer. Indeed, an owner cannot maintain a business without the labor of the workers. Conversely, workers need a business strong enough to provide stable jobs and income. The two sides depend on each other to survive.

It seemed the question had been answered, but the teacher still looked across the hall:

"Does anyone have anything to add?"

A female employee stood up. Her voice was calm but clear:

"I would like to build on what my colleague said. Beyond the owner serving the employees and the employees serving the owner, there is a greater responsibility."

The teacher asked:

"What responsibility?"

She answered:

"It is contributing together to society."

The hall rang out with applause once more. The teacher immediately said that this was exactly the answer he had been waiting for. The original question, it turned out, was asked with intention: if things stopped at the owner and employees serving each other, the meaning would not yet be complete.

The key lay in the female employee's addition. A business is not a closed world where the owner and workers merely exchange wages for labor. Together they create products, services, and jobs for society. The final result must reach outward, contributing to a shared life that is more stable and better.

The teacher said:

"The owner serves the employees, and the employees serve the owner in return; that is the first step. But when everyone serves one another in order to serve society together, only then is the idea complete."

The man who had answered earlier nodded. The female employee sat down amid the applause. From a question that seemed to concern only relationships within a company, everyone came to see a wider circle: the owner creates jobs, the employees fulfill their responsibilities well, the business produces goods, and the whole collective contributes to the country.

After that moment, the meaning of everyday work changed as well. A small movement on the assembly line, a completed file, or a product made with proper quality was no longer just a task performed for a month-end paycheck. It was each person's contribution to the smooth functioning of society.

The owner, too, can no longer be understood as someone who simply sits above and collects profit. Their responsibility is to gather capital, technology, and people, and to keep the business running so that jobs are not lost. When a business develops with integrity, the benefits do not stop with one individual but extend to the families of the workers, the users of the products, and the community.

The dialogue closed in a relaxed atmosphere. No one needed to argue any longer about which side served the other more. The final answer dissolved the opposition: everyone serves one another, and then together they direct that service toward all of society.

It was also the moment when those present understood more deeply the meaning of life spoken of in the dharma talk. We do not live merely to eat, to enjoy ourselves, or to seek our own advantage. Each person, in whatever position, can turn work into an act of service. When that purpose is present, labor is no longer a burden but becomes a way of loving people.

The Meaning of the Story

In a business, the owner and the workers must support and serve one another. However, the more complete goal is for the whole collective to create value and contribute to society. That is the true spirit of service.

Compiled from the dharma talk of Venerable Thích Chân Quang