“The group was growing then. It shouldn’t matter if people left since there would be more trying to get employed.”
Dawson then clapped Jasper’s shoulder and said meaningfully, “But so what?
“The fright from completely cleaning the business might last a few years at most before the same situation occurred again. Am I supposed to get rid of half my employees every year? The group will crash after I do this a few times.”
“I didn’t know what to do at that point, but Wendy’s mom gave me an idea.”
“Half a month later, the group set up a tidiness department. The department worked with the government to advertise the common law, mainly to induce fear and to increase the psychological cost of committing the crime.”
“I let them know that they would be safe if the group did not catch them, but would be in huge trouble if they did.”
“Then I got rid of the most severe cases and left the rest alone.”
“From then on, this tidiness department would catch and punish a few cases every year, but would turn a blind eye toward the majority.”
“Up until now, even as we talk, I’m confident that there are still people gaining rebates and being bribed within the Schuler Group. This seems to have become a publicly known secret within the group.”
“If I know it, then they must know it as well. We have a tacit understanding that small cases are write offs, but anyone who does anything that might severely interfere with the group’s interests will be in great trouble.”
Dawson did not say anymore after this. He knew that with Jasper’s intellect, the man only needed a small nudge and he would understand everything by himself.
“So, Jasper. As someone of higher status, what we need to do is control the balance and not the actions of our employees. Give them a baseline and let them know where the boundaries lie. Whoever oversteps this will face dire consequences.”
“If you want to control everything your subordinates to, then not only will an owner like you die from exhaustion, but you’ll end up alone as well.”
“No one will want to stay when you’re too controlling. As people of higher ranks, we have to remember to punish only those who cause bigger issues and forgive those who make smaller mistakes when we deal with internal conflicts. Our forefathers say that ruling with both kindness and ferocity is the way to go. There must be a reason why ‘kindness’ comes first.”
Jasper fell silent for a long while before he slowly nodded. “I understand what to do, then.”
“That’s good. So, are you two coming home for dinner tonight?” Dawson changed the subject to a lighter and homely one.
“Yeah. I’ll go fetch Wendy then go home,” Jasper replied with a smile.
“Okay. Go then, I still have a meeting. I’ll go home right after it’s done.”
Jasper left the Schuler Group and was about to fetch Wendy when he found out that she had headed to the company.
Wendy stood in the company with a frosty look on her face.
“You found out already?” Jasper asked with a smile when he walked in and saw her icy expression.
Wendy replied angrily, “They’re going too far! How could they work for outsiders?”
“I wouldn’t call this working for outsiders, per se. This is just the result of human greed.” Jasper waved his hand, acting much more open minded than Wendy was.
“We have to catch all of them and deal with them strictly!”
Wendy had always been a black and white person. There was even less of a reason to tolerate these people when they were harming the company’s interests.
“I plan to establish an independent supervision department in the future. This department will be independent of the administrative body and report to me and me alone. What do you think?” Jasper sat down and asked.
Wendy agreed, “I think that’s a pretty good idea. It’s just… it’s very important who you choose to take charge of this department. Do you have any candidates yet?”
Jasper rubbed his temple and replied, “No one in the company right now is suited for this kind of work, so I don’t plan to transfer existing employees but instead bring in somebody from outside. That way, I’d be able to avoid any ongoing connections they have with other company personnel.”
Wendy sighed and said guiltily, “Maybe I shouldn’t have rejected the proposal for allocating cars so forcefully. The entire situation could have been avoided.”
