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In Robert Frost's poem "Mending Wall", the annual ritual of repairing a wall between two neighbors serves as a metaphor for the boundaries and barriers people maintain in their relationships. By drawing a parallel to the workplace, the poem's themes can be explored in the context of the relationship between employers and employees.
In this dynamic, the metaphorical wall represents the professional boundaries, expectations, and mutual respect necessary to maintain a healthy and productive working environment.
At the heart of Frost's poem is the refrain: "Good fences make good neighbors." This line underscores the importance of clear boundaries and mutual respect. In a workplace setting, these "fences" can be interpreted as the rules, policies, and expectations that define the relationship between employer and employee. Just as neighbors benefit from understanding the limits of their properties, employers and employees thrive when there are well-defined roles and responsibilities. This clarity helps prevent misunderstandings and conflicts, fostering a cooperative and harmonious work environment.
However, the poem also raises questions about the necessity and nature of these boundaries. The speaker in "Mending Wall" questions the purpose of the wall, noting, "Before I built a wall I'd ask to know / What I was walling in or walling out." In the workplace, it is crucial to evaluate the boundaries in place and ensure they serve a constructive purpose. Overly rigid policies and an inflexible hierarchy can stifle creativity and innovation.
Employers must strike a balance between maintaining order and allowing for flexibility and open communication.
The act of repairing the wall in Frost's poem is a collaborative effort, requiring both neighbors to come together. This cooperative maintenance is symbolic of the mutual effort needed to sustain a positive employer-employee relationship. Employers must provide the tools and support employees need to succeed, while employees must actively contribute to the organization's goals. This mutual investment fosters a sense of shared purpose and loyalty. Regular performance reviews, team meetings, and feedback sessions are akin to the “wall-mending” ritual, offering opportunities for both parties to address issues and reinforce their commitment to each other.
Trust is another critical theme in "Mending Wall." The speaker reflects on the inherent trust required to even consider the necessity of a wall. In the workplace, trust is the foundation upon which the employer-employee relationship is built. Employers must trust their employees to act in the best interest of the company, while employees must trust their employers to treat them fairly and provide a safe, supportive environment.
Breaches of trust can lead to a breakdown in the relationship, much like a neglected wall can crumble and fail.
Robert Frost's "Mending Wall" offers valuable insights into the employer-employee relationship. The metaphorical wall represents the boundaries, trust, and mutual respect essential for a healthy and productive workplace. By maintaining clear yet flexible boundaries, fostering collaboration, building trust, and embracing change, employers and employees can create a positive and enduring professional relationship. Just as good fences make good neighbors, good policies and practices make for a successful and harmonious workplace.
Mending Wall by Robert Frost
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun;
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
The work of hunters is another thing:
I have come after them and made repair
Where they have left not one stone on a stone,
But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,
No one has seen them made or heard them made,
But at spring mending-time we find them there.
I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
We have to use a spell to make them balance:
‘Stay where you are until our backs are turned!’
We wear our fingers rough with handling them.
Oh, just another kind of out-door game,
One on a side. It comes to little more:
There where it is we do not need the wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.’
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
‘Why do they make good neighbors? Isn’t it
Where there are cows? But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offense.
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That wants it down.’ I could say ‘Elves’ to him,
But it’s not elves exactly, and I’d rather
He said it for himself. I see him there
Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.
He moves in darkness as it seems to me,
Not of woods only and the shade of trees.
He will not go behind his father’s saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well
He says again, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.’
Written by: Austin Meyermann, Founder and President of Hunter Crown, LLC
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