GEN424 Most people go to work primarily in order to earn a living. This is the consequence of the “curse of Adam,” which decreed: [this verse]. At the same time, most of us spend more time interacting with our colleagues at work than with family or friends, which highlights the need to pay attention to the human side of human resources. Examining the Jewish sources, we can distinguish three prominent themes regarding employer/employee relations, or what is known today as “human resources.” One theme is the fundamental interdependence of the two sides, and the responsibility of employer and employee alike to fulfill their side of the employment bargain in a responsible fashion. Maimonides writes, “Just as the employer is warned not to steal the wage of the [employee] and not to delay it, so the [employee] is warned not to steal the work of the employer and idle a little here and a little there.” Maimonides, Sekhirut 13:7  Alongside this consideration is the recognition that despite the ostensibly equal status of employer and employee in the bargain, the hired employee is never quite the equal of the boss. Since the employee is more vulnerable, a large body of laws and customs provided him with special rights that make his subordinate status less extreme and also more tolerable. For example, the Torah warns the employer to pay wages promptly. Deuteronomy 24:15  Finally, we find a consistent emphasis on the human side of human resources—the need to supplement ethical behavior in the monetary aspects of work with thoughtful conduct in interpersonal relations in the workplace.  For example, the Torah tells us not to lord it over our servants, Leviticus 25:43 and Jewish tradition urges us to apply the same standards to ordinary worker relations. Sefer ha-Hinnuch 346 MEIR 175