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Well congrats to you, you work in a Good company. If only we all could work for good companies . . .
If I worked for a company like you described, I'd volunteer for free. not because of pay, but because if I plant a tree, with permission, it can show how long I've been there. Or I can watch flowers grow and smell them when I need that 2nd wind. I wouldn't have to go to habitat for humanity or the salvation army to volunteer like I do now. I could do it right at work.
But, I worked for a bad company who did not care if their clients received bad service, but loved to sell them a mortgage. Even if I clocked out and took on other clients when the waiting room was full, the supervisor took it as a negative.
My point is that people become so jaded they refuse to admit there are many good companies out there. So you worked for a bad company, so have I. You shouldnt let that cloud your opinion of every company out there.
It's not that easy either.
Our company is one that pushes volunteerism as a way to get their name out into the community. The volunteer work only counts if it is a corporately endorsed event. They do keep track by having sign up sheets and asking people to 'lead the effort', etc. Upper mgt frequently shows up to gauge the turnout.
You aren't forced to volunteer of course, but when your annual review comes up, or there is an opening for a better position, you better believe that the company is looking at your "team spirit". If you don't have enough team spirit and aren't willing to go the extra mile, unpaid of course, you are going to stagnate.
People are feeling coerced into giving up prime family time because they know how bad they are going to look if they don't happily 'volunteer' large chunks of time to the companies pet projects.
My point is that people become so jaded they refuse to admit there are many good companies out there. So you worked for a bad company, so have I. You shouldnt let that cloud your opinion of every company out there.
You can still understand the discouragement that we feel in the moment. I mean, once I find a good company to work for, I'm sure I'll be bright and cheery and telling everyone how great Corporate America is for us, too. I think C-D contributes to a lot of my angst and bitterness towards Corporate America. There is so much negativity on here about the workplace that it can wear down on you quickly. That's why it's essential for me to take breaks from this site so that I don't get burnt out.
It's not that easy either.
Our company is one that pushes volunteerism as a way to get their name out into the community. The volunteer work only counts if it is a corporately endorsed event. They do keep track by having sign up sheets and asking people to 'lead the effort', etc. Upper mgt frequently shows up to gauge the turnout.
You aren't forced to volunteer of course, but when your annual review comes up, or there is an opening for a better position, you better believe that the company is looking at your "team spirit". If you don't have enough team spirit and aren't willing to go the extra mile, unpaid of course, you are going to stagnate.
People are feeling coerced into giving up prime family time because they know how bad they are going to look if they don't happily 'volunteer' large chunks of time to the companies pet projects.
Do it. Don't do it. It's just a decision you are going to have to make. How would you feel if they asked you to work extra hours as opposed to volunteering? Would you be having the same discussion?
And considering the OP said "The thing is a lot of managers don't like employee spending time volunteering, they would rather have employee doing overtime!" it appears not volunteering shouldn't be an issue.
You can still understand the discouragement that we feel in the moment. I mean, once I find a good company to work for, I'm sure I'll be bright and cheery and telling everyone how great Corporate America is for us, too. I think C-D contributes to a lot of my angst and bitterness towards Corporate America. There is so much negativity on here about the workplace that it can wear down on you quickly. That's why it's essential for me to take breaks from this site so that I don't get burnt out.
I agree. I know its bad out there. I can understand the discouragement. I know there are companies that don't give a rip about you. But I also know there are companies who do care about their people and are great places to work.
I have interviewed many people over the years. I can tell with out a doubt its pretty easy to spot the people who have bad attitudes or seem to have the "its someone elses fault" mentality. If you jump on the bad attitude bandwagon it is sometimes hard to jump off.
Do it. Don't do it. It's just a decision you are going to have to make. How would you feel if they asked you to work extra hours as opposed to volunteering? Would you be having the same discussion?
If I'm salaried, probably not. If I'm hourly, then probably so.
I'm hourly and low enough on the food chain that my refusal to participate doesn't affect me too much now. However, I know that if I want to get to the next level one of the things I'll need to do is to start volunteer work for the company, devoting entire days to walks for charity, community clean up days, etc.
Maybe it's just me, but I think it's just a little crazy that my chances of moving up the ladder are tied to how willing I am to put on a pair of gloves and spend a day picking up roadside litter while wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the company logo.
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