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If the job says I'm required to be there from 9 to 5, then I'll get there at 8:30 - 9 (since traffic can be unpredictable) and leave at 5 sharp. Only exception is if there's a critical deadline coming up, then I'll gladly work the extra hours.
Since I have other projects (including a side business I'm working to launch), I value the limited time I have in my day. I force myself to accomplish as much as possible when I'm at work and and I'm outta there once I'm no longer required to be there physically. If I'm not performing as well as I'd like (or they'd like), I'll work on increasing efficiency rather than giving them more time for free.
You don't owe anyone anything. Most people where I work put in much less time because they aren't really working half the time. The days when companies cared about employees is over. We're numbers now. I gladly do what's required and expected but even when I exceed I'm capped at a 3% annual raise so no incentives to do more
If the job says I'm required to be there from 9 to 5, then I'll get there at 8:30 - 9 (since traffic can be unpredictable) and leave at 5 sharp. Only exception is if there's a critical deadline coming up, then I'll gladly work the extra hours.
Since I have other projects (including a side business I'm working to launch), I value the limited time I have in my day. I force myself to accomplish as much as possible when I'm at work and and I'm outta there once I'm no longer required to be there physically. If I'm not performing as well as I'd like (or they'd like), I'll work on increasing efficiency rather than giving them more time for free.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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The bare minimum time at work is what 90% of us do, there is nothing wrong with arriving and leaving on time. What is more important is actually working during the 8 hours you are there. Here, doing the bare minimum means little or no pay increases, they are performance based and the annual review determines the raise. Working more than 8 hours would actually be a negative, unless it's overtime that is authorized ahead of time for a special project or urgent deadline. People are expected to get their work done in their regular 8 hours.
Companies pay the bear minimum so employees do the bare minimum.
Or put another way they pay you barely enough that you won't quit and you do barely enough that they don't fire you.
Yup...
There's a naive employee (but I consider him a friend) that keeps putting above and beyond the call of the job. Each and every time, he is rants about how disappointed he is when he isn't recognized for it. He will even take responsibility for things without having the authority to follow through.... sometimes having to put in weekends to bail himself out.
I'm not so sure how many times he is going to make the same mistake before he learns. The thing is.. his heart is in the job but the job is simply heartless. We really should be fostering this attitude rather than repress it... but that's just the way it is.
You should do just enough to be paid and not get fired. However, the quality of your deliverables should reflect what you are capable of.
If the job says I'm required to be there from 9 to 5, then I'll get there at 8:30 - 9 (since traffic can be unpredictable) and leave at 5 sharp. Only exception is if there's a critical deadline coming up, then I'll gladly work the extra hours.
Since I have other projects (including a side business I'm working to launch), I value the limited time I have in my day. I force myself to accomplish as much as possible when I'm at work and and I'm outta there once I'm no longer required to be there physically. If I'm not performing as well as I'd like (or they'd like), I'll work on increasing efficiency rather than giving them more time for free.
Anything wrong with this work ethic?
No, that's what the employer would expect....Where I am working now, my trainer takes half the job, I do the other half, I watch her for how she does it and her methods. I find by copying her methods, I am working just as fast, but the waste of time is cut...
Sometimes it only takes a few extra minutes a day to remove the stigma of someone who does only the bare minimum. If your long term goal is to stay at your current level with small promotions throughout your career, you're fine doing the bare minimum so long as you do good work.
But if you want to make it to the top, stay a few extra minutes here and there or take on a project that is outside of your wheelhouse occasionally. Since most people just do the minimum, doing anything more than that is typically noticeable.
I've moved up quite quickly through the ranks and I wouldn't say that I work any harder or longer than the next guy, but I have the type of attitude where I view nothing as "outside of my job description" and always accept new work with a smile since I typically just push it down to a direct report after that anyway. Your goal should be to make your boss's life easier, which can often be done without making your job any harder. It's all in the attitude.
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