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I never said work more hours, or work unpaid overtime. I said work hard. If you're paid for 40 hours/week, put all you have into that 40 hours. Trying to make things easier for you while at work just leads to slower advancement, and more job dissatisfaction. The people who do that more often than not end up bitter about work, from my experience.
Better yet, work smarter. I could spend hours tediously putting together reports manually to make it seem like I'm a diligent worker who puts in the extra hours. But why do that when I can create formulas and tools that will produce the output I need in a few mouse clicks?
It's not intrinsically bad to have downtime at work, particularly if you're not in an output-measured role (i.e. on an assembly line). If you're in a salaried role, you are paid on quality performance, not hours clocked. Having some downtime from time to time is good. It allows you to reset and recharge. It allows you to spend time with family or friends, which is mentally, emotionally, and physically advantageous for an employee's wellbeing and productivity. It allows you to spend time doing some research and exploration on topics of interest, which may tie into your job and help you perform better later on. On the other hand, it's generally not healthy for most human beings to be pushed to their limits and overwhelmed for an extended period of time, trying out perform some elusive and dubious benchmark of excellency. Burn out is real, and a huge cost to employers.
Last edited by Sir Quotes A Lot; 03-25-2019 at 01:30 PM..
When firing time comes along, the coasters are the first to go, but that's never their fault either.
You make a blanket statement as if people who work hard, give their all and perform above expectations are never let go, while others who do less are (laid off or fired.)
Are you willing to concede that what you said isn't always the case?
You make a blanket statement as if people who work hard, give their all and perform above expectations are never let go, while others who do less are (laid off or fired.)
Are you willing to concede that what you said isn't always the case?
I'd argue that being liked plays a far bigger role in whether you stay or don't stay. I've seen lots of hard workers get a raw deal during layoffs and redundancy eliminations. However, there is a guy I used to work with about 10 years ago who used to walk around talking to people, looking for candy dishes at various desks, and even went as far as reading fantasy novels at his desk. Still working at the same company. My theory is that despite the clear reputation of being a slacker, he was well liked and easy to work with.
You're shooting yourself in the foot. By coasting, you're not building your skillset, and making yourself unattractive for your next job. Coasting all but guarantees someone will stay in that low quality job that they dislike for years. There's no reason to coast, outside of being content staying in the same place and not progressing in a career.
That was a huge part of my point.
I never said work more hours, or work unpaid overtime. I said work hard. If you're paid for 40 hours/week, put all you have into that 40 hours. Trying to make things easier for you while at work just leads to slower advancement, and more job dissatisfaction. The people who do that more often than not end up bitter about work, from my experience.
There is no objective way to know if a person is coasting. Person A might be able to coast and still be an above-average employee, while Person B might work his hardest and be the worst employee of the bunch. In my office, there is one person who is WAY ahead of everyone else in the group. There is really no benefit to her being there because she can’t get promoted (there are no promotional jobs of interest to her), the bonuses are minimal... She does generally seem grumpier than the other people who are lower down and still meet the job requirements.
You make a blanket statement as if people who work hard, give their all and perform above expectations are never let go, while others who do less are (laid off or fired.)
Are you willing to concede that what you said isn't always the case?
Some people have this fantasy that if you work hard, bend over and take it, and stay loyal to a company, then that said company will return the favor and put you first. Yeah...doesn't always play out that way. I'm not saying to slack off; yes you should put in your best effort but one should prioritize on what makes your resume look good, because no matter what, you are never truly safe from a layoff. It's YOUR career, not the company's.
I side with the folks who advise doing what you have to, but not investing emotionally with a company. I've seen too many hard-working staffers get laid off at the first chance, but high-paid slackers who "know the right people" are kept on. It's a bull**** system. I work hard at my freelance work and bust my ass for my clients, but my day job employer doesn't value in any way, shape, or form, my skills and experience. They shut down even requested "suggestions for improvement"; they talk a good game about process improvement, but it's all talk.
For that and mediocre pay and benefits, they get my regular effort and that's all.
There are some cases where it pays to do extra work. I agree it's not the norm. But I have a family member who is an engineer in a smallish 20 person firm. He got to buy into the company over a few years and now if a full partner, making well into six figures. He's a worker bee and put in over 40 hours a week.
There are other ways someone can promote their career, other than work 10 extra hours a week, and hope your boss will be fair. You may be able to get a professional designation in your industry or take some classes and get certifications. That can even reflect back on your job performance. Let your manager know you are doing these things. They will know that it puts you in a better position in the job market, than when they hired you.
A strict meritocracy coupled with a good ranking and rating system does wonders for getting rid of deadwood.
I think I'd like a strict meritocracy. I'm a nice person at work, but I'm not great at the politicking part. I think I'd stand out more if it were purely based on work quality and performance. I tend not to stand out a whole lot, because I'm not the best self-promoter.
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