Are You Working Hard Enough?
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President Obama has repeatedly called on our nation to work harder throughout this tough time in the economy. To him, it’s the only way our country can make it through this recession. I know I am working a bit harder (just a little) because I would like to keep my job. I took a moment to pause and look at the people around me though and noticed that not many of my co-workers are following.
Throughout each of the jobs I’ve held since the dot-com era, I notice many of my co-workers doing anything except what would remotely be considered work. They are playing flash games, playing mini-golf, surfing the web, or making personal phone calls. I realized that somehow, we are in an era where jobs that don’t require you to actually work the entire time you’re there have become the norm. Bosses now expect their workers to come in late, take a long lunch, and leave early as well as do all those other things I just mentioned.
My sister was recently sick and home from work twice within a month. My father expressed his concern for her ability to keep her job with “so many absences.” He told me that if he was sick 3 times in a 6 month period, he would’ve lost his job and even if you were sick once, you had to kiss ass to get back into the good graces of the boss. My father never took a vacation day or sick day and often had to leave the middle of my baseball games on a Saturday to fix something at the bakery he worked at. At times he would turn in 80 hours a week. He would be physically and mentally worn down by the time he got home, but would still kick back and smile with an ice cold beer in his hand.
Granted that I do not work in a factory, I still see myself looking at the way myself and others work and I feel like we could all do more. If my father worked that hard for the little amount he made, I think I can do a little bit more for my company. If I help more customers, those customers can do more for their customers. Then they can make more money. If they make more money, perhaps the company they work for can hire more people… and the cycle continues. Who knows, maybe there is a way out of this recession after all. If not, at least I can kick back with a cold one after a long day of work, smile and feel that I gave the day my best.
9 Comments
leftystrat
March 3rd, 2009
at 8:41pm
You are plagued by what was formerly known as a Work Ethic. It’s virtually unknown these days.
Our firewall at work puts out a top sites visited report. If we find three work-related sites in the list, it’s a good day.
Keep up the good work.
Doug
March 4th, 2009
at 5:01am
I completely agree with everything you said. I work in the IT department for the city that is ranked in the top five in population in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I see the actual amount of “work” that goes on and it drives me crazy. For example, yesterday I was backing up a hard drive, formatting it, and reinstalling everything again and I backed up about 20 GB of personal photos that was on this users’ computer. Absolutely ridiculous and a waste of my time and the cities money. Before I backed up said files, I checked with my supervisor and they said it because they will freak out if they are restored.
Me
March 4th, 2009
at 5:11pm
Hi,
As much as I admire and respect your actitude and even more your dad’s hardworking life, I sincerely believe that nobody should really had to be thinking what their boss would say if you get days off due to be unwell. I think this is nowdays unthinkable in a decent company. At least in Europe anyway.
Alicia Castillo Holley
March 5th, 2009
at 3:01am
Stop doing more and start working different…
I just posted a blog on that…
People ARE doing more: more marketing, more efforts, more hours of work, more social networking, and networking activities, more studies to understand clients or potential clients, more sharing their curriculum, more giving freebies, more courses, reading more books, more and more and more … wow!!!
I know that working MORE does not necessary helps one ACHIEVE more. It reminded me of Henry Ford: “if I had asked, people would have told me they needed faster horses.”
… more on http://www.wealthing.blogspot.com
David
March 5th, 2009
at 3:19am
Work harder! have you gone mad? I’d say work smarter not harder! While rocking out to Daft Punk!
I’d rather have 1% of 100 peoples efforts then 100% of my own.
Einstein was captivated by the ability for numbers to compound themselves.
Some people believe financial security relies on cranking the 9 to 5 plan when Donald Trump sited that one can really only upon themselves for financial security. not government not a job.
How is one person with employee mentality going to be able to keep up with the unified efforts of say 100 people doing the same thing week in week out?
But this economic climate happens about every 10-15 years. There is nothing to worry about if you know how to use it to your advantage.
Eric L.
March 5th, 2009
at 7:33am
As much as I believe in good work ethic, and I do practice it. I believe that in todays economy where with some jobs require their employees to work 100+ hrs a week and never see their families, or friends. I don’t see a problem with networking or chatting, testing while at work. As long as your getting the job done proficiently, and your now slowing production down, or endangering someones live by doing so, then all the power to ya…. Family and sometimes friends are forever… Jobs come and go.
I Work 100+ hrs a week while I’m on the road driving. I talk to wife and kids all the time. If it wasn’t for the phone my family wouldn’t even know I’m alive. I talk to them when it’s safe to do so, and it doesn’t slow me down from making the delivery. My boss is kewl with that. My boss also understands that emergencies come up and sometime you have to leave early. I’ve only left early once in 7 yrs. when my dog got hit and needed medical attention, he had no problem… he drove his car to my truck, I gave him the keys to my car so he could get home at the end of the day, and I took his car home to deal with the problem.
With my company, I run it the same way… Family is forever and Family always comes first. You take care of your Family when you need to, the job will be here tomorrow for you to work on.
More businesses should remember that without a Family and/or friends…. There really is no point to living or working. You take care of your workers and their Families and they’ll take care of you and the business. At least if you hired good people any ways.
I hate fortune 500 mentality, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Good work ethics is a must, but Family should always come first.
Oh and if your sick… I don’t want it….stay home. A healthy employee will produce a lot more if don’t feel sick… And I don’t need the whole crew to get sick, then nothing gets done.
–Eric
Harry
March 5th, 2009
at 7:58am
Been there and got the T-shirt of working harder. It is far better to work smarter than harder as one person has already commented. Anyone can put in hours and appear to be working harder, however the efficiently and productivity of what they deliver is all that really matters in the end. Did you deliver the customer report on time?, Did you meet all of your job expectations for the quarter or year? If the answer is yes, then you’ve done your job and created value for the company. If you’ve spend time with your family and friends as well so much the better. There is no grindstone that your nose needs to be pushed up against in the 21st century, especially when results are what count the most. - Harry
Norm Stoehr
March 5th, 2009
at 8:17am
There are two currencies in play, at least here in America; money, of course, and time. I’m struck by how often people let money rule their choices, when time is much more precious.
Janine
March 5th, 2009
at 1:35pm
This comment might be a little bit choppy–due to a couple of different things I have to say about this subject and they are not related (well, maybe in a roundabout way).
I’m from Detroit and, as you all of you know, the auto industry can basically feel the last nail in the coffin being hammered in place.
A few weeks back..around the same time the auto execs were asking the government for a loan, one of the local networks interviewed an assembly-line auto worker at one of the plants. This particular individual was laid off at one plant but, shortly after, he got called to work at another plant. For some reason, I will never forget what he said when the reporter asked him what the mood in the plant was with his fellow assembly-line workers and the possibility that they all might some day be out of a job…..and I quote:
“We are all starting to care about quality again. You don’t see the guys on the line goof off as much anymore. We pay attention now to all that’s going on around us to make sure no one is screwing up when the big bosses come through. The guys are starting to care about their jobs again”.
Union shop talk at it’s finest.
And work ethic at it’s worst.
The reporter couldn’t have found a more perfect person to interview that day then the guy they chose.
And don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against the auto industry—my grandparents worked their butts off back in the day when this industry in the U.S. was booming. A time when Ford could claim quality was job 1 and could back it up with the work their employees did for them.
Not anymore (and not just Ford).
Recently where I work…not in the auto industry….our company was forced to make some necessary cutbacks due to the economy. Granted, there was plenty of waste in the company and employees whose daily presence served only to be in the building come payday to collect their weekly check.
55 people in my particular building were either let go or demoted (most were let go). Some were taken from 40 hours a week to 20 hours a week, health and vacation benefits gone. Other employees were taken from 20 hours a week to 15 hours a week (basically an on-call status).
Decisions for those cut or hours reduced were based on job performance.
I was only one of two employees who was able to pull off 40 plus hours a week and full benefits. For good or bad, better or worse, your work ethic more than ever, is going to speak volumes to your employer. Don’t kid yourself for a second that they aren’t watching what you’re doing. Or not doing.