Do you do the bare minimum at work?

Baggy Trousers

eet fuk wrote: »

I ask the question as there are a few people that I work with who probably work about 3 hours of an 8 hour day.

It's not about how many hours you work. It's about what you deliver and even more importantly how good you are at getting credit for it.

eet fuk

Baggy Trousers wrote: »

It's not about how many hours you work. It's about what you deliver and even more importantly how good you are at getting credit for it.

Agreed.

But to clear things up, the work is also shoddy.

Baggy Trousers

eet fuk wrote: »

Agreed.

But to clear things up, the work is also shoddy.

Yeah but you'd be amazed how people can claim credit for shoddy work or even claim credit for work they didn't do. He who shouts loudest and all that.

Some people managers are blind to it but better managers will spot it immediately. I bet you have crap and/or "stressed" (out of depth) managers.

eet fuk

Baggy Trousers wrote: »

Yeah but you'd be amazed how people can claim credit for shoddy work or even claim credit for work they didn't do. He who shouts loudest and all that.

Some people managers are blind to it but better managers will spot it immediately. I bet you have crap and/or "stressed" (out of depth) managers.

I know what you're saying alright, and I have seen examples of that in previous jobs.

It's different in my case. Management is well aware of what's going on (I know this as I have been told directly). I don't want to give too many details about my workplace but I must say it is a pretty unique situation in terms of management structures (it has good and bad sides to it).

It's as if the employee is a child and they really want him to do well and improve his performance despite everything. I do admire the fact that they seem to be giving him every chance to up his game, as I think it can really ignite something in certain people. Although I'm not holding my breath in this case....
Either that or they are starting to build up evidence of the poor performance before they take action.

Corpus Twisty

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

I've always found the people who shout the loudest about being a hard worker and grafters are generally the biggest spoofers of the lot.

You probably would, Padd.

Sand

I've always had pride in any work or job I've done. From part time work as a teenager to my current role. I do significantly more than the bare minimum at work, and its worked out for me. Others mileage may vary.

Fukuyama wrote: »

They tried to cajole the staff into even more changes... A few agreed and were laboured with even more work for a few measly extra grand the promise of a promotion within a year.

So management got their way in the end. Massive budget cuts and improved staff efficiency by playing on the hard working fools.

My motto: work smart and know your worth. Always be prepared and ready to leave. And if a company treats you right, work your ass off for them.

Obviously you didn't enjoy what happened, but when you get on down to it, from what you are saying the company squeezed out the lads who spent their time on the internet and chatting rather than working. Those guys found jobs that weren't as much work. The company identified the "hard working fools", gave them more money and promotions and those people worked their asses off for them. The company is more profitable. Everyone wins.

chrissb8

I do the work that needs to be done. Boss is very flexible about me changing days or being a bit late. Makes me feel valued and because of that I work harder. Regards to what other people are saying I would say yeah, work the minimum hours you can and don't get sucked into that stupid outlook of career driven bulls**t because others around you are. I mean by all means go for it if you want it not just because someone above you or people around you expect it.

Life is for living just don't lose sight of that and work becomes a lot easier. Realise it's just a means to an end and it eliminates alot of stress. Really though just find something you like or love doing.

bottlebrush

This reminded me of a company I worked in when I was a lot younger and a bit naive. There were two directors who were workaholics but the director I worked directly for never took holidays and worked late every night and weekends, used to wonder did he ever see his wife and kids. He was a very wealthy man, but extremely tight and mean. Anyway I hadn't been working there long when one day he asked me to stay a few hours later that evening to do something that was extremely urgent. Very enthusiastically I replied yeah sure and that I could really do with the extra money right now!! He backed out of the office and went back to his own, then after five minutes came to tell me that the work could wait until the next day, there was no need for me to stay. The following day I was telling my colleagues and they more or less stared at me asking me did I not realise that we didn't get paid overtime or get time off in lieu for working late and that there would be a lot of working late around here. But my boss never ever asked me again, it and I stayed on working there for another five years when I left of my own volition for another job.
When it came down to it, I don't think he had the gumption to look me in the eye and tell me that I would be working for nothing. He would have assumed that I would have already found out from my colleagues about their overtime policy saving him the job of doing it.
I keep in contact with one of those colleagues who is still working there, putting in the hours and the extra unpaid overtime.
She hasn't got a pay rise for almost ten years and still has only the minimum of 20 or 21 days annual leave per year. The company will only pay 3 days sick leave in a year, get seriously ill and tough - she's off pay.
In my experience of working in several companies during my career, if you don't place any value on your own time, well employers are unlikely to do so either.

Tell me how

I work extra. A lot. Way more than is good for me and I'm an idiot and I'll regret it and I know this. It's my issues that have me this way.

What really gets me though is people who absolutely will not work a minute longer than their contracted hour. I know they say they've done their shift and so on but can they honestly say there was no minute during the day that they took to do something personal. A phone call, checking something online, a chat with a colleague about non work related stuff?? I'm not suggesting being a tyrant but why don't these people realise that a bit of leeway and understanding goes both ways. If an extra 10/15 minutes will occasionaly mean getting something done today then stop being Mr By The Book and help out.

I've a team of people working for me and when they come and ask me can they finish a bit early occasionally I always accommodate them but I absolutely expect the same when pressure is on.

the evasion_kid

Tell me how wrote: »

I work extra. A lot. Way more than is good for me and I'm an idiot and I'll regret it and I know this. It's my issues that have me this way.

What really gets me though is people who absolutely will not work a minute longer than their contracted hour. I know they say they've done their shift and so on but can they honestly say there was no minute during the day that they took to do something personal. A phone call, checking something online, a chat with a colleague about non work related stuff?? I'm not suggesting being a tyrant but why don't these people realise that a bit of leeway and understanding goes both ways. If an extra 10/15 minutes will occasionaly mean getting something done today then stop being Mr By The Book and help out.

I've a team of people working for me and when they come and ask me can they finish a bit early occasionally I always accommodate them but I absolutely expect the same when pressure is on.

what normally happens in that situation from what ive seen,is that 10/15 minutes turns into half an hour then an hour and so on and before you know it your employer is up on you instead,if you want to work for nothing youll have work for the rest of your life.i worked in a warehouse were nearly every night we had to stay back an hour or two unpaid,theyre argument was well some nights when yous get the work done you can go home early which was once in a blue moon,it didnt even up at all,so i started leaving on time every night,few weeks later i was called in and told work was drying up and i was being let go....not a bother says i,only delighted leaving the place.

Tell me how

the evasion_kid wrote:

what normally happens in that situation from what ive seen,is that 10/15 minutes turns into half an hour then an hour and so on and before you know it your employer is up on you instead,if you want to work for nothing youll have work for the rest of your life.i worked in a warehouse were nearly every night we had to stay back an hour or two unpaid,theyre argument was well some nights when yous get the work done you can go home early which was once in a blue moon,it didnt even up at all,so i started leaving on time every night,few weeks later i was called in and told work was drying up and i was being let go....not a bother says i,only delighted leaving the place.

No I agree it shouldn't be abused but I think the work environment should be given and take.

the evasion_kid

Tell me how wrote: »

No I agree it shouldn't be abused but I think the work environment should be given and take.

what used to send me over the edge about the place was,if you were even 5 mins late they would be onto to you,i often felt like saying the absolute fcukin necks on yous i was in here until 5 in the morning....unpaid.seems like a lot of jobs have this unpaid overtime policy.

sonny.knowles

Peaks and troughs. Last week was a peak,culminating in a weekend deployment, this week is a trough. So I average giving 100% or just above.

Cee-Jay-Cee

I'm in a busy job, I do what I have to do. I don't do any extra but I do everything expected of me in a timely manner. There is absolutely no thanks for breaking your arse working harder/faster than you actually have to.

sbsquarepants

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

I learned a long time ago that the person who works hard and tries to impress is just used and gets the exact same bonus and the person who does the bare minimum. Life is too short to be killing yourself working.

We actually used to have a guy here, an auld alco, who grew up close to the boss and he kind of took pity on him, literally never worked 3 days in a row, would go missing for weeks on end. He was once out "sick" for something like 5 or 6 weeks and came back on the day of the summer holidays to collect his bonus. He got the same as everyone else!

I've learned a simple rule to follow in work - you don't ask you don't get, for too long I slaved away and expected the boss to lavish praise and money on me for my efforts - all they done was take advantage. I've only started making any real money since I turned into a diva (it doesn't come natural but I force myself) I point blank refuse to be involved if it doesn't benefit me. If this is making you money, I want my cut. No cut for me, no help for you. Simple as that

MadDog76

the evasion_kid wrote: »

what used to send me over the edge about the place was,if you were even 5 mins late they would be onto to you,i often felt like saying the absolute fcukin necks on yous i was in here until 5 in the morning....unpaid.seems like a lot of jobs have this unpaid overtime policy.

Which is totally illegal.

the evasion_kid

MadDog76 wrote: »

Which is totally illegal.

you would think in this day and age all employers would pay their staff for overtime.....not as some condition of keeping their job

PaddyWilliams

I was silly enough to do over time for free in my younger days. I soon copped on to that, thank god. I do work hard, no matter how much I hate my job. I'm in a position where I have to do the work or everyone else comes to a stop. But the amount of lads I see pretending to work is unbelievable. And yes, I find they get the praise lavished on them!

MadDog76

the evasion_kid wrote: »

you would think in this day and age all employers would pay their staff for overtime.....not as some condition of keeping their job

The reason they do it is because they get away with it ........ if we all said "no pay, no work!" then employees would stop being abused and taken advantage of ....... but you'll always have those eejits in work working for free.

the evasion_kid

MadDog76 wrote: »

The reason they do it is because they get away with it ........ if we all said "no pay, no work!" then employees would stop being abused and taken advantage of ....... but you'll always have those eejits in work working for free.

the recession didnt help matters,you had employers using the old if you dont want to do it theres[insert whatever thousand] who will

PaddyWilliams

smash wrote: »

When your in full time employment and get paid a salary and have targets that result in a bonus, you don't ask for the extra hour's wage... In fact when you have a salary you don't have an hourly wage.

?

I have a salary, but I also have an hourly wage. That's how they work out my over time rate.

PaddyWilliams

PaddyWilliams wrote: »

?

I have a salary, but I also have an hourly wage. That's how they work out my over time rate.

I'm in a salaried job, don't have an hourly rate and my contract states clearly that because of "the nature of the role you may have to devote more hours than the standard weekly hours to enable you complete your duties and you will not receive any additional pay or holidays".

dslamjack

God bless the Man or Woman who works for nought , for they shall never be short of work ,
Tis on a plaque in IBEC's head office.

titan18

Hmm, well, I come in at 7. Clock in at 8, clock out at 4.15, and generally leave about 5 most days, so nope not at all. I do work with people who do, and I'd love to kill every one of them, since due to "experience", get paid more than me.

It's not worth it.

MadDog76

titan18 wrote: »

Hmm, well, I come in at 7. Clock in at 8, clock out at 4.15, and generally leave about 5 most days, so nope not at all. I do work with people who do, and I'd love to kill every one of them, since due to "experience", get paid more than me.

It's not worth it.

Why don't you come in at 8 and leave at 4.15 then???

Or clock in at 7 and clock out at 5???

titan18

MadDog76 wrote: »

Why don't you come in at 8 and leave at 4.15 then???

Or clock in at 7 and clock out at 5???

Cos management have already complained I work too much. I have 170 hours of time extra I've worked up before they caught on I was working too much, so now, I just don't tell them.

MadDog76

titan18 wrote: »

Cos management have already complained I work too much. I have 170 hours of time extra I've worked up before they caught on I was working too much, so now, I just don't tell them.

Eh ....... hmmm ....... em ........ Happy Christmas!!

titan18

MadDog76 wrote: »

Eh ....... hmmm ....... em ........ Happy Christmas!!

Ya, I know. Not worth it, but it distracts me from thinking, which just leads to cutting/wanting to kill myself. I sleep through my job but it gives me something to do when I'm not actually asleep.

P_1

If you look at jobs like you'd look like an army, they have the clueless generals (the strategising directors). the officer corps (middle management and so on) the lieutenants (lower level management), the sergeants (the people who get shat on and the place would fall apart without) and the general infantry.

I'm getting a bit sick of being a sergeant myself so now is the time to dial back my efforts to "bare minimum" while the CV gets dusted off

mr.anonymous

Now companies mask this in "Enthusiastic and self - motivated", expecting you to do it, rather than pay for overtime.