Whats your Work Attitude

seamus · 21-03-2017 5:17pm

This millenials -v- previous generations stuff is all nonsense. Been going on since the dawn of time. "The kids of today are too soft, wouldn't know a hard day's work if kicked them up the hole, no real drive to work hard, just want to play games and party".

I've seen that video and it's largely things like, "Isn't it awful what the youth of today do" and claiming that the technology we use is fundamentally altering our social behaviour and making people "worse", without the slightest shred of evidence that this is so.

It appeals to a base human tendency to complain about the inadequacies of the youth which is an attempt to mask one's own vulnerability because you are aging and are no longer with "it". Complain about young people. They're not "with it", they don't "get it", my generation is way better. It's always guaranteed to get the bobble heads going.

Wanderer2010 · 21-03-2017 5:41pm

I used to work very long hours, overtime each weekend and was always the first to offer help but they say the best way to learn is the hard way when one day, my boss fcuked me out of it for not filling in one tiny part of a form that was easily overlooked. After that I started to do my own thing, came in bang on time left bang on time and I only ever do overtime a few times a year and only if I get paid. A job is a way to get money nothing else. Yes do your work but staying 10-12 hr days regularly just to climb some ladder? NO thanks. If you died tomorrow the company would move on in a heartbeat. Think of yourself.

keano_afc · 21-03-2017 5:41pm

I'm in the mobility side of IT so I have 3 or 4 mobile devices on the go. Its hard to disconnect when all I have to do is open my phone to see a work email staring at me. I do reply out of hours sometimes and have even rang customers to troubleshoot issues out of hours. I get paid well for what I do and I do enjoy my job, so I dont mind that much really.

seachto7 · 21-03-2017 5:50pm

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

I used to work very long hours, overtime each weekend and was always the first to offer help but they say the best way to learn is the hard way when one day, my boss fcuked me out of it for not filling in one tiny part of a form that was easily overlooked. After that I started to do my own thing, came in bang on time left bang on time and I only ever do overtime a few times a year and only if I get paid. A job is a way to get money nothing else. Yes do your work but staying 10-12 hr days regularly just to climb some ladder? NO thanks. If you died tomorrow the company would move on in a heartbeat. Think of yourself.

This

SarahMollie · 21-03-2017 6:05pm

keano_afc wrote: »

I'm in the mobility side of IT so I have 3 or 4 mobile devices on the go. Its hard to disconnect when all I have to do is open my phone to see a work email staring at me. I do reply out of hours sometimes and have even rang customers to troubleshoot issues out of hours. I get paid well for what I do and I do enjoy my job, so I dont mind that much really.

I have a work phone but I also keep my own personal phone for this exact reason. I don't look at my work phone out of hours unless I'm actually expecting something that I deem to be important. Lots of people in my office use their work phone only as they think "great, free phone and no bill!" but for me its worth the expense to keep my work and home life separate. If I only had one phone for both, the new email icon would irk me and I'd end up checking them, or taking work calls.

J Mysterio · 21-03-2017 6:15pm

Grayson · 21-03-2017 6:31pm

I worked my ass off in a previous job. I was in early every day and late every evening. I was burning myself out. Someone who was higher up than me in another department took me to one side and told me to stop. She said "the company doesn't care. If you burn yourself out they'll just replace you." It took a while for it to sink in. I was working myself to bits to try and get ahead and it was making no difference. No-one cared. My supervisor was even worse. He gave out to me for not getting enough done. I pointed out that I was working 20-30 hours a week extra and he said he had no proof of that since he wasn't there when it happened.
That was when I realised what I was doing made no difference. So I started doing the regular hours and that's it. I even slowed down a bit in work because I figured what's the point of getting twice the work done in the same time when they didn't care.

somefeen · 21-03-2017 7:02pm

My plan at the moment is to make sure I am in a position where, if I was sacked in the morning I'd be OK. That it wouldn't matter.

At the moment I have a sideline as a writer which is paying for an online course, and I am saving up 9 months of expenses. Its tough financially to do these things but it will be worth it. I have no debts and I live fairly frugally.

I started working when I was a child, working for my father who was a builder then when I was 16 I left school and started working fulltime.
When my boss was being a dick to me in various jobs since then I always wished I could be there on my own terms. My last job I hated my boss and he hated me. I bit my lip and toed the line and hated every minute of it. All because I was afraid of getting sacked and what it would do to my career and how I would survive and pay the rent, not to mention the shame. After I was forced to quit that job I decided I would never be in that position again. That never again would I have to put up with someones crap for the sake of a paycheck. That my future career and my financial security would never again be at the mercy of some asshole.
When I have my 9 months expenses saved and my online course finished, I will be in an excellent position. If I was sacked I pretty much immediately go writing full time or use the online qualification on its own or in combination with writing to begin another career. I would have 9 months to get an income going again, and it wouldn't need to be huge to sustain me because I am going to stay debt free for as long as I can.
In my current job I have decided to heed the advice of Jim Rohn; "Work harder on yourself than you do at your job".

Corruptedmorals · 21-03-2017 7:17pm

I work in the HSE, patient-facing. My work is when the clinics are on and the rest of the staff are in so it's not exactly an overtime type of job. Clocking in for more than your contracted hours is discouraged anyway.

I work hard, I engage with and help other people. I enjoy my job. But that's moreso down to the people. It's understaffed and can be a tough environement. I certainly would not work extra, wouldn't get me anywhere anyway. I can't stand people who do very little and resent everything asked of them though, but there's a happy medium.

Lyle Lanley · 21-03-2017 7:38pm

I work for myself, often do hard work for no pay. If i worked for somebody else theres not a chance I'd do anything without being paid for it. The fact that it's generally expected in the corporate world is one of the reasons i don't take part in that ****.

I'm not sure what a millennial is, maybe i am one.

SimonTemplar · 21-03-2017 7:47pm

Pretty much enjoy what I do and I'm good at it. I've a good work ethic and I'll happily work by ass off 9:00 - 17:30 but I also value my free time. When I leave the office, I switch off workwise until the following morning. Any job that requires or expects me to continue working at home into the evening as part of normal routine wouldn't be for me, and to be honest, that would be the sign of bad management.

Don't mind doing extra hours rarely, but certainly not the norm.

osarusan · 21-03-2017 7:52pm

I enjoy it. Working with university students is fairly rewarding, and I have a decent amount of control over what I teach and how I teach it. You can see them improving, which is motivating.

The beaurocracy side of it can be painful though.

zanador · 21-03-2017 7:57pm

At some point in the last few years I stopped being in the generation being given out about and moved into the generation giving out about the next one.

Cupcake_Crisis · 21-03-2017 8:08pm

When I first started the job I'm in now I'd do all the over time they asked no problem, I'd come in early, switch shifts, cover for someone without hesitation. Because it used to be a really nice place to work, and honestly I felt appreciated.

Then there was a management shake up and it all went to ****. They expect you to be available to work at a moments notice, but will cut your shifts just as quick. I could get 100 positive reviews, but if I get 1 negative my hours are cut. A girl I work with has been making it her mission to get me fired, even going as far as saying I've been stealing tips (I haven't been . I told my boss about it and nothing has been done.

So now I arrive on time, I leave on time, I don't cover for anyone and I don't ask anyone to cover for me and it'll be that way till I leave in may.

I don't like working like that because I find it stressful but it is what it is.

strawdog · 21-03-2017 8:15pm

zanador wrote: »

At some point in the last few years I stopped being in the generation being given out about and moved into the generation giving out about the next one.

"I used to be with it, but then they changed what *it* was. Now what I'm with isn't *it*, and what's *it* seems weird and scary to me. It'll happen to you..."

Grayson · 21-03-2017 8:19pm

Cupcake_Crisis wrote: »

When I first started the job I'm in now I'd do all the over time they asked no problem, I'd come in early, switch shifts, cover for someone without hesitation. Because it used to be a really nice place to work, and honestly I felt appreciated.

Then there was a management shake up and it all went to ****. They expect you to be available to work at a moments notice, but will cut your shifts just as quick. I could get 100 positive reviews, but if I get 1 negative my hours are cut. A girl I work with has been making it her mission to get me fired, even going as far as saying I've been stealing tips (I haven't been . I told my boss about it and nothing has been done.

So now I arrive on time, I leave on time, I don't cover for anyone and I don't ask anyone to cover for me and it'll be that way till I leave in may.

I don't like working like that because I find it stressful but it is what it is.

There was a girl I worked with (in a call centre) who used to always swap shifts with people. You needed to start late because of a concert the night before and she'd swap no problem. And normally at a moments notice. Everyone she swapped with would say they'd return the favour.

When she left the company her last week was a week of lates (finishing at 10pm). She asked everyone who owed her a shift swap if they'd work a late that week. She asked about 2 weeks beforehand. Every single one of the feckers said no. Bastards.

On a slightly separate note, the CIPD (the UK HR group) did a study about workplace satisfaction. They found the single biggest factor in determining if an employee was happy was if the employee thought they were treated fairly. If an employee thought they were treated fairly they would work extra hours, because they thought it was fair.

Grayson · 21-03-2017 8:23pm

keano_afc wrote: »

I'm in the mobility side of IT so I have 3 or 4 mobile devices on the go. Its hard to disconnect when all I have to do is open my phone to see a work email staring at me. I do reply out of hours sometimes and have even rang customers to troubleshoot issues out of hours. I get paid well for what I do and I do enjoy my job, so I don't mind that much really.

I used to bring my work laptop home. Then about once a week I'd check mails and reply to anything that my director and direct manager was cc'd in. Just so it looked like I was keeping up to date on evolving issues out of hours.

Bambi985 · 21-03-2017 8:35pm

I work for an American company, my boss and a bunch of colleagues are in New York so i tend to reply to emails and the odd occasion do some evening meetings.

I take great pride in having a good job and being respected for my hard work. But I'm well beyond tying it into my identity, using it as a form of self-validation or a means to determine my own self-worth these days. We are all so incredibly replaceable in the workplace and no amount of thanks or pats on the back can justify sacrificing your life and your happiness for a measly job at the end of the day.

I sacrificed a lot of my personal and social life in my 20s chasing the dream job and trying to climb up the career ladder and it landed me with a world of work stress and few friends at the end of the day because I blew everyone and everything off for it. It's no way to live. It's not really living, ultimately.

All the same I'm still ambitious, but less about having some meaningful career that allows me to be some alpha-female badass and more about earning good money and having a nice life for myself. That's what motivates me most these days.

snowflaker · 21-03-2017 8:39pm

I worked in a better paid job in a more stressful environment. Now I work in a less well paid less stressful more enjoyable job.

Money isn't a motivation any longer

Pac1Man · 21-03-2017 8:39pm

Bambi985 wrote: »

and it landed me with a world of work stress and few friends at the end of the day because I blew everyone and everything off for it. It's no way to live. It's not really living, ultimately.

I'd hire you.

Vojera · 21-03-2017 8:41pm

Far from being annoyed that we don't work past 5pm, my employer actively discourages us from working outside our contracted hours. None of us are paid overtime so it's not down to cost-saving, just that he strongly believes that maintaining a good work/life balance is crucial to having happy employees. He has no interest in one of us becoming burnt out or starting to dread coming in every day.

If we want a couple of hours off to go to the doctor or collect someone from the airport or whatever there's no problem and no expectation to work those hours back. I've been in this job over three years and honestly there has only one morning I really didn't want to go in during that time, which I think is pretty good going.

I previously worked in a job where I worked 10-12 hours a day, 5-6 days a week and I got no thanks for it. The more I did, the more I was expected to do and in the end I couldn't keep up that level of activity and crashed. I'll never make that mistake again.

DeanAustin · 21-03-2017 8:55pm

I worked for a US multinational for a few years in a very well paying role. I pretty much was available 24/5 because of how the operation was structured. I worked across countries so travelled a lot.

Last year I was made redundant. Do I regret it? Not a bit. It was a business decision and nothing personal and I always knew it was a possibility. My VP came to Dublin and took the time to look me in the eye and tell me I was gone. The company gave us a very generous package and also ensured we were retained for long enough to get a bonus when they could have gotten us out sooner and saved a packet.

I left having learned a load personally and professionally. I saw people, places and cultures I never would have without that job and was always put up in great hotels. I left well remunerated and well equipped to get another well paying job. I also left knowing and feeling I'd done a good job. The VP in question also took 30 minutes out of his Thanksgiving Day to give me a reference which helped get a new job.

I'd put in the same time and effort again and am as committed in my next role. But I 100% know my place as I did in the last job. Anyone who thinks the company depends on them or that they are indispensable is an idiot. Once it makes business sense to get rid of you, they will.

Cupcake_Crisis · 21-03-2017 8:56pm

Grayson wrote: »

There was a girl I worked with (in a call centre) who used to always swap shifts with people. You needed to start late because of a concert the night before and she'd swap no problem. And normally at a moments notice. Everyone she swapped with would say they'd return the favour.

When she left the company her last week was a week of lates (finishing at 10pm). She asked everyone who owed her a shift swap if they'd work a late that week. She asked about 2 weeks beforehand. Every single one of the feckers said no. Bastards.

On a slightly separate note, the CIPD (the UK HR group) did a study about workplace satisfaction. They found the single biggest factor in determining if an employee was happy was if the employee thought they were treated fairly. If an employee thought they were treated fairly they would work extra hours, because they thought it was fair.

Ah the arseholes

talk about leaving on a bad note.

My boss is all talk about organising a going away party for me since I'm leaving the country and not just the salon. Tbh I don't want them to. It'd just be horribly awkward at this point.

evosteo · 21-03-2017 9:03pm

most definitely work to live. theres plenty of overtime available in my place but the juice isnt worth the squeeze.

lifes too short and time waits for nobody

you are only a number to a company at the end of the day

J Mysterio · 21-03-2017 9:08pm

Grayson wrote: »

On a slightly separate note, the CIPD (the UK HR group) did a study about workplace satisfaction. They found the single biggest factor in determining if an employee was happy was if the employee thought they were treated fairly. If an employee thought they were treated fairly they would work extra hours, because they thought it was fair.

Ha, that's what I said myself.

Brego888 · 21-03-2017 9:09pm

In my experience any colleagues using the phrase "I work to live" are generally lazy, unproductive and do the bare minimum.
I understand not everyone has the same motivations but i like to work with people who can leave work behind when they go home but are interested and really productive while at work.

Elemonator · 21-03-2017 9:12pm

I must completely do my best for myself, I cannot stand doing a half job. Not only that, I am paid to do my job right. If I did that, it would never stop eating at me until I did right and to the best of my ability. That is why I can't stand layabouts and half done work where I know an effort has not been put in. The bare minimum just doesn't cut it with me. I love holidays as much as the next man, but I find myself getting restless if I have nothing to do for too long.

Hard work makes anyone rise to the top in any context. I wish I had that attitude in school

DoozerT6 · 21-03-2017 9:21pm

Get in, get out, get paid.

mariaalice · 21-03-2017 9:26pm

People are over thinking this having deep existentialist angst its work. I do the work because I am employed to do it and I am not lazy, however its not my whole life, I have't a clue how people can be lazy in a work situation without a trace of guile or worse think themselves as getting away with something.

Alf Veedersane · 21-03-2017 9:26pm

Brego888 wrote: »

In my experience any colleagues using the phrase "I work to live" are generally lazy, unproductive and do the bare minimum.
I understand not everyone has the same motivations but i like to work with people who can leave work behind when they go home but are interested and really productive while at work.

I don't think that's necessarily true. People trot the phrase out as a shorthand way of doing that they don't prioritise work over life.

I rarely stay late unless I need to but I like what I do, for the most part, and I take pride in what I do and what goes out with my name on it.

But I'm not expected to put work ahead of life. Just to do the work I have efficiently and on time.

Whats your Work Attitude

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