On leave but working
I finished up at work for the year on Wednesday. Unfortunately, on Tuesday I began to feel sick and by the end of Wednesday, a very busy day, I was feeling pretty wretched. I spent Thursday and Friday, my first days of leave, feeling like lukewarm death in a tumble dryer and only today am starting to improve; I had a lot of things planned for those two days which I was unable to do. I lazed around the house, watched movies and read books trying to rest and convalesce quickly and today and tomorrow I'll be getting things ready for Christmas day, food shopping, cooking and stuff like that despite not feeling the best; soldier on and all.
I promised myself I'd not look at my work phone or laptop over my break; an ambitious plan I wasn't sure I'd fulfill and, true to form, I've been working.
My organisation doesn't close down over this period and that means, due to the nature of my position, a lot of emails and calls have come in. By lunch time on Thursday, my first day of leave, I had fifteen emails and five voice messages - Fucking, fuckety fuckballs, would you leave me the fuck alone! (Nope, they won't.)
Because I'm me, I began to sort through them setting aside those that could be dealt with when I return in the new year and those that were more immediate. I delegated them, dealt with some myself and before long realised I'd worked half of my first day of annual leave. I'll admit it annoyed me, but I have a sense of responsibility and considering I was sick anyway I figured I might as well, it'll make my first few days back a little easier. Friday I did the same although there were slightly less emails and I only worked for about three hours.
I have a high sense of responsibility and self-discipline, always have. That doesn't mean I never relax it but when it comes to my work I take it very seriously; I get paid a lot of money by my organisation and while their demands on me are often high I tend to give a lot more than is expected. I have a saying, lift heavy shit, which means do the hard work, look for it, do it and look for more; it's about not shirking on one's responsibilities, about pitching in and working hard. It's not about physical lifting of course, it's about doing difficult things and getting the job done and it's what any good leader should be doing as it raises the bar, sets a good example, and I've always found that it lifts others' performance as well.
Few people will know I was was working at home on my annual leave and I'll not broadcast it either, but some will know and other's will work it out. The benefit of that is that people often think, that guy always gets things done, never seems flustered or out of control, (even thought sometimes I am) and that, for me, is a good thing; that's leading by example as others will ask why, or observe, and will usually lift their own performance or seek ways to do so; it creates an environment of continual improvement for the team where each person wants to perform at their best, or so I have found it to be.
I'd never ask a person to work on their annual leave time, or even when they're off sick, but I know it happens and know that some people feel obligated or inclined to do so, like in my case, just to keep up with the work flow. It's personal choice I guess.
I'm curious about how you see the situation. Have you ever gone over and above for your employer out of a feeling of responsibility to them or your job? One such example would be many thousands of nursing and medical staff during the pandemic situation recently. Have you worked when you weren't expected to? Was it every-day work or a project that simply needed doing? Are you the type of person that will not lift a finger for your employer without there being remuneration for it? How has going the extra mile for your employer worked in your favour later on, or worked to your detriment? Feel free to comment below.
Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp
[Original and AI free]
Image(s) in this post are my own
Mate, I hope you feel better, first of all, let me congratulate you, let me congratulate you on the holidays, I know you don’t celebrate much Christmas, but I hope you have good time with your loved ones.
As for what you tell us, I like to see people with that work ethic, in a world so competitive, I think the one who is lucky enough to have a good position should take care of it, like a plant, because maybe today you don’t see the fruits but at the end of the month you will see them, so I like to have that work ethic even though sometimes it may not be nice to have the task we have to do. In my case I had to cover some friends at the hospital and the reality is that it doesn’t bother me (here we are not well paid) but I like what I do and while more work means more learning more practical so it doesn’t bother me to overwork. Continuing with what you ask us, yes I would do the work that depends on me even if I were on vacation, as I say it’s a sense of belonging and ethics and more especially in these dates when everyone is busy , if the work is mine I wouldn’t want to burden another with those responsibilities. So I share a lot of your opinion on this topic
Hmm, not feeling better...but I'm using the power of positive thinking...only, it's not fucken working! (I'll survive though.)
Christmas will be good; I have a special breakfast planned and then will have a late lunch with more food than is required so leftovers can be consumed for dinner (and probably lunch and dinner the next day too. I always do it this way so I don't have to cook or prepare the next day.)
On the work/effort/responsibility thing, I think it's important for one's own self-worth and confidence to put in, that is, to work hard; it's not always easy but it is rewarding, when results come but also throughout the process. I am a reward for effort guy and whilst I'm ok with encouraging others I'm not ok with rewarding people who show no effort, ownership, responsibility and discipline. I think you get what I'm saying here.
It's easy to lapse into bad habits in the society we live in where mediocrity and barely enough seems to be rewarded but it's not my way, clearly not yours either; there's reward for the effort we put in although it might not always be apparent of quick to come. Consistent effort gets rewarded though.
Thanks for commenting and I hope you and your family have a nice Christmas.
I know your pain, I’ve had some sick days but with emails coming in and being someone who’s a little better off to get a few things organized, I’ve looked at and filed or deleted some stuff. It’s not diving right in and working when I’m not supposed to or can’t because I feel like a horses ass but it’s reducing the stuff we have to catch up on. Hope you feel better soon man!
I’ve been in my role now over 2 years and one of the things that I discovered was a considerable gap in documentation that my team has. Things were very disjointed and not really easy to digest or pick up. Another team had this nice and organized structure for their work that was similar to ours so I went and duplicated their structure and format so I wasn’t reinventing the wheel but updated it to be specific to my team when I’m not the manager or director but I wanted to not only help myself but help my colleagues. It’s nearly complete and took about 40 hours of work but my boss was blown away by it and thanked me for doing it but also for doing it for the team. We are going to build upon that and organize some of the other key teams that we work with daily to contribute to our stuff and it felt good to do something that wasn’t my job at all but it will help me do my job and nobody else was stepping up to doing it.
I think it’s important to do these things but also make it a team benefit not just a “me” benefit. The more we can improve collaboration and processes so that everyone is efficient the better it is for everyone, especially our customers. It felt pretty good to turn the corner and get it almost complete! Just have a few minor details that I have to work out but I’ve already given it to 2 of my junior colleagues and they thanked me so many times because it’s daunting taking on your first real projects.
I enjoy living the collaboration mindset like this!
It can be stressful right? I mean, I have had (still have) a fever and feel pretty shitty but one must cowboy the fuck up right? (I'm just trying to muster the ability to get over to the farmers market and supermarket to do some shopping and I don't feel like it...it'll not do itself though right?
Good work on that restructuring and if your boss is a good leader it'll pass up the chain that it was all you. The boss will get the accolades for creating a team environment in which his/her team clearly wants ownership and takes responsibility and you'll get the accolades for doing it. A win-win. (A win-win-win really as the boss, you and the team all win.)
It's called lifting heavy shit, as I mentioned in my post above, going the extra mile, finding the work that needs to be done and just fucken doing it...then looking for more and doing it all over again, and again. Ownership, responsibility and discipline...it makes good leaders, and builds good teams.
Yeah dude for sure, I am really lucky that I've got a good group of leaders behind me which isn't too common these days. My manager, director and senior director are all solid people and will get down in the trenches with you when the need arises. It makes wanting to do these things easier because we are helping each other as a solid and cohesive team. I, like you, just get shit done. I think I got it from my dad, where it sucks doing it sometimes but the payoff in the long run is more than if you just complained and didn't do it.
What always helps me get over those annoying cold or flu things is a nice serving of garlic. You stink like fucking hell but damn that shit is powerful at knocking out the bacteria and viruses! I'm sure the farmers markets have some good ones. If you can, try to look for garlic scapes! Holy shit those are my favorite! If you ask one of the people at the farm stand if they have garlic scapes you might get lucky! It's a very light garlic flavor but it's a green onion look to it. I absolutely love getting those in early summer every year!
A good leader/manager/boss etc. can make a multitude of wrongs in a workplace or job seem so much less. It's when the workplace/job and the boss all suck where problems start. I always try to make people feel engaged, part of something, that their opinion and input matter (and counts) and make them feel supported...it's usually paid strong dividends and on those occasions it hasn't the individual who doesn't fit always drifts away of their own accord. A highly motivated team of high-achievers creates high achievers, but like you say, it has to start with solid core beliefs and work ethic.
I'm going to eat a ton of garlic bread for lunch...I hope it works. Lol.
Ok, I'm not going to eat all that garlic bread, I'd probably die. My dad was a huge advocate of the healing properties of garlic, I can hear him now, agreeing with you and saying, that cmplxty chap is wise beyond his years. Lol.
Hahah well garlic bread kind of counts but pure garlic is best! We've got 3 bulbs of it in the house at all times :D you can smell me coming from 20 feet away!
Yeah for sure it helps when you have a solid management team. I wasn't interested in leadership roles before but I know that it's probably something I will have to do at some point. I don't love it but know I can do it and know that it's important to have capable people to lead. We have a capable person shortage right now and think it's a way I can affect positive change, at least I hope. Just getting my base created to help support me in that future role, whenever I take the jump to it. I have a strong sense of team building and making people around me successful as I can, so I would like to try my hand at it and see if it can work out or if it's a dumpster fire and I do something else haha.
Being a good leader isn't easy, but it's made a lot harder by egotistical, selfish, prideful and pretenders who think leading is all about pointing the finger and ordering people around. It is not that at all. It can be a lonely job, one can't be everyone's friend all the time, but one can be empathetic, focused on solutions, engaging and empowering...well, I've written so many posts about it I'm sure I don't need to say it all again.
When the time is right you'll know, or it'll be thrust upon you, and when it is just do your best, seek to learn, know you'll make mistakes and that your best asset is the people you lead.
And eat garlic.
Hahaha yes absolutely. Eat garlic!
Solid points for sure man!
Garlic keeps vamps away too you know. Buffy the vampire slayer taught me that.
One strong decision I have made lately is work is work and rest is rest, I do not trade one for the other. My mental health is very important to me.
Cheers
Mental health is certainly important, no doubts there at all!
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Thanks bro, you know I always appreciate it.
Caught you on time ...else your post always make it big in no time...
Lolled at make it big. I get what you mean though.
I hope you're doing well mate, finished work for the year and looking forward to Christmas and time off?
I do not need time off...😉 I have all the time in hand currently....but I can relate it with my working days....always in rush during the Christmas holidays time while the foreign clients were on their toes to celebrate and we were like horse completing all the tasks for them.on time.....I hv accounts background so there is always a high level of urgency during month close and year close
I think things slowing down at work can be as good as time off although I guess that depends what one does for a job.
I will be working over break. We have a day next week where no one else is going to be in the buildings yet I will be there. It's actually easier for me to get stuff done when I don't have to worry about who is going to be impacted when I bring a server down. I also have things set up so I can do most everything remotely. When my mom was having surgery done I had my laptop at the hospital waiting room and I was working while sitting with my dad. My business director reminded the boss of that when it came time for my raise.
The right people can be more productive without others around, some need to be watched though, I like the former, not the latter types. Also, it helps that the repercussions of a server failure will impact few, if any, when there's no one around. I worked for a company whose server went bang (kaput, or whatever the terminology is) and it wasn't good.
It's good to hear your direct manager was decent enough to go in to bat for you on the pay rise; that shows you've done the right thing.
We had a server die about a year ago. I was able to get things back up and running within eight hours. My goal ever since has been to shorten that time. If I had some other things in place back then I think it could have been less than an hour.
Die. Ok, so I'm assuming kaput isn't quite the right word. Lol.
I don't know how you do it, I've been setting up my new laptop for hours (purchased today) and it's driving me bonkers.
No, you are good, dead is dead 😃. Tech can be tricky sometimes. After over twenty years in the business, I am not unconvinced that there isn't a little bit of magic at play. Electromagnetic fields or something. Sometimes I can simply walk in a room and a machine starts working again that wasn't before.
It's funny that you say about the electromagnetic field thing.
I have had trouble with my Laptop Surface Pro 3 and had a tech out after getting nowhere myself over months. He suggested that it could have something to do with when it's on power not battery causing the glitch. Possible I guess. I just wrote a post about the episode which I'll publish later...and my new computer that came home from the store with me yesterday. 😇
I just read it! Congrats on the new equipment!
I can't help touching it. Lol.
Get well soon. Not the best start to the holidays and your annual leave but hopefully it gets good at the end.
It's great that you have the responsibility in you to get the urgent work done even though technically you're not suppose to be working. For me, I think this helps you stand above the rest and really warrants you your position and high pay. These are one of the things that help climb the ladder if I'm wrong. If we do the same thing as everybody else is then we are very easily replaceable. The way you show yourself is like you aren't replaceable and the company would be at a loss without you.
As for me, I'm more or less the same. I would probably just get it done even though I wouldn't need to if not it would just get stuck in my mind of needing do it later. It would be hard to enjoy or focus on things if in the back of my head I'm thinking oh I need to do that later. As for getting paid for the extra work, I think it's not necessary because if they are paying close attention usually they will give bonus or promotion so it does pay off in the long-run. On the other hand though, there are some companies that maybe aren't so good and won't notice or reward those efforts. Then I think it would be the time to consider looking for a company that can appreciate and reward the hard work. It doesn't even have to be monetary; it can be something as simple as hey thank you we appreciate you. Anyways I don't know maybe I'm not making any sense haha because I just woke up not too long ago so a bit blur with my thoughts.
have a good weekend.
Thanks mate. I just had some medicine...ok, it was actually a burger and not medicine at all. It didn't help, but I'm not hungry anymore. :)
I know many people feel inclined to cut corners these days and sometimes seeking easier ways to do things works well, however at times there's no easy way, just the way, to do things and that can mean sacrifices are made; in my case as per this post it was time that was sacrificed. I've done things this way for a long time, just got things done, and despite there being times it's not paid off it mostly has; it's a habit I guess now.
You make a good point about companies that don't recognise the additional work one puts in. I'm fortunate that the organisation I work for is very generous and when time (off the clock) is used there's recompense in some way or form, sometimes money and often in other ways, which is ok by me. However, many do not do this, they just expect more and more without remuneration or reward of any kind. I believe that's where people become disgruntled and the entire system then breaks down.
There's nothing like an "I appreciate the additional effort, here's a dinner or movie voucher," right? An afternoon off, fully paid or some other show of gratitude. Those things go a long way at times when extra, beyond the call of duty, work is done and especially so when there's no remuneration, no pay. I agree with you on that for sure!
Anyway, thanks for commenting, I hope you have a good weekend.
That's some good medicine. always cures hunger and some do make people sleepy so they can rest more which does help i guess lol
sadly this is true. There's a lot of things marketed out there "get this fast" "get rich fast" and people are getting baited into it. Even for crypto, people have this ridiculous expectation they can be a millionaire easily which I feel is an illusion. Even though crypto does produce millionaires that means there's also people losing millions.
Another great example of cutting corners is chatgpt. People using it to write their assignments ; wish i had ai to help me with my assignments, not write but maybe assist in giving ideas. I guess part of all this cutting corners is due to technology making things faster and easier for us which could be making us complacent as well.
Yes there are companies that are greedy and won't want to give out a little bit of numeration or reward but this is their downfall sometimes. Some companies are disgusting though and they will just milk the employee out of all their value especially those that are "interns". There's a lot of cases now where interns are pretty much doing the same thing as a full time employee but getting "intern pay". Anyways these companies will lose their people that know their worth and if they are a super capable person; they would have no problem finding a new job.
Yes there really is nothing like this. Something so simple actually goes a long way. People love compliments and getting acknowledgement even the most humble people.
you're welcome and I will have a great weekend i hope haha. I'm not sick though so that's already a plus!
Yeah, AI to write assignments...What cold go wrong when a person gains a degree without actually knowing what they were there for. Bonkers.
oh ya it's as bad as people buying these so called degrees not sure if people still do but this was definitely happening a few years back :')
I've had to work out of a feeling of responsibility a good number of times. Since I used to handle Databases, any issues will greatly affect a large number of people. I have worked in the Telecom industry, and supported Medical databases, so a lot of it are critical. There were times when some of the applications I was handling encountered problems, and I had to connect remotely even while I was on vacation, or on sick leave. Not helping is out of the question, since not only will it affect a lot of customers, but it will also be a burden to the team. We usually have each other's backs, and sometimes that includes working when you shouldn't be.
One of the good things about technology is we can work with it pretty much anywhere; that's also one of the downsides as it tends to follow us on vacation. Lol.
I am not in IT so don't have the same issues as you in respect of critical support for databases but, like you, technology means that no matter where I am I'm reachable and that often means I have to work. I try not to though and in this case I mention, if I wasn't home sick on those two days I'd have been out doing things and not able to work. Oh well, it wasn't the end of the world.
Yeah, technology can bring both convenience and hassle at the same time, depending on how you look at it. I do hope you are fully recovered from your sickness.
Not even close to recovered unfortunately, but the fever is gone. That's something at least. (Been setting up a new laptop...so I have a headache instead of a fever!)
Setting it up can be half the fun; as long the OS has already been installed. If not, then it is troublesome.
It was all pre-installed. I had to get my own personal stuff across and used an external drive for that, and did some different things as far as browsers go, got the virus protection and file-shredding thing set and it's good to go. It was annoying at times but not a bad process. I have yet to get all my crypto stuff back up and running but much of that is already done.
Hope you completely recover, forget about work for a few days, and enjoy your Christmas break. Being responsible also means resting whenever it takes, the same way you do for others, you should do for yourself, it will make you come back more relaxed and willing to get your hands dirty.
Merry Christmas!
Great advice indeed, and right now I'm prioritising myself...well, my hunger, as I'm making home made pizzas. Seems like a good way to look after my well being.
Have a great Christmas and New year ahead.
I am always the first when something needs to be done in emergency situations, on weekends or when I am on vacation, to do work that is within the competence of the part of the sector that I manage, but also for work that is not within my competence, to provide my experience as a senior colleague and knowledge... But for emergencies.
Not for everyday activities.
The situation a few years ago:
I went on summer vacation and turned off my office phone (I use two numbers, private and official).
When I turned on the official number after returning from abroad, I received messages of missed calls from the owner of the company. I sent him a message explaining that I am on vacation until Monday and that he should write to me if I can solve something for him before returning to the office. He wrote to me: "Everything is OK", but on Monday he called me and asked: "Why do you turn off your phone when you are on vacation?".
My integrity helped me to answer: "I'm turning off the phone because I don't want my phone to ring endlessly while I'm taking a bath. I don't want my colleagues to call me expecting me to answer them, while I'm weighing from the outside whether is it worth returning the call and incurring big expenses or not... Your secretary knows I'm away, and my superior director, as well as my team colleagues, have my private number that they can call me 24/7 in case of really urgent situations. For some non-urgent questions, they can wait 10 days". He agreed with me and my decision.
I had a situation when I got corona, that my superior director asked me when I went on sick leave, if I would work from home.
"Boss, in the 15 years I've been working at the company, I've come to work with a fever, so now that I've taken sick leave, it means I'm so broken that I can't see with my eyes."
And he agreed with my decision, so for now I was not sanctioned in those moments 😀
I always make my own decisions about priorities and, like you @galenkp , I always work if necessary, even when no one expects it from me...
Sometimes it's difficult to be the dependable person because people always turn to those who are and expect them to step up. I guess people get to feel comfortable and confident that the dependable ones will pick up the slack, fill the gap and because they're reliable, they do!
It can be a little draining and annoying but I'll be honest and say I'm ok with it because I think it shows character. Clearly you have it.
Definitely yes, when I have worked as an employee with bosses I have always given more than I could and even without extra pay.
I have worked more and more and with more and more responsibility and this has had consequences, such as improving, learning and, as you mention, making others want to better themselves.
The truth is that I didn't realise it until they told me, I just worked and worked but people, my colleagues told me you are an example of perseverance and of always going forward with a lot of effort and with time I saw that they followed me... they followed in my footsteps and I couldn't believe it.
It is true that once I put my personal health at risk because of so much effort. But I was able to overcome it and come out stronger. I was able to learn to make a cut with what hurts me, that was a great learning experience for me.
Thank you always Galen.
I don't think there's anything wrong with hard work although a person must know when it's becoming detrimental to one's health and then reign it in a little as it's just not worth having a breakdown or getting ill over. Having said that, at times there's cause to push hard and expend every shred of energy into getting the results.
I hope you have a good weekend...Half over for me, and it's Christmas soon...I have a lot of stuff to do to get ready for it, I'm taking the lead on it this year and with feeling a little sick...well, it'll be a struggle. I'm hoping I wake up tomorrow morning and am miraculously better.
Tomorrow you'll be fine, you'll see, it can be accumulated fatigue and that sometimes leads to flu and even fever. The body needs rest to regenerate.
I am sure you will prepare everything great, I have no doubt and you will have a beautiful Christmas even if you are not religious .... I am not now either haha.
You'll be fine, don't even think about it and it will go away! You'll see!
Well...it's tomorrow and I'm not fine...but marginally better. (A very small margin).
Well .... I didn't say it would be miraculous hahahaha one step at a time!
Good night and have a great day!😃
I want bloody Christmas miracles!
It's always I want, I want, I want, ME, ME, ME where you're concerned.
Me too!!!! You made me laugh!🤣
That's a great description XD though probably not a nice way to feel x_x are you feeling better now? Or at least not like that?
You broke a promise :<
promise to yourself is just as important as promise to anyone else
Sibling dearest is the same, I was bullying her earlier saying she should close the work emails til after Christmas and she was like nuuuuuuuuuu something important might come in because it does sometimes XD
I'm out of the tumble dryer, (got some bumps and scrapes), and the fever has gone down but I'm still feeling pretty shitty. The cortisol levels in my body are up also (to fight the illness) and that makes managing glucose levels/insulin levels so much more difficult to do; that's a whole other problem that I'm having to work around...and isn't going well. But, I've officially upgraded from lukewarm death status to feeling like tepid dishwater after Christmas lunch as it glugs down the drain status. Not much better but a marginal improvement.
Tell that sister of yours to close the laptop, it can wait. Tell her to promise herself, and to keep the promise! 🫣
Well glad there's been a slight improvement at least. Though the levels management sounds like a pain, hope that eases up for you soon too :S
It's the email she needs to close, but she's still refusing! At least she's not really looking at it and I'm sitting next to her most of the time so I'll bully her if I see her looking at it XD
I will keep bullying her about it and I think you better set the example there ;D
Lol, bullying one's sister...seems legit.
No working on vacation! That only looks like dedication to the obsessed. 😂
I do hope you get well quickly. With all the crud going around, we'll be lucky if we all don't get sick.
Haha, yeah it's pretty pathetic really. I had nothing better to do except feel bloody miserable, figured I put that to better use.
I'm still sick, (Sunday morning), but feeling a little better each day. My main concern is I have a little road trip coming up in a couple days and I don't want to be sick for it. I'll soldier on though, it's what I do.
Heh, this is a topic that me and my father have went around and around on over the years. 'A poor day's work for a poor day's pay' has long been a motto of mine and he can't stand that. He has a similar approach to yours and was always similarly well compensated but I've always been down on the 'as little as we can get away with' end of the pay scale and it didn't seem like a fair bargain. Outside of work is a different story, for me it's 'solve problems' rather than 'lift heavy shit' but the idea is much the same, be proactive and get shit done. Just never worked anywhere that treated me in a fashion that made me feel they deserved a similar approach. Meanwhile, my partner is working in health care and isn't afforded the luxury of that attitude.
You've got me wondering how different the labour market is there compared to here. Under most circumstances I'm not the transactional type but everywhere I've worked it's been 'do more for less' and the reward for a job well done is more work, stress and responsibility, and nothing else. Meanwhile they'll kick you to the curb without a second thought at the first sound of 'labour costs'.
Ever read any Ayn Rand? She's an interesting author and thinker who you might appreciate, albeit one I agree and disagree with in almost equal measure. In Atlas Shrugged the main character is on a strike of sorts, he will only do menial, manual labour unless and until he is treated and compensated like a human being, and that has always shaped my approach to dealing with my employers.
Being sick anytime sucks but that goes double for the holidays, hope you get back to 100% soon, have a good winter break!
I agree with much you say, employers seem to have beaten proactivity out if staff through consistently asking for more even after more is given and not rewarding it in any way at all; a typical story and I've worked for places like that, fortunately not any more though. It causes people to become disgruntled and that means they do less, or the bare minimum and expect to be paid for every second.
I used to work with a person who would get to work at 08:59, spend some time getting coffee, arranging her things and all then be at her desk by 09:15. Her start time was 09:00. She'd start packing up around 17:15 and be on her way out the door at 17:29 as her finish time was 17:30. She was performance reviewed and fired. I agreed with the decision.
And yet, there were people at that same business putting in far more, (some the bare minimum, not sub-optimal levels like above) and being model employees...all of whom were treated poorly and were not rewarded for their extra efforts, well, all except my team who were rewarded because I made it so.
My point is that there needs to be some understanding, responsibility and ownership on both sides of the fence and if there is then good things can happen.
I like your Ayn Rand reference and point...I believe there is an onus on a leader/leadership-team to inspire and empower the team to perform at their best. I also believe it's up to the team, and each individual (including the leader), to work towards performing at their best and put thoughts and attitudes in place to make it so. Of course, there's compensation required, remuneration, and I believe it should be a multi-pronged approach. A heartfelt thanks for your work goes a long way, a demonstration of gratitude, better conditions, flexibility, understanding, a good pay structure and so on. But alas, many companies do not do these things, including some I've worked for...all take, no give. Fortunately the organisation I work for values their personnel.
There's really a lot to unpack with this topic when it's delved into. Someone has to work, many people really, but we're fast moving to a world in which people simply don't want to.
Lift heavy shit, or solve the problem, or work the problem - whatever it is, it needs to be done, things need to be done and we can't all sit back and leave it to someone else. I'd like to see humans doing it, not AI...maybe I've seen too many Terminator movies where AI goes wrong. Either way, I'll die eventually and it'll be of no concern...until then I'll keep being human.
Thanks for your solid response. Good one!
Ha, yeah, we could write essay after essay and still have plenty left to say. There needs to be something akin to a social contract between employer and employee. Are labour unions very active/influential there? Collective bargaining agreements are about as close as we come to that here in the US but the unions have been declining for a long time and union jobs are few and far between these days. The union jobs I've worked have been much better in terms of treating people decently. The Company still sucked but you knew that there was always means of redress.
I can't shake the feeling that with AI and technology more generally, we're at the beginning of the digital equivalent of the Industrial Revolution and we're headed for big changes come hell or high water. Probably be a mixed bag of good and bad but we could easily reach a point where most people don't have to work and that's going to be one hell of a reckoning all on its own.
On a vaguely leadership related note, are you familiar with Auftragstaktik?
I am, mission-type tactics. It's a really interesting leadership strategy although (I believe) it can fail if the unit does not contain the right people it would probably end in disaster in some case but with highly trained and motivated units it can bring great success. I'm sure there's many cases of it having failed but also many in which the faster decision-making process in the field has brought stunning results - it worked really well for the Germans.
The technique, in a business environment, can also work really well but due to the lack of military it's often critical for leaders to make the objectives very clear, and the parameters also...also critical for the unit/team to understand the repercussions of failure which makes it problematic because, in business, lives rarely rely on the objective being attained, just jobs.
I agree with the AI thing, I think it's going to be an interesting time, but I'll admit to not seeing a lot of positives coming from it generally.
Hello Galen, I practice my job by vocation, a job related to the world of health and, this is my choice: I have treated people at very low prices and I have made treatments to people without resources, without charging any session, who have committed to pay me when their economic situation changed, none of these people have disappointed me. This is my experience. A hug
Many in the health and medical fields help others no matter whether they're on the clock or not and I'm not surprised to find you doing the same. I think they feel obligated, or maybe it's just that they care about other people's wellbeing, maybe you could answer why they seem so willing to give, like the nurses and medical staff during the pandemic. Most went over and beyond the call of duty.
You make yourself look pathetic with all your whinging over small things.
First day off and my teams message started to blow up... I feel your pain.
Hello galenkp!
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