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Michael responds:
|I'm a bit suspicious of people who claim to constantly work extra hours.
|Could they be:
|a) thick, or
|b) disorganised, or
|c) not able to function much during the hours of 9 to 5 because they are
so
|tired from the long working hours of the previous day?
or
> d) suffering from a company culture/CEO requiring everyone to show up
and
> work extra hours because people who refuse to do regular unpaid overtime
> are
> regarded as unambitious and lazy? This is called presenteeism, and it
> leads
> to the Dark Side.
Every organization has a different corporate culture. Some organizations
that are struggling to stake out a market and build revenue have
hard-charging management and require hard working people and lots of
overtime. Other places have established markets, income, and revenue and
don't need to be so aggressive. Still other places (like government
agencies) have literally no threat of losing their funding and as such
operate at extremely slow pace.
You cannot apply the same rules to all organizations. If you prefer a
slower environment - don't take a job at an upstart technology firm. If
you like the thrill of working hard and building new technologies, a job
with The US Department of Nuts and Assorted Dried Fruits.
Many CEOs, like myself, work 75 hours a week because we love what we do
and we want to build something more than a FrameMaker template. We're
building companies and establishing market share. And yes, I expect my
people to work hard. I also pay them well and give them opportunities they
would NEVER get at a large company.
So - when I hear the "company culture/CEO requiring everyone to show up
and work extra hours..." complaints, my response is: quit.
Hands down the single largest reason people are dissatisfied with their
jobs is because they went to work at a place that was not condusive to
their personality. So stop working at places that do not fit your
personality. If you want a slower place, go get a job with an established
company. Don't expect to casually stroll through a career at small,
struggling companies. Also, don't take your big company mentality and
expect it to work at a small company.
Now, I know what you're thinking, "well, sometimes you don't have a
choice." Yes, and that is unfortunate. But, if you have skills that are
in-demand, you will have choice. So start investing now in building skills
that will give you choice (A.K.A. freedom). Each job is an opportunity to
learn. You have complete control over what you make of it.
Andrew Plato
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