Work

Why does this happen all the time?! We work hard every time but never get recognized. Its some body else who does very little when compared to us and shows off often are recognized, sent onsite or given some promotion or some monetary benefits. On the other hand, we would be offered more work! Frustration builds up and we soon feel demotivated. Even the yearly appraisal says that we just meet the expectations for which we dutifully filled in 4-5 pages spending much time!

How should we prove again now! we become determined, come early, slog, learn the work, have commitment, do more but at the end of day, people who work for normal hours, with 2 or 3 breaks and never stays back after 6 are recognized and are happy!

Even though we know that excellence is all that matters and it would take time to appreciate excellence and success would surely come to those who excel, its very painful to accept such things at work. The work place politics is ever present but the more we try toovercome it, we have to endure the same. There is a concept called KT which all of us would have faced at some point of time or the other. Whoever is giving KT is supposed to share all the knowledge he has towards the work to help the team members for a smooth functioning of the project. But, no body shares the full knowledge fearing that we might overtake them! I never understand when its all related to work and we need to do it successfully, where does this kind of an attitude come? Its not a race course where one horse needs to overtake the other! They expect us to go and stand near them to get the query clarified. It’s a cycle again, we have to wait to get the query answered and to catch up with the work, we have to stay late.

As if they have achieved something, they have that sense of satisfaction on their faces that they are the subject matter experts in that project! When you ask more queries, it would boomerang stating that you cannot ask more questions and need to try on your own since their precious time gets wasted. They would happily spend 30 minutes of their so-called precious time for a coffee break and 1 hour for lunch and another 30 minutes for afternoon coffee! I have not included the time spent in the wash rooms, though..

The commitment and the dedication is what is missing. Under the cover of doing smart work, most people today are just doing the job for the sake of doing and not for the love or passion to learn. So, they don’t get any questions regarding why something is like this! They have never questioned and hence expect the same from the new comers too. Don’t ask anything and just work.

I don’t see this kind of environment is healthy. Things may seem fine now but at a long run, it would be a roller coaster ride. You learn things at the cost of your time and the result is you spend more time at work. Whenever a mail is sent for a clarification, either they wouldn’t even bother to reply or just because people are in CC, they would send a reply for the sake of sending it.

What are we taught as kids? Ask, then only you will learn! But when you grow big, the mantra is ‘Never Ask, try it out by yourself’! Most of us lead our everyday lives this way, there by building our inner stress and like the balloon, one day we would surely burst. It would either be a break from work in the want of peace or due to some other health disorder. Most people say “Come on buddy, this is the way it is everywhere! You cannot change anyone. Instead of doing hard work, you too change like how people around you are doing. Then only you can exist in any company! Don’t stay late, do whatever you can and leave the place.” But does working like this, give job satisfaction? “Who cares?! Is the reply we get. As far as you are paid every month, that’s sufficient. Who wants all this kind of 1970-80’s job satisfaction, I want money, whoever pays me more, I shall work for him!”

In a team of 20 people for an instance, there would just be 2 people who would really work and know the process and other things in the project. Others just come and do what they are told to. These two people are the ones who always stay late, give their value-add always and get rarely appreciated for all that’s being done and everybody would come to them for any queries.

It is high time the work environment changes. It is definitely not life is happy only when we have less work and no work pressure. The People, who always project themselves stating they do so much for the project, fail to understand that just projecting one self is not projecting the project! Though project has the same spelling in both the places, the meaning is entirely different! People who need such kind of work environment need not work at all, at least the people with real commitment could be given a chance.

The joy of working is in doing what we love and loving what we do and when you retire to bed, gives you peaceful sleep. This would take us on a path of excellence and we can make a difference wherever we work! Together, we can build the steps to reach the top, if we all work with the same motive and same kind of dedication towards work.

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But we have promises to keep

And miles to go, before we sleep

And miles to go, before we sleep!”