Are you a workaholic? I'm not, but shhhh don't tell my boss that. Now let me clarify that statement a little before I get myself in trouble. I work hard at my job and I make sure I do it efficiently and effectively, but I am not addicted to it. At the end of the day when I've worked my 8 hours and I can go home, I do.
I was chatting with a friend of mine about the job market in today's economy. He's currently looking for a job {after quitting so he could travel for awhile, read here} and mentioned that he's been to interviews that made it blatantly clear that the company expects more than 40 hours out of their employees right now. The ratio of people looking for a job to job openings has tipped in the company's favor, so if you aren't willing to work the 60 hours then they can find someone who is.
What an awkward situation to be in. When interviewing you of course want to put you best foot forward and show them how eager you are to contribute to their company, but when faced with working 60 hour work weeks, I'm not sure how I'd react.
How do you tell a company, "I'm sorry I work to live, not live to work"?
I like being able to come home at the end of they day, make dinner, watch tv, relax, have plans, or don't have plans. That's the beauty of working to me, no "homework" once I leave the office. Now we have smart phones and laptops and wireless and freedom to work anywhere we please. I've actually worked in the car on my way to a funeral {the hubs was driving}. Isn't that a bit much? And yet it seems to me that's what companies expect.
When will we all just learn to relax?
I love love LOVE this. It's something I've been worried about for awhile, especially since I'm going to have to take the step into the real world after grad school in just a few months.
ReplyDeleteThe big issue to me is what happens when I get an offer from a company who made it clear they want the overtime for free...
ReplyDeleteDo I compromise my stances to get back into the working world, gain more experience, and have a steady paycheck?
Or do I politely decline the offer for hopes of finding a position more suited to my lifestyle, knowing it could be months before landing another offer?
But then again... how many of my potential employers will ever have the opportunity to say they've seen things in this country like the World's Largest Holstein Cow in North Dakota by working 60 hours a week?
I completely agree...You know it can be worse when you are a teacher...but that comes with the job description.
ReplyDelete