I have
worked everything from entry level positions to upper management both in the
medical and accounting field. I’ve been
with my present employer for almost eight years now and when I decided to go to
work for this particular company it was with the sole purpose in mind to cover
our expenses, provide us with health insurance and get me to the finish
line. Retirement. I was all about “What can this company do for
me?”
This
was a big shift to my previous mindset where I went into interviews and new
jobs thinking I needed to convince them of all the wonderful things I could do
for them and then prove it beyond all reasonable doubt. Not this time. I went in with the knowledge of what the job
was and told them how my experience and expertise would meet their expectations
and then I asked them a lot of questions.
Pay? Raises? Bonuses? Benefits?
Available vacation time? Paid
holidays? Educational
opportunities? 401k? Matching?
I think I had more questions for them than they had for me, quite
honestly. Then I hit them with a big
one. What is the long range goal for
this company? Then I finished with “Tell
me about your Mission Statement”.
Since I
began here I’ve worked in four different departments until I found the right
fit for me. I’ve lobbied for pay raises
and I’ve taken advantage of every opportunity provided to me to increase my
wealth. I went into this job with the
idea that it is all about me. Personal
gain. Because quite honestly, if it
isn’t about personal gain then why am I here?
This isn’t my company and it never will be. Working, thinking and acting as if I’m an
owner would be ridiculous. A sheer waste
of my time, talent and effort.
From
the onset, despite my resume, I made it clear that I did not want to supervise
people or manage anything. I’m not here
to establish my career or climb the corporate ladder. I’ve already done that and I definitely do
not feel the need to do it again. I
don’t want the nonsense or added stress along with the longer hours and added
responsibility. And if you’ve ever
worked a salary pay position you know you end up working for free far more
often than you’d like. No thank you very
much.
What I
do offer to my employer is a good days work for a good days pay and that’s
it. I show up, I get my work done, I’m
pleasant and respectful. I do what is
expected up to a point. I keep my
responsibility and my workload commensurate with my pay grade and job
description. If you want more, you have
to pay me more. I don’t take my work
home with me and I don’t bring my personal life to work. I clock in and do my job and then I clock
out. I go home and that is where my life
truly is.
There
are lots of jobs out there. Fact is, if
I wasn’t working here, I’d be working somewhere else. The bottom line, I just work here. It currently
meets my needs. This not the end all be
all of my existence. This is just a
job.
For so long I went above and beyond. Come in early. Stay late. Come in when I should be home. Only missed 2 1/2 weeks instead of 6 with back surgery because I didn’t want to put a strain on my department. Etc… yesterday I found out my old VP is no longer employed. Since he’s left they realize he left a mess. Am I surprised? No. I tried to tell people but no one wanted to listen. I left full time employment 3 years ago. Totally had a meltdown and couldn’t do it anymore.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had this attitude when I worked. You’re very smart. No matter how much they say they like you it’s only until you start taking up for yourself.
Keep it up!
You are so right. Lessons we learn later in life I'm afraid. I'm glad you were able to get out. :o)
DeleteI was just talking to DH about this today as I was dealing with service techs asking me (the CSR) questions that someone else should be asked. I'm going to ask for a raise as this happens a lot. (Our master tech won't work on Weekends and the owner won't fire him... long story.) Thanks for the confirmation that "This is juat a job."
ReplyDeleteAsk for that raise Kay! I bet you get it. :o)
Delete