Working Hard is Ruining Your Career 🛑
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- čas přidán 5. 06. 2024
- If you work hard, you'll succeed right? This is the message that you were told over and over growing up - but it's the reason you are stuck in a toxic work environment, experiencing career stagnation, and at risk of career burnout. Hard work doesn't usually mean work, it means hours. In this video we explore this facet of toxic work culture, and most importantly discuss what you should be doing instead.
CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
0:38 Why we think hard work is the answer
1:17 What does working hard mean?
3:32 Productivity is hurt by hard work
4:38 Presenteeism
5:47 Overachieving on the WRONG things
7:41 Learn from lazy coworker (but don't be lazy!)
9:24 What to do instead of working hard
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WHAT TO WATCH NEXT:
Toxic Work Culture is Everywhere:
• Toxic Work Culture is ...
Work Life Balance is a Lie (DO THIS INSTEAD)
• Work Life Balance is a...
Work Life Balance Tips (WFH EDITION)
• Work Life Balance Tips...
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#career #careeradvice #careerbestie
What do you think of when you think of hard work?
Nothing! I had to establish boundaries of a 40 hour week and no weekends. If on occasion (rarely) I need to work more then we can visit it on a case by case basis.
Totally fair to accept extra hours as the exception and not the default!
Work that leaves you drained both physically & emotionally & unable to enjoy your time off because you are worried about the next work day !
Not to be appreciated enough and recognized! In my case, I always support and suggest ideas, people are coming and asking for help in the field of course.. And the boss comes and never mentions that I did it. I really hate that. I came there to show myself not to be hidden under his butt. How to be professional in that situation? 😉 Professor Jenn, always great topic you cover! Greetings, lots of love for your work! I appreciate it❤️🤗
It’s a waste of time. I used to be a over achiever and really I felt burned out, upset when my co-workers didn’t do the same amount of work that I did and was being taken advantage of my skills, education and experience. Not worth it. Be happy.
If there is one thing I learned in 7 years of content marketing is that working hard only rewards you with MORE work, higher expectations and no recognition, therefore it's not worth it. Do the bare minimum and you'll do fine, prioritise yourself and your health first. Companies would replace us in 3 seconds if we were too burned out to keep going - we don't owe them any loyalty.
It's hard for high performers to settle for meeting expectations, but I think you're bang on. Over exceeding moves the bar for you without the rewards. Be exceptional on the things that move your career where you want it to go. Otherwise don't stress yourself out and work yourself into the ground.
@@JenniferBrick Exactly, I totally get it because I was and I still am a high performer as well but these days, NOT for someone else's business unless I have stock in it. If you want to work harder than the average, least do it for yourself and your dreams. Or better yet...just work smart :) Any output you do have after 40 hour work weeks is meaningless anyways because you're tired, it's about the work you put in the hours not vice versa.
I could not agree with you more!!
So much truth! If I had an idea then I created myself more work. Never 👏🏼 again 👏🏼.
As Andrew Yang puts it 'I realized in law the reward for winning the pie eating contest was in fact, more pie.' And I agree...I just try to place myself 2-3 notches above the worst guy on my team.
My wife lost a family member who was a high executive of a big pharmaceutical company. He died of a heart attack in his office due to stress. He was 45 years old and was considering leaving the job. His boss died a year before in the same office, guess what a heart attack due to stress. Nothing is more valuable than your life.
How very sad indeed.
But a reminder to us all that health is your ultimate wealth.
Oh, the drug pusher dies
Such a sad story. Truth!
Sorry about the loss but you are missing an important aspect here. It is not the stress in the job that kills somebody, instead, it is the fear of losing the job and no other source of income to pay your bills.
So bottom line, the earlier one is able to save a lot of money by living in a frugal life, which will certainly take the stress out when you are in your 40s and 50s.
Employers don't care of your work-life boundaries. So the harder you work, the more you are exploited.
This is ABSOLUTELY correct unfortunately
@@GiGiChosen Exactly. I have experienced that many times so far.
@@yukio_saito what happened? My boss is mad at me now because I won’t commit on paper (formally) to more than a 40 hour work week, well when I took the job it was based on 40. I do get paid OT, but I don’t want to commit to 55 hours a week on paper because once I do that’s it, it’s on record. That is 11 hour days. What happened in your situation?
@Jen Jenn you are absolutely correct and I stopped allowing it. Many in our department do absolutely nothing and nothing is expected of them than just the bare minimum. Well I want to do that now too. They want me to commit on record so they can continue to throw more work and me and get things done ✅ because of my work product. I deserve balance just like the others and I’ve told them no more than 40. If they want more than that, make it mandatory for the group.
@@GiGiChosen we aren't allowed OT but have nurses that went as needed and I have to fill in for her and do my job also. I started putting my foot down and the clique doesn't include me in anything, don't recognize my birthday, while others gwt decorations in their office whether or not I put money in on it. Favoritsm
I just recently resigned from a job because I overworked and lost all control over my boundaries. I was the 'go to' reliable nice person who was willing to help everyone. I paid dearly with my mental health. I hope to make a big change in my next job and not work so hard.
I completely relate to this as I was the exact same person!
We will do better in our new roles. We will prioritize our well-being and mental health and other areas of our life that matter to us.
I wish you the best of luck in finding the next role in your career!
Imagine doing that and then getting a negative review. It's what happened to me. Companies and their managers want nothing more than slave labor.
I know what you mean, I've been there. Never again.
I can relate to your situation. I am on the road to resignation. I love my nursing job, and worked hard. But it became a threat to my manager. She has been harassing me for the last two years. I am looking for a new job next year.
@@bunnyfunny2130
Yep, it always sucks when you supervisor gets the idea, real or imagined, that you're a threat to their job. One time I was traveling with my 2nd-level boss and when she was drunk she admitted that she doesn't promote the best people in the organization because she doesn't want to move people up just to have them be a threat to her job and future promotions. Great, that's the secret knock: strive for mediocrity. Do well enough to stay out of trouble but not well enough to stand out. What a garbage way to run a company, I didn't stay there long.
I have been overlooked six times for promotion while working hard putting in long hours and bending over backwards to be as productive as possible. I have decided that dying of a heart attack is not how i want to make an impact at my job.
So i have decided to cut out all the overtime and favours i do and just enjoy the chaos it creates for everyone else.
Great decision.
Your health is your wealth.
Six times!! Hell man, Leve that job if you can and have other choice! And that really suck I feel for you
poor management and favoritism for slackers maybe seen it alot
Hoo boy has the same move pissed off upper management. Has revealed how toxic one manager in particular is. Making up rules as he goes and whatnot with bullying while the owner is not around.
Yep same thing happened to me I decided to do the same
Working hard= workaholic=burn out. Been there done it and my manager blamed me for it "you didn't set your boundaries right". It will never be good enough people, take good care of yourself.
I think managers are responsible for ensuring the well being of their team. I know not all don't, but we need to normalize empathy in leadership IMHO.
@@JenniferBrick I agree💯
@@JenniferBrick That is why it is a good thing to be Machiavellian with your career. So many employers treat their workers like cattle. Most employers don't deserve loyalty from anyone.
@Shield999 we must have the same manager!!!
Yeah they gonna blame you. Don't worry I got shit for wanting an extra day off. Told my boss more than 5 days is for emergencies only. And you might still get a no from me.
In my 12 years of employment as a CPA hard work usually means more work. The employees who your boss favors (The buddy system) get to go out to lunch and have fun (and get promoted) while you sit back and do more work. I've observed this dynamic at 3 different accounting firms. My wife also observed similar behavior at a large winery. Hard work doesn't always pay off. Hard work is only "hard" on you and usually doesn't pay off unless you own the business.
Agree with you so hard on this.
@@JenniferBrick more money less hours
same happened to me
“Unless you own the business” - that’s a very good point. It’s worth it if you’re starting your own business, but not if you’re lining other people’s pockets
You technically are working, just as a part time comfort aid for employers on top of your regular duties. What if we worked and got good at the jobs we had instead of playing games, actively doing damage and relationship maintenance and using politics or going along with weird things are employers are doing and looking the other way. How much of every job do you think that accounts for. I can't wait until people are accountable for their actions and computers take over. People might have to start actually working.
As the old saying goes, “If hard work paid off, the horses and donkeys would be rich.” However, if you are self employed it could pay off, but generally working smarter beats working harder. I only give my all for my stage performances.
im using that quote today at work
Use to be guilty of this until someone who retired from HR after 40 years said to me that; the "performance records" were used to see who the department the company can get the most out off for less to benefit the company. He said if you do more then you should and do things outside your contract just once, it creates an expectation and as soon as you miss one inch, management will come done on you like a ton of bricks because they want you to retain that work standard regardless of the lazy workers or your contract. Because you make up for the lazy ones!
So I stopped being stupidly early for work, only worked my hours regardless of company needs and only do the bare minimum I am required to do. I no longer try to prove myself anymore and act a little like one of the lazy workers. Because the lazy ones are, funnily enough, more thought off! Heaven forbid you upset one of the lazy workers! They always get away with murder in the work place.
So now, I put me first. If I am not getting what I need to get the job done, I act like the lazy workers and sit there until my manager does their job by ensuring I have the necessary resources to do my job effectively, if not, I put my foot down. Now I being treated with the respect and thoughtfulness I always wanted :)
Good point about setting expectations by doing more than expected
I think the harder you work, the less you get paid. It's evident everywhere you look, low paid jobs are the most taxing, so why do we still think that hard work = success?
When you calculate out the hourly rate, a lot of these high paid jobs that demand 70-80s a week don't pay very well.
I believe because once upon a time, hard work could get you somewhere. Today, that doesn't exist because the rat wheel is too difficult to stay on and jump off.
@@joanellebracht5311 Its not what you know, its who you know.
But the problem with your assumption is that people who get paid more are working harder.
@@alastair9446 Well they certainly seem to think they are.......
Problem with working too much is. The more you work, the more mistakes you make. The more mistakes you make, the more reasons the boss has to keep you working for the money you're earning now. He/She knows how MUCH you work and will keep you there without a raise because you're a worker bee. Congrats!
I have been in the workforce for over 40 years, only been promoted twice.
My motto is: Work Smarter, not harder! No job is worth getting hurt over!
One good thing i leaned from my toxic boss is don't work hard. Just do the bare minimum and set very firm boundaries. Threw loyalty out the door. My boss and my co-workers are not my friends and will never be after my interest. Learned to love and value myself. Learned to cut losses after decades of working hard.
Working hard has indeed ruined my life, career path, and robbed me of years of mental health and youth.
wasted my 16 years of hard work at costco.. thanks for sharing this video
This is absolutely true. If you overwork and outperform, you will just be rewarded with more work and may even get new managers to help to manage you.
This. I kicked so much ass that my toxic manager gave me a pathological liars work. Lightening this asshole's load while taking my time. Learned a valuable lesson from that.
Work hard at something you actually care about. Sad a lot of us went to college just to end up "working hard" as drones for some corp.
Very true.
I leave on time, take time off, I get my work done, I volunteer for additional projects only occasionally. I hit my targets. It's enoug for me and my boss seems happy with me.
Sounds like youre putting in the right effort.
Because u are smart and do not have excess emotional baggage...and most probably had a happy childhood
@@user-yk5xu8gr1e haha.. it took me 15 years, burnout and a midlife crisis to realise it's the better way.
Yeah. No complaints about you = you good. You working smart.
I don't think administration cares about productivity...just micromanaging.
That's because they are insecure in their power and need to flex it.
@@JenniferBrick because society reveres sociopathy and conflates it with competence.
@@JenniferBrick this right here is why i think those people are the worst sub human trash ever. Because the saying “with power comes great responsibility” seems to not apply to these nuts
@@ryancarandang4489 Rather the reality appears to be: "with great power comes great irresponsibility"
Hi Jennifer 👋 - Those that are on salary & work 50 hour weeks are working " for free " for the equivalent of three months a year. In the long run , not many jobs are worth that.
I definitely would never accept a salary job. They are going to pay me for every hour that I am there.
i never work beyond the salary of 40h im paid. im well aware that my boss will get the hint not to bug me from 4-5p unless its for a task i will get to on next work day. and if for some reason im forced to stay to help out. i will stay but i will compensate that time. believe me. i even time my lunch heating and tea run outside of lunch.
Excellent point, David!!!
I am going back to a job Thursday that I left in May to have my appendix removed.I have done craigslist gigs since then.My hours will be 5am-5pm Thur-Sun.45-46 hours a week,overtime helps.
This video is right on time. Thanks Jennifer. We need to stop glorifying overwork! These jobs will post your job before your obituary is posted. Please. I just told my job that I had to implement work-life balance and desired to work no more than a 40 hour standard week. Of course, they wanted me to work a lot more. Nope. It’s been said that working 10 hours per week increases your chance for heart ❤️ attack. I can’t do it anymore! You will have to rely on the slackers and those that have done enough to get by!
There are so many health risks, and heart disease is a top one!
I recently made the switch to another company. Many will focus on all the bad things I experienced, or surmise other reasons. In truth I could endure all of that, but having a heart condition added to diabetes during a pandemic where those have deadly consequences, was what woke me to the other problems. I decided I didn't want to endure those anymore.
I'm so glad you left that job and got the new one, Jeffry. How's it going so far?
@@JenniferBrick really good. Unbelievably good. Things I took for granted over there are absolutely forbidden here, and outlined as forbidden. This an incredible place to work. They even have a career advocate group that sits between HR and the employees. I have to pinch myself to make sure I am not dreaming. The biggest is... they want me. They want my skills. They don't want just a cog. I am still a person here.
Well said!
Even though I'm young (I'm 29), I try not to overwork. I work as much as I can, but if I reach my breaking point, I stop. When I was a new nurse, it was so hard for me to say no. Over the years, I learned to say no to my supervisors and my boss. If I'm not feeling good, I call off because I can barely function. I try to work if I can, but if I'm really sick, I tell them that I can't come to work.
I just started a new job and I was starting to overwork myself, today one of my supervisors told me how she injured her shoulder and needs to have physical therapy, that really opened my eyes, thanks for always having our back 🙂
You have to manage your effort so you don't injure yourself! Glad my video helped remind you of that today!
Wow, I've experienced this myself in the past. Putting in crazy hours, being the only person in a dark office on the weekends, working for free because OT wasn't approved, thinking it would all pay off. It didn't. I was literally a pay grade below everyone else on my team, including new hires who I helped interview and train. I did a long hike and it totally changed my outlook on life, including putting work into perspective. Biggest takeaway - I quit trying to impress others and only cared to impress myself. Whether that would be learning new skills, or wanting to accomplish something specific on a certain project. Only when I stopped "caring" is when I finally got promoted and I've seen my salary jump quite a bit in the past few years. I can still go pedal to the metal, but I'm totally ok with taking my foot off the gas now too. Does 'working hard' put off a certain vibe or something? Who knows, I don't care!
Do not complain. That seems to be the key at my work. One guy literally stops working at 9 pm and watches videos on his phone until he goes home at 1030 pm AND calls in sick on monday often and is not a team player. Bosses know this and co workers have complained so why isn't he fired...he doesn't complain or gossip. And his working isn't the best.
As someone who spent the better part of a decade being a "hard worker", I can tell you it's not worth it. I was always taking on new responsibilities thinking it would move me up the ladder. To an extent it did, but it's not even remotely worth it. I had multiple promotions, but minimal pay raises. I once even took a promotion that had NO pay raise. DO NOT EVER do that. I was laid off a year after that promotion.
I'm not saying do the bare minimum, but start slow & job hop frequently if you really want to upgrade your career. Good workers get stuck in the grind with little to show for it. Move to a company that appreciates what ou have to offer.
"Good workers get stuck in a grind." Exactly that's where I am now. And I am burned out with no place to advance too. I do not volunteer to do extra chores. 🙄 I am finding it has gotten me nowhere.
I focus on myself..
I don't have time to express myself what other's think
Always manage upward. Don't rush to get your work done unless something is urgent.
Yah but everything is urgent in big corporations😂
What does manage upward mean?
GUILTY. The struggle for me is actually implementing not working as hard as I can. It’s so ingrained in everything I do even in life. It could really help me not burn out after a year
Right. So I'm thinking the choice that is before you is do I remain a "creature of habit" or do I take my time and the needed steps to become more a "creature of choice" and more mature character?
I always remind my staff that they are entitled to their leave days, so I encourage them to make sure they go on leave and finish their allocated leave days every year. If your staff work their ass off and accumulate a ton of unused leave days to carry over into the following year, as their manager you're not doing your job in helping to manage their workload.
Exposure is key. Place all the hard effort in solving real problems that can change a company. Most of the current office jobs are bs, very few can deliver real value.
Has anyone ever experienced that the harder you work and the more productive you are, especially when you are trying to prove yourself capable in a new position, the more work is put on you by managers until your work is so disproportional to other colleagues (who appear to get away with doing very little). And then when you try to raise the issue with your managers it falls on deaf ears... I am yet to find a solution to this. I'm not sure I can stand being one of those workers that does the bear minimum, but I get zero reward from going the extra mile. Please help! I can't keep quitting jobs because i'm worried about burnout. Experienced this once and no job is worth that.
Youre overachieving is keeping you stuck. If they promoted you the team would suffer because your output is so good.
Shift to strategic impact! Identify the things that matter most (your boss is measured on, what does their boss care about) and focus on those things. Everything else being expectations is all you need to do because they won't notice those other things 💜
@@JenniferBrick Thanks for your time. I am always open to trying a new method!
Yes, absolutely. They study your personality, they call you a type A, they know you have intrinsic motivation, you want a promotion. They took advantage of me because I was always willing to say yes. Then I saw how others work when they please, take 3 times the brakes and longer breaks. They set extremely high expectations for me and NOT for the other 2. They other 2 call in constantly claiming they’re sick. Ugh. I gave up. You take your brakes, let the work pile up, that’s when they become concerned and take action. I had to put myself first.
@@florencia2771 this is very true" they take they time to study your personality "
I can absolutely relate to what you said. I've been in that situation many times.
As I got older I’m learning this. I’m 2 months into a new job and I’m already thinking about quitting. My trainer has been with the company for 35 years and he’s beat the hell up. He can barely move around he works 7-10 days straight on average because the company knows he never calls in or takes a vacation day. I’m looking around and a lot of the tenured workers are in this condition and I’ve come to the conclusion that this company doesn’t care about the well being of its employees, just the numbers. It’s really sad, the company is all these workers know in life and I ask them why don’t they retire, it’s the same answer most of the time which is they can’t afford to retire. I refuse to let a billion dollar company destroy my mental/physical state like they did to these workers. They scheduled me 14 days straight and I said no way, I’m calling in sick for 2 days just to let them know my boundaries.
Hope you get a chance to leave that job if you can
I work in automotive production. Floor workers do about 12 hours almost every day. Office people work about 32 hours a week.
Honestly after the 10th hour of working the physical labor our bodies hurt and we are tired and don't work as good.
I try to explain to the office people that 12 hours every day isn't good for people. You really aren't getting the best out of someone after the 10th hour. People are dropping parts and knocking stuff over and making bad parts they are so tired.
I haven't missed a day of work in almost 3 yrs and this has not helped me one bit so I think I might call in sick now and again.
I stopped working hard today. Just sat on the couch while on the clock.
Im a hard worker. But im also a single dad. And it felt like the company stole my kids time they needed with me. To hell with that. For what? Not even descent pay. So..i dont work there anymore
Excellent decision.
I'm Guilty of this. To the extent that I felt I'm being abuse by my boss bcoz they thought I can handle every task they could give. I always ended up resigning😔
You are definitely being abused and used. It’s time to require that all team members step up to the plate.
Burning you out is not setting your team member up for success. Start with setting boundaries about hours and workload.
If companies hire an hard working or educated individual they will take advantage of that. Only thing is, picture an abusive relationship, a partner will stay with someone and keep getting abused that when they find a good person who doesn’t abuse, they ultimately don’t know how to appreciate it approach them. So deterring back to hiring a good person who brings the best performance, they actually don’t know what to do with that person. But they will take your training documents, your knowledge, how to run that business because ultimately these admins/managers/ owners above you only care about the Face value. They really don’t care about internal errors. They don’t acknowledge errors you face. They just expect you to handle it but then provide small talk to make it appear they are interested.
And FYI those companies don’t deserve us!
You need to listen Bob proctor.
I recently took PTO as scheduled with my employer for Christmas break, all of a sudden something high priority comes up and my team and myself wound up working at least 4-5 hours a day over Christmas break to make up lost time due to construction delays, etc.. Just meeting and planning, accomplishing little. 1 week turned into 2 weeks, and essentially ruined everyone's planned break over the holidays when 99% of the company is essentially on a freeze during the same period. Small thanks in emails about how "great" the milestones were - but no way to make up the lost time with family or compensate for the lack of break - day 1 on the following week - full schedule, full steam ahead...
Damn, reading that one hurt. Hope you're able to have a Summer break to enjoy your life & family.
Please leave your phone and computer somewhere remote and locked when you have PTO and go to an uninhabited island 🏝 ❤❤❤
Ugh. Meetings are the biggest waste of time and normally poorly run.
Working hard has gotten me nothing but more work. I quit and am going to relaunch my career. Its going to be extreamly different this time. Im in the drivers seat this time and Im using every vacation day
So true. I saved the company millions of dollars but they still kept delaying my promotion. Working hard didnt do anything for me. I left and got a new job - now my old team is begging me to come back but I wont.
Definitely follow the Joshua Fluke method, dont invest time in promotions, instead find better positions
@@ryancarandang4489, very valuable lesson learnt but sadly I wasted too much time. Should have never believed the scumbag manager.
I see this a lot on my job. People who think showing up early to work and staying late will earn gold stars. Meanwhile, admin is off living their life during contractual hours. I learned to work smarter not harder by being bullied and harassed on the job before the one I have now. I was hoodwinked to believe I needed to do more. The reality is you need to observe what is most important and prioritize. I rarely stay late or come in early yet, I get done what needs to be done. No going above and beyond because it doesn’t translate to dollars. I no longer give my labor away for free.
Working hard works if you a have your own business.
But in a big corporations it means nothing
Work smart, not hard.
Only times I will work past 5:30 PM is during quarter end. Otherwise, I log out before 5ish...which my bosses are impressed by since they admit having issues with doing that themselves
You are getting a standing ovation from me for setting and holding that work life boundary!!
My boyfriend works hard and I work smart. He does 70 hour weeks and I do 40 and get promotions every year. He thinks I’m lazy because he has the “brute” working mentality and while I’m not stressed and being rewarded, he thinks it’s unfair. I’m trying to teach him though. 🕊
That re-wiring is DIFFICULT. Give him grace, he’ll eventually see it’s better on our side lol.
How do you work smart?
At one of my jobs, my project leader said in a meeting that he was now working at what he used to think of as 110%. I spoke up and said that was fine, but what happens when crunch time or a crisis comes along and you have to work harder? I understand what you mean - don't be a slacker, but if you give more and more, the company will take that as your baseline.
I used to work hard at a job i had a couple years ago. One day my boss told me "youre replaceable" and i just forced myself to relax since then. Now i do whatever i can and want as long as i dont get fired. Employers often hope and intend to pay you minimum for maximum output anyway from what i observed. So now i work for the pay i receive and i dont expect anything but respect.
Thank you for this. For my whole career (25+years) I’ve instinctively resisted the idea that presence equals productivity. I saw managers and colleagues basically twiddling their thumbs because that meant “good.” My gut said otherwise, but unfortunately, I’ve always worked for such people, have been a serial “rule breaker”, and occasionally tried to explain my POV but to no avail. Never fired though because I did bring a lot of value. Just wish I didn’t carry such angst for being an outlier but that’s a psychological issue 😂 I look forward to joining an environment that understands but sadly I think we have a long way to go.
I had a supervisor say “Work Smart not hard”.
Yeah but I hate when people say that too b/c it's not well defined.
My motto
Absolutely 💯
I've been working hard but being strategic is clearly a win!
I worked in consulting, and the hours were crazy. I will never work for someone else that hard. It almost broke me.
So needed to hear this tonight.
I was naive enough, as an hourly worker for a big company, to believe that my hard work meant something.
Me too.
Me too...
I had a friend who hustled to get ahead and asked for a raise. She was putting in 60 + a week, taking ppl's sick days, only sometimes taking a day off a week. Then was fired for even asking for a raise. She hustled for a year before asking.
This absolutely true. 'Working hard' will get you stuck in your position. The bar of expectation will also be different for you. Work for the skill level you want to attain. Once you've obtained that goal stay there and plan your next move, which inevitably does lead to changing jobs. They had me working 46 hours a week. I can tell you after 42 hours my productivity was shot. I was also thrown into a culture of not using PTO that was a first for me. Trying to use it period or trying to substitute it for a sick day was a horror show. I can tell you that you should put yourself first in the workplace, they are not your family, they are not your friends, they are coworkers. If you can't tolerate your coworkers then you should absolutely leave.
Jennifer you’re motivating. Thanks for the videos.
The problem is when you optimise your work so it takes 1/3 of what it used to take, they just give you more work...
I've made the same mistake many times. Optimize your work but don't let them know it. And or slow way down. Only way to save yourself. Good luck.
Yeah my boyfriend was telling me this, and now he just stretches out his work throughout the day lol
Right. Because I've been the senior nurse for 2 years, they have me do my job and fill in for others. Since I basically make my own schedule I don't tell them what it is and days I need a break, I make sure only my job is prioritized. I cant be 3 people at one time.
In aviation we take 3 or 4 hours to do a 1 hour job
I am not going to be pushed around anymore I am 58 and do not have time for it anymore.
Guilty! Soo glad I found your channel. Will quit sweating the small stuff and working long hours for nothing. Will work on image & exposure instead of “being right.”
Never take a sick day during my time with this company. Recently took 2 days off with more than 7 unused days. The director immediately reported me to the CEO. I turned in my resignation right after that.
Biggest mistake I made was coming out of the gates guns blazing. I broke all the records and consistently hit my goals
Month after month almost burning myself out thinking that I’ll get a raise promotion. Unfortunately, the opposite happened and I received a very negative review stating that my high performance is not valued unless I’m able to lift everyone around me. Basically I wasn’t a team player. The culture is more geared toward sharing what’s working for me with the rest of my teammate rather then keep it all to myself. Now it’s expected that I continue to work hard my boss. The minute I slow down it’s a huge deal. Meanwhile the steady Eddie’s that do the bare minimum are getting promoted. Never again will I give it my all and try to hold back on my next position. It’s clear high performance back fired. I noticed the ones that do just enough or make improvements over time get the most praise from upper managment. The best thing I can do is post my achievements on Linked IN. Maybe a competitor will find value in my achievements. Thank you for the awesome videos.
This is the thanks I got for my hard work, skill, and delivering a very good job.
Lets say you have a boss who is of a certain race (example: Indian), and he only cares about people of the same race (example: Indian), the others are just there to fill the vacuum, like you (example: White), even though you have more advanced skills and experience than any of his Indian employees.
One day an Indian employee (who is big pals with the Indian manager) walked past my desk and said 'he thinks because he is (mentioned my nationality)' we should be scared of him.
A week later, the Indian boss organized a barbeque for the entire team, after a few hours some people left to go home, there was still about 10 employees left, I greeted and left, on my way out of building 2 Indian employees were chatting close to exit of building, I greeted them, the one walked away, the other one then said the following:
I recently shot someone, my lawyer got me off the hook. He pulled out a pocket knife with a long blade, held it in-front of my face, and said this is a new knife, the old one still has blood stains on it, he stabbed someone with it. He then said 'don't push it', and walked away.
What is that supposed to mean, I got no idea.
Reported incident to HR department, the HR lady organized a meeting 2.5 weeks later. In the meeting the HR lady and Indian manager was present, HR lady was clearly coached by Indian manager, said I'm taking the issue too serious, Indian manager said that the Indian employee who walked past me and insulted my nationality - he must be excluded from the complaint I lodged with HR department. HR lady said she will investigate, it's now 4 months later, still no feedback.
This is such an important video. Thank you Jennifer for these eye-opening insights! I also really enjoyed this video format. 🙂
I needed these reminders as I recently started a new role and no longer want to give too much of myself and my precious energy to my job. I want to seek the right amount of balance for myself while still feeling productive at the end of the day. So far in my career, overworking myself and striving for perfection in all aspects of my job has never led to me getting a promotion, a higher salary, or better benefits. I am determined to break that pattern with this new role.
Yes, I wish I'd known this when I was younger. Even while working in an office where they printed an audit of everyone's work & the supervisor knew how hard I worked, I watched as others got promoted while I got 1 percent raises once a year. Oddly enough once they see you can produce high numbers they will expect that everyday while not respecting you at all. Try to be social with the boss , at least a little & don't become the office work horse. If you have office meetings where you are allowed to ask questions, try think of a good question or two. They love that. Makes it look like you really care & gives them a chance to talk more, which many supervisors love.
The bad ones can become patronizing in front of everyone else to try to "put you in your place," however, especially if you are low on the totem pole. I think they enjoy that. A lot of the time it's an older white male boss-type and a younger woman, whom they feel are easily replaceable if they quit after being treated so rudely.
Your channel is life affirming. Thank you. 🙏
Binging your videos because my work has put me on minimum wage for being a Manager (with another clinical position as well) I’m extremely annoyed because I’ve turned that place around and have a ton of experience. But the fear of starting a new job, plus leaving the good parts of this one behind, is overwhelming. Your videos are inspiring me to start looking and realise my worth. Thank you!
Brilliant video. The more you do the more they want you to do. In many cases there is no direct correlation between hard work and success.
You can see those who paid high are those who aren’t doing much actual work but to focus on making others work. If you want promotion, you should be able to do both , but at least you should possess the ability to drive others to complete things
My experience with "work life balance" is you work all your life and I balance the rest of life on your own time... what little time is left over. The work life balance company's so proudly tout is bullshit.
Thank you for the insight. I loved it.
had a boss ask me "if you don't get this promotion what will that mean for you?"
I said "then this job is a dead end job and I'll need to look elsewhere. I don't wanna be punished for having worked hard".
Bringing your top performance may also impact others in that this may become the expected standard.
There was a time when hard work did pay off. However, in today’s landscape of corporate greed, it’s no longer the case. The only time hard work pays off today is when one is working hard building and growing their own business. Hard work today results in being taken advantage of in the workplace.
I would like to say I have only had good experiences with this channel and its nice to have somewhere to complain to. It helps my stress and I feel validated and heard even if no one replied back to me. I have changed a lot of things since last Friday and I only see myself getting better at dealing with work present and future jobs. Thank
I’m so guilty of working too hard as I’ve put in my own hours even though I’m salary to finish a project or just plan something. I think we do this because there can be so much distractions in a day, commitments, and requests from everyone. Watching your videos I realize this is very unproductive as you start to feel resentment in others for not working as hard or even getting away with stuff. It’s always best to plan your day, how you are gonna plan and time yourself on each task. I finally realized I put in so effort to get little to no reward and got let go. Now we need to look out for ourselves first.
*"If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can't hear them..."* If you are reading this, I hope you have an amazing day!!! 🙂🙂🙂
Truth. I was assigned a huge project with 3 different departments. I brought the project in on time and received a bonus. Now my boss is trying to get rid of me. Gee, thanks.
Thanks! I needed this.
Holy shit. I literally ‘quit’ last week…. But, during the 5 day hiatus I started freaking out about bills and what to do so luckily I didn’t quite ‘quit quit’. It felt so nice to finally acknowledge my own damn feelings. Soon, my calling will find me. Keep y’all’s head up..
Working hard also means your tackling heavier workloads than usual and your always looking at the clock trying to do as much as possible before the day ends.
Thumbs up! Good stuff!
I appreciate that. Cheers!
Even my three days off a week are not enough when I work till late and have sleep deprivation
I love this!!!
Yay! So glad it resonated!
wish I heard this 40 yrs ago with Chinese parents. Wasted a lot of my career and life! In the end, it sacrificed by my partner's health and life too! I regularly worked 80-90 hrs/week!!!!!!!!! in very hard engineering!!! Going Galt!!
Informative videos. Thanks Jennifer.
I think this is the most helpful workplace video I have ever watched
Very true, it's in my nature to give it my all. Doesn't seem to matter as much as who you know and cliquish values - amongst those trying to climb that ladder
Also don't come off as looking too good or coming off as to smart regardless if it's because of your own interest in wanting to to learn and do the best. Co-workers will judge even if you have no ill intensions.
When it comes to hard work specifically, I would set my boundaries in regards to the amount of hours I worked. However, I was a more efficient worker which would often result in me having to complete the work for others. I was able to finish tasks quickly and correctly, and because management knew they they would give me the work of people who had a specific role they didn’t feel the need to rush to fill or people who couldn’t do their jobs correctly. I was doing double the work and it was almost expected that I do everything myself.
Great point regarding image, thanks Jennifer! My last company was pretty toxic so this wouldn't apply there, but I think at my new company this advice is great :)
Love ❤️ your content thank you for posting
7:13 is very well said. This is exactly what I've tried to tell folks who create their own goals/agendas and end up looking bad even though they are technically good at their profession. You see this a lot with software engineers that dump tons of hours into a feature (or something else) that they find personally engaging or inappropriately label as important, but management and customers couldn't care less, plus you are costing them money. I'm not sure why this is so challenging to digest.
True, it also baffles me that people do not understand this.
I knew it was less than 30%, but 10% for performance just screams to go do your own thing. That's 90% (image + exposure) of corporate BS, mostly. I get that even in freelancing you have to get known, but you take all the intermediaries out of the picture. This video was highly insightful, thank you!
Freelancing is a viable path for some! But branding is as important as a freelancer as an employee as it impacts getting hired and the rates you charge.
Its nice to hear someone vocalize the things I am starting to learn.
Great video. Your extremely helpful.
I love a good strategy that doesn't req you to step on anyone to your next step
So true
I work in trucking specifically hauling fuel... Taking time off is discouraged. As a matter of fact, at my last job, my terminal manager wanted me to "sell" back my vacation time. Her argument was that I could "pocket the extra money." I was a top performer and she believed the company, specifically her terminal, would be hurt by my abscence.
I'm guilty of working too hard, working long hours, and working multiple jobs to achieve my goals, but what I'm figuring out as I have for the past 25+ years that companies will kick you to the curb real quick and keep the dead beats to maintain their profits, which I don't blame corporate America for; however, the statistics that were shown and the rising of costs of living. Most people have to work longer hours and/or multiple jobs in order to keep a roof over their heads and feed themselves; otherwise, those people will land of the streets homeless because over 75% of America doesn't care and think you're lazy.
Hey Jen, you could have summed this up in 10 seconds. IT'S ABOUT OPTICS. Pretend you're busy and do whatever you're asked and no more.
I 1000% agree. Well done. Well said. And whether we like it or not, this seems to be reality. I am an extraordinarily hard worker, and it works to my detriment, not my benefit. I'd love to see a follow-up video to this thought process, thank you!
Yes smh.
I feel the same Crystal
The irony is that I actually brought up this debate with myself today. I told myself that with this job I needed to take one day for myself and it’s been over a month since I’ve done that.
I discovered a long time ago that the reward for hard work is... even more work!