Despite having above-average intelligence, a solid work ethic, high efficiency and the ability to work with almost everyone but the reality is that I’m an awful employee. This is the reason:
(1.) I Work Too Fast:
There is absolutely no motivation in the business world to improve efficiency. The majority of businesses are caught in a culture that is based on inadequate methods and poor ways of doing business that they fail to recognize how inefficient and wasteful they are. What’s more important than efficiency is observing the rules of the game and doing things in the same way they’ve always been executed.
My problem was one that has been a problem since the beginning that I was too efficient. When there was something that had to be completed, I was working hard to complete the task and was generally capable of completing it and efficiently in the process is much less time than initially planned. In one instance, I was assigned a task that was to take six weeks to complete. However, I was able to finish it in 8 days, even though I was moving at a snail’s pace in an attempt to stretch it as long as possible. Efficiency usually is beneficial; however, the issue is that time is running out.
In the ideal world, the employee would be paid six weeks of pay to complete a six-week project. Perhaps he could get a reward for finishing it before schedule. What happens instead is that an employee gets paid for eight days of work and is required to locate and complete the job as soon as possible. Since you’re working full-time and are expected to be working at least 8 hours a day, five every day. In my situation – as a consultant at a consulting company, I was paid a salary but was able to bill only per hour to the specific task and job number. As confusing as it may sound, this simply means that the firm I worked for didn’t pay directly to me, but instead, they invoiced the client for the work and the task and then gave me an enticing portion of the money they recouped. This is – in essence, is an hourly-based commission.
What is the result when you’ve completed six weeks of work in eight days and completed the majority of your tasks in the same way? The work is done. I found myself constantly turning my thumbs looking for work. I was advised by my colleagues and family members (not my supervisors) to take things off to be aware of it, and play the system, and the list goes on. These things are not in my way of life. At my base, I consider it absolutely wrong to cheat, as well as inefficiency and imbalanced compensation structures as equally alarming.
Needless to say, I had a few issues. I was unable to fill out my report of time. At times, there was absolutely no work to be done. I would’ve loved to be to spend time with my family or travelling and being paid for the fantastic job I was able to complete in a short time; however, I was stuck in the office since I was dependent on a paycheck. The issue was in need to justify my work hours in the office by billing the most terrible job and task numbers. There was nothing to bill for. I was forced into working between 4,5 and 8 hours to finish work that could have been completed in just one. I felt like a sleazy person, but it was part of the culture and norm in that workplace.
(2.) I Speak My Mind:
In the past, I was convinced that there was something really wrong with me. I’m brutally honest, and that put me in trouble often.
I can remember playing in the team for junior football. My coaches and teachers all were aware of my honesty. The act of lying did not come easily. At the end of one evening of the session, the head coach, as well as the trainer, realized that they had not forced us to do laps during the day. The other players shouted and chanted about how the coach actually performed and that it was wrong to force us to do it again. He was arguing with them for a while, but they remained persistent. It was then that he started to question his memory. He walked towards me, and asked “Ahmed, did we run laps today? Yes or no?” I was sure of the truth, and I knew that the group was lying. I wasn’t going to be running laps as fast as the other guy; however, how could I stare this guy in the face when the man asked me an open question and told me to be lying to him? It was in the realm of possibility. I was looking at him in the eye and said, “no, we haven’t.” The response was an uproar. My teammate Bobby was just an inch from my face and shouted, “Can’t you lie for once in your life?!” I didn’t get acclaim very much afterwards.
This mindset remained in my adulthood. In truth, I’d rather stay away from any person completely than be a lie to them.
My honesty was also proven to be a problem in the business world. I was often criticised for being direct to clients, and providing more information than is required and not making clients feel more pressured than they had to or pay for it more. I informed my bosses that they were inefficient or overly redundant and also made sure to point out any mistakes I could find. My criticisms didn’t come from an attitude of arrogance or pride, but I was unsure what to do with myself. I expressed it the way I thought it was.
Because I was always kind to everyone, made friendly gestures or baked goods at work, inquired about loved ones of people and put in the effort and was not a thorn in the side, I was not viewed as un. But, it was easy to realize that talking about my thoughts was not well-liked. I slowed down and resigned myself to sitting in my stunning 8×6 cubicle, gazing at my yellow walls, and staying my thoughts to myself for as long as feasible. Being an extrovert, this really took its strain on me, and I soon began to feel resentful of my job.
(3.) Stagnation Bores Me:
The best thing about life is its capacity to discover, learn and develop. If contribution and progress are the main ingredients to happiness, and that’s my personal belief so, then an 8-5 (actually seven to six) job that is sat in an office doing the same routine every day in and out is the leading cause of depression.
When I was a teenager, I was always eager to leave the company if I realized that the situation was becoming stagnant. The feeling of being bored was the most unpleasant scenario for me, and I would usually interpret the feeling of being bored as a lack of fulfilment. It was a vast world filled with excitement and possibilities that I could not allow myself to not experience. I was misunderstood, terribly assessed and often told that I was never going to contribute to anything. What’s the problem? When we were children, we were taught that we need to try various things and discover new areas of interest in the hope of discovering our passions and discover new things, but once we reach adulthood, we are expected to accept the routine and are encouraged to be average to maintain stability?
In my university studies, my life became mundane and dull, yet I believed that I was working towards something. It was my conviction that things would improve however this was not the case. The business world has shown me that I’m not meant to spend my life and my youth in an enclosure with people I don’t like doing things that I don’t like. I’d prefer to be free and poor with my family rather than be rich in the confines of a cage. When I’m at liberty, I can dedicate my time and effort to the growth I see as necessary. It’s a good thing I won’t be depressed and unattractive. At the very least, my family members would be aware of me.
In the end, one thing was for sure, and I preferred to be independent and risk failure rather than be a corporation slave with no job security.