Being the 'Good Guy' at Work? Think Again.
Hey Reader!
I am in a bit of a sticky situation at work, and I thought I'd come vent to my online community and maybe someone will learn from my experience.
About a year ago, I was in dire need of a job, and after months of asking around, applying and praying, I finally landed an interview. It was a sort of "independent business" but it was doing well financially. I had managed to secure a side gig a few weeks before, and this new job fit perfectly time-wise. Additionally, the cumulative pay from both jobs was an improvement over my past earnings. I was excited.
However, I made a very rookie mistake at the interview. You see, I have a worldview that is sometimes too idealistic, and while this serves me just well in being a person that I myself admire, it also gets me in trouble in some situations. While speaking of what I expected to be paid, I did not think in terms of the prospective job as a job on its own, instead I thought of what I could be paid and how it would supplement the pay from my part-time job and be enough for my needs. I did this forgetting that each job was unique, came with different demands and required separate time. So when I was asked what I would like to earn, I hesitated and after a bit of back and forth, I mentioned a ridiculously little amount, which my employer jumped at, promising that "we would of course give you a raise after a while". Lies.
This is certainly the case in my situation. I am efficient at my job. I am very flexible and reliable. I am not demanding. I am not problematic. However, I believe it is possible to be so unproblematic and reliable that you get taken for granted. We have all heard of families where one kid constantly acts out and one kid is constantly on their best behaviour. Ironically, the kid who always does the right thing mostly gets no praise for it, because it is expected of them, and they do not disappoint. Whereas, the child whose behaviour who constantly behaves badly could do the littlest thing and get the highest praise for it -because their behaviour has set the expectations so low that when they deviate from the norm, it is a pleasant surprise and greatly rewarded. I believe this behavioural dynamic can and does translate to the workplace.
I have worked at this job now for a little over a year, and it has been rough. The circumstances of my job and the things I need to deal with on a daily basis are not the easiest to endure. A person close to the business told me that before me, my employer had tried to fill my position a number of times and the employees kept leaving after a few days; my boss is a very eccentric person and only a very patient person can suffer being in her presence day-in day-out. It is not the easiest job by any means, and the conditions are not the most tenable. But what do I do? I suck it up. I do not complain. I make the most of the situation and get on with it. In the one year I have worked there, there have been no complaints concerning my performance. The few times when there have been need for correction, I have been very receptive and adaptive. A few weeks into getting this job, I lost my part time job and then I realised my mistake with setting the wages because they were less than peanuts!
Continued in Next Post.
I am in a bit of a sticky situation at work, and I thought I'd come vent to my online community and maybe someone will learn from my experience.
About a year ago, I was in dire need of a job, and after months of asking around, applying and praying, I finally landed an interview. It was a sort of "independent business" but it was doing well financially. I had managed to secure a side gig a few weeks before, and this new job fit perfectly time-wise. Additionally, the cumulative pay from both jobs was an improvement over my past earnings. I was excited.
However, I made a very rookie mistake at the interview. You see, I have a worldview that is sometimes too idealistic, and while this serves me just well in being a person that I myself admire, it also gets me in trouble in some situations. While speaking of what I expected to be paid, I did not think in terms of the prospective job as a job on its own, instead I thought of what I could be paid and how it would supplement the pay from my part-time job and be enough for my needs. I did this forgetting that each job was unique, came with different demands and required separate time. So when I was asked what I would like to earn, I hesitated and after a bit of back and forth, I mentioned a ridiculously little amount, which my employer jumped at, promising that "we would of course give you a raise after a while". Lies.
Now a question which is an enigma: Why do people tend not to appreciate a good thing when they have it?
Because said good thing may have come too easy.
This is certainly the case in my situation. I am efficient at my job. I am very flexible and reliable. I am not demanding. I am not problematic. However, I believe it is possible to be so unproblematic and reliable that you get taken for granted. We have all heard of families where one kid constantly acts out and one kid is constantly on their best behaviour. Ironically, the kid who always does the right thing mostly gets no praise for it, because it is expected of them, and they do not disappoint. Whereas, the child whose behaviour who constantly behaves badly could do the littlest thing and get the highest praise for it -because their behaviour has set the expectations so low that when they deviate from the norm, it is a pleasant surprise and greatly rewarded. I believe this behavioural dynamic can and does translate to the workplace.
I have worked at this job now for a little over a year, and it has been rough. The circumstances of my job and the things I need to deal with on a daily basis are not the easiest to endure. A person close to the business told me that before me, my employer had tried to fill my position a number of times and the employees kept leaving after a few days; my boss is a very eccentric person and only a very patient person can suffer being in her presence day-in day-out. It is not the easiest job by any means, and the conditions are not the most tenable. But what do I do? I suck it up. I do not complain. I make the most of the situation and get on with it. In the one year I have worked there, there have been no complaints concerning my performance. The few times when there have been need for correction, I have been very receptive and adaptive. A few weeks into getting this job, I lost my part time job and then I realised my mistake with setting the wages because they were less than peanuts!
Continued in Next Post.
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