YOUR JOB IS A GIFT - ACT ACCORDINGTLY
Posted by Chris on the Smart Path to Happiness blog
The US was built on strength, courage, and a lot of sweat. Somewhere between our remarkable beginnings and today, all of that has changed. Rewind to the 20′s and you’ll find countless people who had a job and were proud to be employed. These people poured out their souls for their employer. One could argue that these folks gave too much with the frequently dangerous jobs (coal mining, logging, etc..) without OSHA to keep them safe. Why was it so so common to work that hard in those days? There was a better work ethic; people took pride in delivering stellar results regardless of their job function. We even had folks like Henry Ford whose main goal was to provide greater service to his employees, community, and country. Becoming wealthy was the gift he received for helping everyone else first. You can read more about Ford in an attachment on Brigadier General Greg Zanetti’s blog.
Fast forward to today. You’ll find kids straight out of college demanding higher salaries just because they have some degree. You’ll find people who only give 10% of their effort to their job; they feel their boss is lucky to get that much. People are showing up later, taking longer lunches, browsing the internet more, and leaving earlier. There is a new mentality where employees feel they are owed something just for showing up. Even personal appearance is an afterthought.
Unfortunate Truths
I hate to think about it, but we’re all replaceable. Even me, the guy who makes it a point to work a little harder than everyone else can get replaced. I just started a new job. I like to think my old colleagues were sad to see me leave, but they’re getting along just fine without me.
Believe it or not, most of us are paid what we are owed and we probably don’t deserve a giant raise. There seems to be an expectation that a raise is warranted just because a year has passed. While a small raise is necessary because of inflation, most people expect to beat inflation. Next time someone complains that their company is underpaying them, remind this person that they are free to leave at any time. If there are other companies out there that pay more for the same service, then he or she should change jobs. If all of the other companies have similar benefits for that same position, then unfortunately that person is probably earning a fair wage.
A job is more like a symbiotic relationship. Employees are supposed to provide value to a company and get rewarded for it. Employees receive a fair and steady paycheck for honest effort. It is a company’s responsibility to honor their side; unfortunately their job is not to make you rich. If you want to be rich, you’re going to have to do more than work a job…but that’s a story for another day.
Continuing about salaries, the value of your reward will be lower than the value you provide. It stinks to know you may provide your company with $60,000 in value but you’ll only get $40,000. It seems unfair but that’s why we have companies in the first place. People usually start businesses with the hope of making lots of money; and unfortunately, tools you use eat into that money. The bathroom around the corner, the light over your desk, and the pens your coworker took home are all a drain on a company’s revenue. In the end, if you’re not giving $60,000 in value to your company then you’re costing them when you show up. You’re shifting the burden to your coworkers who now support you.
Be Grateful
If you act as though you are happy to have your job, you will be surprised how much you can accomplish. You will get more done in one day than your peers and your boss will notice. Eventually you should expect a raise or certainly have some irrefutable evidence when asking for one. When you go to your next job interview, you’ll be able to talk about all of the extra things you accomplished or the awards you have received which will make it more likely for you to get hired and paid even more.
Above all, remember that if entrepreneurs didn’t take chances to start companies then we would never have job opportunities in the first place. Working hard is how we tell the owners of our company, “thank you for putting your money, time, and future on the line to start your company so I can have a consistent income to feed my family.” If the consistent salary isn’t enough, we’re free to quit our job and start our own company. Sound too scary? Appreciate the sacrifices others have made.
When you shift your priority from saying, “when I get more, I’ll do more” to “I’ll do more now because I know I’ll get a lot more later”, you’ll notice much faster results. The first option is a passive approach and basically means you’re waiting for someone to take a chance on you and say, “if I pay this person a little more, I bet he/she would be grateful and work a little extra.” Just like everything else in life, if you take the initiative and show your boss why you’re worth more than everyone else, your chance of getting that raise just went up. As you gain a proven track record of keeping your boss happy, he or she will start to go out of their way to make sure you are happy. Good employees are hard to find after all. Developing a group of folks who have the mission to keep you happy (because they want to, not have to) is another step towards infinite happiness.
The US was built on strength, courage, and a lot of sweat. Somewhere between our remarkable beginnings and today, all of that has changed. Rewind to the 20′s and you’ll find countless people who had a job and were proud to be employed. These people poured out their souls for their employer. One could argue that these folks gave too much with the frequently dangerous jobs (coal mining, logging, etc..) without OSHA to keep them safe. Why was it so so common to work that hard in those days? There was a better work ethic; people took pride in delivering stellar results regardless of their job function. We even had folks like Henry Ford whose main goal was to provide greater service to his employees, community, and country. Becoming wealthy was the gift he received for helping everyone else first. You can read more about Ford in an attachment on Brigadier General Greg Zanetti’s blog.
Fast forward to today. You’ll find kids straight out of college demanding higher salaries just because they have some degree. You’ll find people who only give 10% of their effort to their job; they feel their boss is lucky to get that much. People are showing up later, taking longer lunches, browsing the internet more, and leaving earlier. There is a new mentality where employees feel they are owed something just for showing up. Even personal appearance is an afterthought.
Unfortunate Truths
I hate to think about it, but we’re all replaceable. Even me, the guy who makes it a point to work a little harder than everyone else can get replaced. I just started a new job. I like to think my old colleagues were sad to see me leave, but they’re getting along just fine without me.
Believe it or not, most of us are paid what we are owed and we probably don’t deserve a giant raise. There seems to be an expectation that a raise is warranted just because a year has passed. While a small raise is necessary because of inflation, most people expect to beat inflation. Next time someone complains that their company is underpaying them, remind this person that they are free to leave at any time. If there are other companies out there that pay more for the same service, then he or she should change jobs. If all of the other companies have similar benefits for that same position, then unfortunately that person is probably earning a fair wage.
A job is more like a symbiotic relationship. Employees are supposed to provide value to a company and get rewarded for it. Employees receive a fair and steady paycheck for honest effort. It is a company’s responsibility to honor their side; unfortunately their job is not to make you rich. If you want to be rich, you’re going to have to do more than work a job…but that’s a story for another day.
Continuing about salaries, the value of your reward will be lower than the value you provide. It stinks to know you may provide your company with $60,000 in value but you’ll only get $40,000. It seems unfair but that’s why we have companies in the first place. People usually start businesses with the hope of making lots of money; and unfortunately, tools you use eat into that money. The bathroom around the corner, the light over your desk, and the pens your coworker took home are all a drain on a company’s revenue. In the end, if you’re not giving $60,000 in value to your company then you’re costing them when you show up. You’re shifting the burden to your coworkers who now support you.
Be Grateful
If you act as though you are happy to have your job, you will be surprised how much you can accomplish. You will get more done in one day than your peers and your boss will notice. Eventually you should expect a raise or certainly have some irrefutable evidence when asking for one. When you go to your next job interview, you’ll be able to talk about all of the extra things you accomplished or the awards you have received which will make it more likely for you to get hired and paid even more.
Above all, remember that if entrepreneurs didn’t take chances to start companies then we would never have job opportunities in the first place. Working hard is how we tell the owners of our company, “thank you for putting your money, time, and future on the line to start your company so I can have a consistent income to feed my family.” If the consistent salary isn’t enough, we’re free to quit our job and start our own company. Sound too scary? Appreciate the sacrifices others have made.
When you shift your priority from saying, “when I get more, I’ll do more” to “I’ll do more now because I know I’ll get a lot more later”, you’ll notice much faster results. The first option is a passive approach and basically means you’re waiting for someone to take a chance on you and say, “if I pay this person a little more, I bet he/she would be grateful and work a little extra.” Just like everything else in life, if you take the initiative and show your boss why you’re worth more than everyone else, your chance of getting that raise just went up. As you gain a proven track record of keeping your boss happy, he or she will start to go out of their way to make sure you are happy. Good employees are hard to find after all. Developing a group of folks who have the mission to keep you happy (because they want to, not have to) is another step towards infinite happiness.
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