Education & Work The Competency Trap

You are within your rights to say that you cannot stay longer to do extra work - without pay.

Of course; many folks get asked to do overtime; and many accept because they need the extra money the higher rate of pay provides.

If you are in a salaried position however; this is much harder to argue.

You then have to question whether you want to stay in a job where working lots of extra hours for no extra pay is worth it.

 

I have done this in the private sector, for a good boss, and did very well.

Tried the same trick in the government sector and got burned.

 

Another trap...

To be good at things you don't like to do and then being given more of it. ARGH.

 

And I'm the opposite
I don't have a TV, I like eating out regularly but not parties, I don't like meditating at all, I stay up late too but to catch up on work overload.

Goes to show it takes all types to be successful and it's all good regardless of what you choose.

 

Sadly; this happens more in Gubb employment for some reason.

Eventually; folks simply work out a way to just do the bare minimum and get good at looking busy.

My Dad was a gung-ho fantastic example of humanity; full of energy, enthusiasm, work ethic - used to regard hard physical labour as exercise....

He got a job working on the local Council road crew in the Country town where we lived when I was a teenager.

Came home one night fuming; he had been told by his "team mates" on his crew; "Slow down and stop working so hard; you are making us look bad".

Also; I worked 3 years at the Frangers Hospital in the ICU - a Gubb Public Hospital. I got to travel all over that facility doing various tasks - pick up patients, deliver patients, blood pick-ups, delivering equipment and even deceased patients to the morgue etc....I saw so much "dead wood" - folks who had become experts at doing nothing but looking busy; it was shocking.

My wife still works there, and occasionally I ask her; "Is so and so still there?" and most times; they are.

 

It's because public servants rarely get fired and under-performance isn't handled properly. They've worked out there's no incentive to be proactive because everyone gets paid the same regardless. I've worked in both private and public - plenty of deadwood in both, but it's harder to get rid of non-performers in the public service.

10 years ago at a public service dept where I was having these issues, I suggested upgrading our website because people complained it wasn't user friendly and the forms and instructions didn't make sense. The answer I got from my team was "No, we don't want to make things easy for people. If they're serious about getting our help, they'll work it out themselves." Yep, this response from a customer-facing team whose job was to provide information. Took another 5 years for the changes to go through. By then, I'd left and yes, most of those people are still there doing the same thing.

 

Can you please fill me in a vacancy comes up at your place? I can't even keep on top of things in 50+ hours a week……..

 

Sure thing, what industry?

 

High school teacher …...

 

... Not sure if I can help. Get one of those rowdy bunch to help you maybe...