To find “important” jobs cringeworthy?

[iftheshoeefits]

I’m not judging any particular job and obviously there are important jobs out there.

I’m talking about the people that need you to know their job is important. Met a friend for dinner but we decided to go to IKEA beforehand (it was a quiet Tuesday) and she did nothing but sign and tut loudly whilst saying work needed her and she kept stopping to email them whilst walking through the store.

BIL anytime we have a family weekend away he gets his phone out or makes a comment how he has to answer this work email.

My job isn't important in the grand scheme of things but I do work across APAC which means I do have to deal with stuff at his times.

I think you're conflating two different things - people who need to respond to a work email in your presence, and people who don't really and then proceed to make a song and dance about the fact that they have an out of hours email. The latter are the annoying ones!

I agree with you OP. If someone has to answer work emails out of office hours then they are
a. foolish in not having better boundaries with their employer and
b. signalling to everyone that they have that kind of job, i.e. they are not an unimportant junior person who only answers email while at work, and especially they are signalling that they are not in a job that doesn't even entail emails (yes, such jobs do exist).

Do you think people who politely excuse themselves to answer work emails are better or worse than people who sneer at and mock their so-called friends on the internet?

Important jobs, to me, means those that had to continue in their place of work during lockdown. So, all hcps, lorry drivers, supermarket workers ect.

no hedge fund manager, no.bank manger. As a manager myself, before I retired, I always said that if my staff were not there, society would notice from day one. If I wasn't there, as a manager, it would take society at least three months to realise.

as a senior manager, I had to stop working with no notice due to health issues. Guess what? My staff managed.

some people like to be needed. And if work is the only place they feel nee ded, then that's where they will put their energy.

Or working internationally, working to externally set deadlines or working flexibly 🤷‍♀️

These are people without boundaries incapable of maintaining a healthy work life balance.

Perhaps they are aware of not being particularly important and are therefore afraid of being replaceable if not constantly seen by their colleagues and bosses to be working. They work a lot because they make heavy weather of everything, rather than getting their work done efficiently.

Perhaps.

Or they're twats who want everyone to know that they WORK (implication being nobody else really does). These do exist. They're the people who say "I work my arse off" / "sweat blood" (sitting on a revolving chair) to justify why they shouldn't have to pay tax/ should be allowed to take their children out of school to go to Disneyland/ shouldn't be held accountable for anything or expected to meet obligations they expect others to meet.

This too.

Another one who checks and replies to the odd email out of work hours here - don’t even have an important job. Wish I did, would probably get paid more!!!

My job isn't important but I'm sometimes on call so have to bring a load of work stuff and stay sober. I apologise for any interruptions in advance but it's part of my job. Nowt to do with time management or my opinion of my work. It is what it is and if the phone rings I need to answer it and deal with it

Lol what a naive point of view

yes non medical jobs may not be life or death - but if (as a lawyer in the financial sector) I/my team does not respond to an email on a deal that is closing that night and the client/bank needs said email, and the deal falls over and it makes the news

or the juniors are left sitting there all night waiting for the partners reply - either way not great is it

not me saying we are important by the way - anything but - but it’s a simple fact of our world that there are some jobs where you may need to respond to out of work emails because there is a whole chain that needs to fit into place.

and when people don’t do what they need to do - well they get blamed

That's hilarious. I feel like I'm there on that train. What a twat!

It's the people that are cringeworthy, not the job.
One of my friends has a super duper important international role. You wouldn't know it. Her down time is her downtime and she works her absolute arse off during work time.
My exDH though, you'd think the world would collapse without his Herculean efforts. One would imagine he's president of Apple or something, the way he goes on. In reality he's a very dull middle manager who's busy time at works occurs for a fortnight once a year.

However, I do check my emails on occasion outside work when I've got something I need to confirm is done and I'm not in the office. I get very stressed and screech about work, but I'm a low level manager who just gets stressed I do think I'm a bit cringeworthy sometimes, but only because I don't deal with pressure well

My husband is a mad medieval king. His palace smells of mead and helmets.

I'm someone that often has to attend to work emails and calls. I get calls when someone's going to court and I have to attend to that pretty quickly. I also supervise junior staff that may need me urgently at any moment because they are concerned about a clients risk.

I'm pretty much 'on call'' most of the working week, and sometimes weekends, but also have lots of free time in that time which I don't necessarily want to spend sat by myself in case I offend a friend by attending to a work call.

I'm sorry if it offends you, what should I do? Let the staff make the wrong call on a potential suicide? Cause someone's court case to be adjourned because I'm in IKEA?

Luckily I have friends that don't seem to mind. I'd hate to think they were secretly judging me as up my own arse. I'm not, I'm just trying to do my job and sometimes that does mean I'm 'on call' most of the working week and.sometimes weekends.

Why is everyone so judgy all the time. If you think someone is up them self, I hope you tell them so you can decide together if the friendship is worth it. I hope you don't just moan about them behind their back

My job is so important, I just don't have time for this thread.

I shouldn’t think so.

the OP is the one claiming moral superiority whilst slagging off her so called friend on the internet.

I expect your friends are nicer than that

that behaviour is nothing to do with the job. It would be equally annoying whatever the reason the person was banging on about as an excuse for not actually engaging with your or the activity they’d agreed to do.

it’s just rude behaviour designed to make you feel unimportant.

Oh, now I feel terrible. I have few work/life boundaries and often have to apologise for answering work emails when I’m with family or friends. I usually stress that it’s really important so that people don’t think that I’m blowing them off for no reason (even though the reason is more likely because I have no work/life boundaries, and my perception of how important it is, is skewed by that).

groans REALLY hoping it doesn’t come across as humblebragging now 😩

Yep just like the "parenting performance" there's those that do the same with their jobs. I have a friend who works for a very famous search engine and oh my god is she very important to be working for them as well as the very important role she does there.

I never talk about my work with friends now as she has made me realise how extremely dull it is constantly talking about yourself and your job.

Unless you're saving lives your job really isn't that special!

My exH was so important he had his work phone clamped to his ear on the day we moved house, also through most of parents evening for our daughter. What he was actually doing was avoiding having to unpack any removal boxes or having to interact with people who didn't interest him. Complete knob.

@AnonyMouseToday Do you sigh and tut every time which was kind of the OPs point.

I'm a teacher but my work emails are on my phone and I get notifications so do look at them. It's almost always a parent if it's outside work hours. Sometimes I ignore but sometimes I can calm an anxiety or a situation by replying. Sometimes it's my Head and I feel obligated to answer the question quickly. Sometimes it's something like the alarm is going off or there's a safeguarding issue. So I'm not important but I do answer emails outside work hours.

Omg you are married to The Doctor!

I have a flexible working arrangement so I can attend soccer games, take kids to music etc. So does DH. The reality is it means work spills over into life so yes I take calls and check emails by excusing myself from people I know. I do say sorry I have to take this work call so they don’t just think I’m bored and walking away from a conversation!

OP sounds like she has a chip on her shoulder.