to ask if anyone else is half-arsing their job?

[Spacemannn]

I work full time with two pre-schoolers (due to my part-time working request being declined). I get paid well (although not mumsnet well) for a mid-senior job, with no line management, but the bulk of my salary goes on childcare.

Since having my second child, I just cba anymore. I used to be such a perfectionist and always go above and beyond, but I just don't care as much anymore. I work hybrid, and on my WFH days I'm trying to squeeze in as many chores/life admin as poss in between tasks.

Is anyone else like this? Does it matter? I switch between feeling guilty, and then feeling like as long as I'm getting the work done and doing an ok job, that's fine? I still get paid the same whether I put in 70% effort or 100% effort. There are no promotion opportunities on the horizon, and I don't think I'd want the extra responsibility at the moment anyway.

Any tips for working smarter not harder? I'm organised, responsive and quick, so I don't think it's a case of me not adding value to the company...

"Quiet times in restaurants are spent cleaning, or prepping to get a head for busy periods. I knew this is an 18-year-old working as a waitress. If it needs spelling out it’s a really poor reflection on the individual and is noted.
Same in retail, how do we think the stock gets on the shelves? The displays are folded stuff remains, fold it etc etc"

I've done that kind of work as well as a student and yes, some of the quiet time is spent cleaning etc. but not all of it. Sometimes there is really nothing to do.

Oh, I’m sure we could have found you something to do.

But it’s the reason why I left the restaurant as a student as a supervisor. And it was the reason why I started my proper job post graduation on 5K more than my peers. I had a managerial experience by the time I was 21. By looking to see what else needs doing in the restaurant and the retail unit that I worked in. And finding extra work that made my managers life easy. My references were glowing.

I’m so lucky that my children have inherited this example from both their parents, because it will be required to get ahead of the game.

There’s plenty of children on my kids course who are cruising and happy with a 2.1, mine are having just as much fun, appear to be permanently pissed but are on course for firsts because they know they need to push.

There is so much competition, from AI from international students.

I remember someone wrote something very similar to this a few years ago in the DM . He massively regretted putting work over his family . He missed out on loads of family celebrations. He said he must have generated millions for the company. It hit him hard when he retired after decades of hard work and there was no retirement party , no card or gift presentation, not even a thank you letter . He warned young people starting out on their careers never put a job above your health and family . He can see now how foolish he was to go above and beyond. Wise words .

Totally agree. My last job I was there 10 years as a team manager. Went above and beyond, hours of unpaid overtime, weekends at busy periods and ran myself ragged to ensure me and me team were top performers.
Then one day got called into HR and made redundant. Given 30 minutes to clear my desk and that was it. And it wasn’t just me, a clear out of management due to the fact the job could be done cheaper in India. My HOD also got made redundant without so much as a thank you after 25 years of hard graft and turning the department round.

So I won’t apologise for now doing what I need to and absolutely nothing more.

I've notice a lot more Tesco / Sainsbury neighbourhood express shops popping up in the last few years . Did they predict more people working from home who would be more likely to use them ?

After I had my burnout I had a huge turnaround in attitude. i honestly believe that neoliberal capitalism requires you not to ask too many questions - keep your head down, work your arse off and keep making shareholders money. The company ‘purpose’ bullshit is a smokescreen to make you feel like they care. It won’t mean shit when profits are down and people need to be cut. We don’t stop to ask ourselves what is the human cost of this relentless working? We just aren’t meant to be on zoom calls 12hrs a day, pushing for every little thing and worrying if person x is doing better than us. It’s meaningless. Do what you need to to earn, live and be happy but do no more. Use that time for YOU. Your family, your passions and your health.

It sounds as though you are doing fine OP, except that you are unwise to write about it on the internet.
Long before WFH was accepted my senior colleagues used to occasionally WFH when they had major tasks to do, significant analyses requiring prolonged attention, detailed reports to write etc. They did it because they could work better from home without interruptions or distractions. So you can be more effective working from home, and if that leaves a bit of time for home based stuff then that seems fine if the job is being done well - just don't tell people!

I learned many years ago that if you are liked and suck up to management you can get away with doing very little . I used to think that going above and beyond would get me somewhere . No I didn't . I just got given more work to do and was scapegoated when things went wrong . The people who did nothing but were still revered actually despised management and used to laugh at their stupidity behind their backs .

Those of you saying “you will get found out and sacked for slacking/you are taking the piss” etc, imagine this scenario.

You walk into a small, deserted shop. It’s clean, tidy, and the shelves are fully stocked. There is one person working on the counter, who is quietly reading a book as there are no customers.

Once you enter the shop, the person on the til has the choice of either:

A) putting their book down immediately and being attentive to you, helping you with what they need, serving and being helpful and polite at all times.

B) continuing to read, ignoring you, and acting annoyed and like they are being bothered when approached.

Person A is what we are discussing, and relating to ourselves in the equivalent of a corporate environment. The equivalent of person B will probably get sacked. It will be noticeable after a while that they are not performing their duties, and there would be complaints.

But what is wrong with being person A? They are performing their duties to a high standard. They are achieving the requirements of their role. Would you really begrudge them the occasional rest if there really is nothing else for them to do?

Those who would, should probably take a long look at yourself. I hope you aren’t in a management position, as I can guarantee you are a toxic boss.

Eh, I think this is a simplification.

My workplace is massively discontented. 25% of staff made redundant a short while ago, lots of people really unhappy since, can't get the work done, and don't like how the company is being managed.

So when I turn up and don't complain, it's not because I'm kissing arse, it's because I don't care. I just want to do an OK job and get paid. They don't have to work to make me happy.

I've managed staff like this before, and the sheer absence of whining can make you popular without any specific efforts otherwise.

And I don't whine because I don't care. One little bit.

(which is not the same as doing my job badly, or being abstractly interested in problems I'm asked to solve)

Thecatsthecats

I didn't whine or complain. I worked hard thinking it would get me noticed and I would get somewhere . Yes I should have done what you are doing , just kept my head down and not care . You are absolutely right . This is what I intend to do from now on .

Agree with every word of this. Somehow I was born with this attitude rather than only working it out later in life (I probably have my super cynical dad to thank for that) but I’m actually quite proud to have never worked beyond my allotted hours and still have a decent enough career. No, I’ll likely never be director level or a board member but guess what, I don’t care!

In retail they employ managers on salaries who often work way over their contracted hours , usually young eager graduates who then after a while reach disillusionment and burn out and then quit . Rinse and repeat .

100% agree.

My manager is like this and that was the reason that I actively avoided being in the office when they were in and will not be returning to the team after maternity leave.

They would also have no issue in handing me all their work while doing fa so I never let them know when I had extra capacity. Being new I won't be able to coast when I'm in my new role but I'd rather put the extra effort into a new team than for a lazy CF manager (who takes all the credit for my work anyway).

This thread has made me feel really gullible! I didn’t know that so many people did this. I have suffered MH problems due to working too hard, late nights, no rest. It is really making me re evaluate.

I'm an employer in a fully remote company and I'm completely cool with us all mixing work and house chores during the day. Ultimately, we employ really smart people who could probably get paid more to go elsewhere but they stay because we give them working conditions that are compatible with having a nice life, including doing school pickup at 3 etc. I honestly think that 4 hours of working hard is a decent days work. I'd prefer that to cruising through the 7.5 hours because it's required.

And sensible employers get this.

It was always the case even before March 2020 that employers who could offer flexibility would often 'buy' better staff than they could otherwise get on those salaries. Now that looks like being fine over wfh. In this recruitment climate, it's a no brainer.

Yes in the sense I get my work done but I don’t go above and beyond. People saying this only applies to those wfh- believe me I have seen an awful lot of people in the office making themselves look busy and actually doing f all over the years! Ain’t nothing to do with wfh!

Yup, I worked for a company for 25 years, always gave a damn, went the extra mile and was very much a company girl. Fat lot of good it did me, and I got made redundant when it suited them. I now work the hours for which I am paid and nothing else. I'm not bursting my arse to line someone else's pocket any more - I'm no longer a mug. Like many PP's, I seem to work at a faster and in a more efficient way than a lot of others - probably down to years of experience - there's no way I'm taking on any more work. On a final note, and going back to the original topic - it's just as easy to skive in an office as it is from home, don't fool yourselves - shirker's gonna shirk.

Yep watched a manager walk about with a sheaf of papers under her arm and a mobile phone stuck to her ear . In reality she was doing fa , just looked busy . Clever delegator , and finger pointer . Basically just took her wages.

I think there is an angle missing here. I have had times in my career where I have worked really hard, giving my all. They have been for companies I believed in, for people I believed cared for me.

It's a feeling that lots of companies try to foster, but often with varying success because (at their heart) it is a falsehood for lots of them. There are a few places I've worked where the company has genuinely given a shit about their employees and these tend to be owner-led businesses where the owner is an especially good leader. The flip side is, if the business is successfully then sooner or later the owner sells and, regardless of promises, the buyers always revert to big business types - where they pay lip service to caring about their employees but their actions show they are, mostly, indifferent.

They are the places where I have done my job to adequate standard, and if I've been able to do it in a lot less hours than there are in the week - so much the better.

The thing is, some people's 50 percent is like someone else's 100. In my 20s I worked so hard but I had little experience so things took longer. These days it varies, I've had weeks I put in 50 percent but I know I'm adding more value than 25 year old me who did overtime.

My OH will say oh I hardly did anything this week. His unproductive is like lots of people's acing it.

So you can't compare.

On the question of why aren't you motivated. It sounds like a. You might be tired and b. You have nothing to aim for. Id hone in on these if I were you.

It's true. In the office I had a colleague who was lovely but always chatting, popping out for coffee, etc.. not producing loads.

This is a good point - not all companies, jobs and bosses are the same. I would also argue a) some professions it is literally impossible to cruise - law, doctor, big digital companies. The working culture in some of these industries is just toxic and so unaware. A couple of drinks parties does not invalidate the fact I have to work every weekend. b) it’s fun to be ambitious and hardworking in your 20s and maybe 30s…by 40 you have other priorities and are a bit wiser so can take the foot off gas and still operate at decent level. It would say 80% of my friends are like this - operating within boundaries but not over. So long story short - it’s the attitude you bring to it - one persons ‘half arsing it’ to someone else is working to their hours with a few breaks but still overall finding some enjoyment from it whilst not pushing it. My view - do a decent 9 to 5 to best of your ability but switch off ! France have the right idea here - we must also get the right to switch off !

I run a small company and my guys are in office. We discovered working from home didn’t really work in the pandemic as communication was not strong enough for the job we do and the team thrive more with a collaborative approach, equally none of them like working from home.

They tell me I am a good boss. If they need something like doctors, dentist, child needs support/is ill, need to leave a bit early one day, etc…. I make no bones about it as long as their work is done and done to the very high standards I require (this is checked with quarterly reviews). I am direct, if there is a problem I tell them and we work together to resolve it. There is no bitchy backstabbing and mumbling about one another.

In return they work hard, are loyal and respect the company and want to do well… because they are suitably rewarded if they do!

I have had people ‘quietly quit’ and the team are quick to see it and it’s quick to be dealt with, we all know, as a team, we can’t afford quiet quitters if we all want to succeed and reap the benefits that come with that.