Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Does working late, mean working hard?

Working late = working hard. That's the corporate world mantra. The accepted norm. The ladder to success. I beg to differ.

Come in an hour early and leave office at the designated hour. What are you? An under-achiever who never stretches. Yet come in office on time and leave an hour later. Know what that makes you? An achiever - always stretching beyond the call of duty. Even better, come in an hour late to office and sit two hours late everyday, and man looks like office would not sustain a day without you!

If you have your maths right, you can clearly see all employees are putting in the same number of hours; but see how warped perceptions can be. Actually perceptions are bound to be warped - but does no one every do the obvious maths to this?? Am surprised - amazed - shocked - irritated and frustrated, at the sheer illogicality of it all.

The later you work into the night the better you are seems to be the accepted work norm everywhere. So of all three, guess who gets the praise and the promotion and all the pats on the back - no prizes on guessing that.

But it's a lesson i refuse to learn! And must lodge my protest with all reason.

Why? Oh why, are we forgetting the natural rhythms of nature - early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, weathy and wise! You can do so much more when you come in early and are brimming with ideas and energy to take on the world. Working late into the night you are only brimming with ire and irritation!

So well...whose ready to join me in my support of the early comers?

Friday, June 4, 2010

A full time Job - Meetings at the Workplace

Just living an everyday life at the workplace. Meetings and mess ups! They happen all the time.

Messy meetings, meetings messed up, messups for which meetings are called, messups due to which meetings are cancelled! Then of course there are meetings missed, meetings that miss the point, meetings with people missing, meetings you dare not miss, meetings you'd happily miss!

So do these meetings help? Perhaps in some ways... there are meetings that make the day go faster, meetings that fill the time, meetings that give the mirage of workloads of work happening! So meetings in all...can be a full time job for some.

Meetings can lend creativity - heard of those brainstorming sessions for meetings...often all storm and no brain - but nevertheless! Creativity is unleashed in more ways - innovative doodles, interesting scribbles, asides and snides. And of course blogs like this sprouting up!

(Also read my more serious blog on Career Guidance - tips on interviews, resume writing, career building and more.