I considered dry January but then I went back to work and was reminded why I drink. Any tips on how to inspire an almost 40 year old man to develop a work ethic? My district manager wants me to coach a MIT to be more like me. I appreciate the compliment but fuck. He feels he’s “done his time” regarding work but I strongly disagree.
I’m very direct and have pointed out the disparity in our work, even specifically asked him to try taking his hands out of his pockets and do something, and he just laughs it off. I’m going to snap at some point, just a matter of time. It’ll just be hard for him after that. He’s a grudgy little bitch, so there’ll be tension til he goes away. At least I have a strong reputation in my company and will weather any drama just fine.
If you don't have a decent work ethic by 15 years old, your parents fucked up. If you're 40 with a shitty work ethic? It's never going to get any better. A person's personality is pretty much set by 30.
When I was 19, I worked in a lumberyard and I was a piece of shit. I did the minimum possible. Until the foreman pulled me aside and had a quick come to Jesus meeting with me. He let me know that other workers knew that they couldn’t rely on me AND they could blame stuff on me because that was the par I had established. Completely changed how I did everything. I suddenly realized that everything I did actually did matter, the way I did it was an expression of who I was... I just don’t think this guy is receptive to such a conversation.
Science. I’ve found anyone rudderless by middle age is usually a serial job jumper who work until they fuck up enough to get canned, then it’s on to the NEXT warehouse job that can sort-of tolerate a loser. Working blue-collar jobs was how I was introduced to hopeless adult human beings who choose to ice-skate uphill in life. Most of you call them “alcoholics”.
When I was young my grandparents and mother called me soft and lazy. Constantly with the lazy part. Apparently a 10 year old who doesn't split wood 8 hours a day during summer vacation was lazy. I thought I was as shitty worker. Then I got out in the real world and people have raved about my work ethic ever since. I hated every moment and all the tongue lashings I got for being "Lazy" when I was a kid, but it sure made my life so much easier once I had to go out and face the world. Then again....my last job was a piece of cake and I excelled at it. I was constantly the top producer by every metric they used. We had a 7 minute window after 8AM to clock in, the whole office showed up between 8:05 and 8:07 to clock in every fucking day. Then they'd get their coffee, visit with each other, check their e-mails, etc....and then struggle to do their job before they'd bailed at 4:53 (Using the 7 minute window.) I was in my seat an hour early and setting up my day, so at 8AM I was ready to go. I was quickly the highest paid person in my department. In 4 1/2 years I was never late, missed a total of about 15 days (We were allowed 20 days per year of sick, PTO, and vacation.) Being the highest paid I was also let go when we had a merger while they kept all the slackers, so sometimes I wonder if they know something I don't?
So my parents are Jehovahs Witnesses. Meaning they thought college and careers were silly because Armageddon was right around the corner. I’m sure this affected my work ethic initially. Once I got past that, I have found my work to be much more thorough than most of my counterparts. I attribute this to my ADHD. And possibly social insecurity.
You mean to tell me that being forced to pimp The Watchtower door-to-door on weekends to people (who are one gnat’s cock away from the turning the garden hose on you) and not celebrating any fun kid holidays was not your idea of a good childhood? You’re knocking me over with a feather here. Sounds like a party to me. Fuck Halloween and logic.
The funny thing is I attribute my work ethic to being lazy, because I really am lazy. I'm always looking for a simpler, easy way to do things. I don't cut corners or do shitty work, because that's not in my nature (And because when I was younger I'd get my ass beat for doing sub par work.) I just always find a way of doing things easier and quicker then it was originally explained to me. I remember reading years ago that if you're the boss and have a difficult job, don't give it to the hardest worker, give it to the laziest....they'll figure out a way to do it cheaper and quicker so they can go back to being lazy.
I delivered papers for awhile, then at 13 started a job I’d have for 7 years. I developed a great work ethic from that first real job (in a pharmacy) and have since been in complete control of when and how I changed jobs. I’ve been at my current job for 24 years. And I am fried. Burnt. 40 years of working as many as three jobs at once while getting undergraduate and grad degrees while working all of those jobs, and knowing that, as a guy in his 50s I have a target on my back - my run is bound to come to an end at some point.
Speaking of work ethic....I just bought the Motley Crue Carnival of Sins blu ray. It's the first Crue concert DVD I've seen that Vince actually attempts to remember the lyrics. And his voice is ON for the concert. That's pretty impressive.
I saw them on that tour here in town and it was the only time Vince didn’t suck. I sneakily suspect he lipsynced a good live recording during that tour because his usual performance consisted of him fucking up an otherwise great concert single-handedly. Even being gibbled beyond belief with bone degeneration, Mick Mars can still always the oxygen out of an arena. He is NEVER off. And he makes up for Vince wheezing his fat, drunk ass around the stage in his faggy little Jacquie Stallone headbands.
I feel you. I turned 50 a couple months ago, and that is practically a death sentence in IT. Luckily I work with some very smart people that recognize what I bring to the table, but if that went away, holy fuck... it would be practically impossible for me to get a job interview, never mind hired. I've never seen such an ageist industry as software development... you're old if you're 30. It takes a lot of work to stay up on shit, never mind be better at it than others. I've spent years learning how to learn the "important" stuff to make you stand out from others in your field. It's terrifying.... and part of why I'm trying to train myself up on woodworking, as it seems like it would be a nice fallback in case software development goes tits up.
In my field it easier to stand out. At my last job, I was given the preferred position because “You’re the only one who isn’t texting on the floor.” ...he was serious. It’s like that at my job now too, people on their smartphones everywhere. They canned some temp a couple months ago because he was looking at his phone while operating a fucking bridge crane. I mean, who needs eyes when you’re carrying thirty five thousand pounds through a building filled with people? And I work with metal. If the shit does go south, by then I will be able to make a killin’ knife as quickly as Bencio did in “The Hunted”. Or even better: