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Things you do for your job

an anarchist

Your local anarchist.
Are you extra for your job? Like, do you go beyond your job description? I sure do :) :(

In a restaurant, when someone vomits or sh*ts on the floor, who do you think cleans it up? They don’t ask a server, they would say no. They don’t dare ask a cook, they’d get mad at the disrespect. Nah nah nah, who do they put up to the job? Me! The dishwasher. They don’t hesitate to ask me, little ol dishwasher. Scraping up poop ain’t in my job description, but here I am. Geezus H Christ…
I’m just ranting though I could say no. Though it’s hella degrading they don’t think twice to ask the dishwasher for the dirty jobs. At past jobs I told the managers to clean it up themselves, but I’m a yes man at my current place of employment and they work with me, so I do my best to take care of the bosses.

story from the other day
Me: *throwing up* hmm, I should call into work several hours ahead of my shift to call in sick. *calls* hey it’s me
Manager: your calling because you want to come in early, right?
Me: no… I’m trying to call out actually… do you need me right now?
Manager: yes
Me: *sighs* I’ll be right there
 

Mock Turtle

Oh my, did I say that!
Premium Member
I used to turn up for work even with a streaming cold, and when I really shouldn't have. I also failed one exam - not that important - firstly because I turned up for the exam with the same as previous, and secondly because I didn't manage to do my usual three day revising so as to get the important bits in my head. Such a strategy does have downsides. :oops:
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
I used to but it got me nothing extra for the effort and got me nowhere except the operating room. So now I don't. If it's possible I'll even pass the tasks to some brown nosed yes types or someone doing that above and beyond thing if I get extra tasks dumped in my lap.
 

JustGeorge

Not As Much Fun As I Look
Staff member
Premium Member
Are you extra for your job? Like, do you go beyond your job description? I sure do :) :(

In a restaurant, when someone vomits or sh*ts on the floor, who do you think cleans it up? They don’t ask a server, they would say no. They don’t dare ask a cook, they’d get mad at the disrespect. Nah nah nah, who do they put up to the job? Me! The dishwasher. They don’t hesitate to ask me, little ol dishwasher. Scraping up poop ain’t in my job description, but here I am. Geezus H Christ…
I’m just ranting though I could say no. Though it’s hella degrading they don’t think twice to ask the dishwasher for the dirty jobs. At past jobs I told the managers to clean it up themselves, but I’m a yes man at my current place of employment and they work with me, so I do my best to take care of the bosses.

story from the other day
Me: *throwing up* hmm, I should call into work several hours ahead of my shift to call in sick. *calls* hey it’s me
Manager: your calling because you want to come in early, right?
Me: no… I’m trying to call out actually… do you need me right now?
Manager: yes
Me: *sighs* I’ll be right there

Restaurant workers(at least in the US) do not get the credit(or pay) they deserve.

My job description has me cleaning up all sorts of urine, feces, and vomit... and I make nothing. :(

Domestic engineering can be rough.
 

PureX

Veteran Member
There is no point in my being there if I'm not adding value to the business enterprise I work for. That means creating more value than I am taking out as compensation. And I try to keep this in mind every day. So that when I leave work each day I can say that I put in a little more value than I took out. That's important, because it's not just about me, and what I get paid for my time and effort. It's about all the other people that work there, too; that rely on the enterprise being a healthy, valued business within the community. As it was before I got there, and hopefully will be long after I've retired.

I'm a true believer in cooperation and fair trade. I admire ambition (not greed) in business and commerce. We humans can do so much more working together than we can competing with each other like a bunch of selfish jackals. And I appreciate working with others to achieve real and positive results for all concerned, and for our community. Not just for me.

If I went to work each day just for me, I'd resent having to go. It would be a drudgery. But I'm not doing it just for me. I'm doing my part within a very big, very complex and inter-dependent social economic system. And I feel honored to have a role in that system: to play a part and to enjoy the benefits. And honored to be working with all those other people who show up every day and do their part, too. So that we can all live in a world with home heating and health care and fresh food, and nice clothes and entertainment, and so much more.

We have a really good thing going, here, if we could just stop ourselves from ruining it with greed, and ego, and selfishness, and willful stupidity. Let's be humble, and grateful, and be team players. And try to always give a little more out than we get back in every exchange we engage in with others.
 

lewisnotmiller

Grand Hat
Staff member
Premium Member
I spent many a year putting up my hand to all sorts of jobs which added some stress and extra work to me. They also added some more interesting tasks to my working life, and eventually provided me with advancement opportunities.
I still do extras, but if anything work bends more than I do these days. This is not necessarily a permanent situation, so I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

Worth noting, this wasn't a quick situation. I spent about the first 11 years in my current career doing every tricky job that came up, and built a reputation as a problem solver, which was both to my detriment (hey...so...we're not sure this is even possible, but we're going to get sued if we don't deliver) and to my advantage (hey...so...that 'You can't work from home' policy doesn't really apply to you...)
 

Audie

Veteran Member
Are you extra for your job? Like, do you go beyond your job description? I sure do :) :(

In a restaurant, when someone vomits or sh*ts on the floor, who do you think cleans it up? They don’t ask a server, they would say no. They don’t dare ask a cook, they’d get mad at the disrespect. Nah nah nah, who do they put up to the job? Me! The dishwasher. They don’t hesitate to ask me, little ol dishwasher. Scraping up poop ain’t in my job description, but here I am. Geezus H Christ…
I’m just ranting though I could say no. Though it’s hella degrading they don’t think twice to ask the dishwasher for the dirty jobs. At past jobs I told the managers to clean it up themselves, but I’m a yes man at my current place of employment and they work with me, so I do my best to take care of the bosses.

story from the other day
Me: *throwing up* hmm, I should call into work several hours ahead of my shift to call in sick. *calls* hey it’s me
Manager: your calling because you want to come in early, right?
Me: no… I’m trying to call out actually… do you need me right now?
Manager: yes
Me: *sighs* I’ll be right there

Job?
You have a job?

Oh dear
 

Shaul

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
It could be worse. You could be in the military and have to clean up what's left of your buddy after he has been hit. Or you could be a first responder who cleans up the remains of a child. I imagine health aides get often weary of cleaning bed pans out day after day.

Still that doesn't mean you have to be a door mat. If it bothers you, you should speak up. Don't keep feelings of being put upon fester within. That helps no one. Communicate it to your coworkers, but do it with gentleness and kindness.

In Israel there are civilian volunteers that rush to the scenes of suicide attacks. They do so to collect the remains of people who have been literally blown to pieces. The victims, obviously, can't repay their kindness. The volunteers do it at mortal risk to their own lives to serve without any possible repayment. They know that serving others is a privilege and mitzvot.

A mother who has lost a child would give the world to be able to clean up after it.

Really doing a dirty job isn't the issue. The issue is what our attitude is while doing it.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
It could be worse. You could be in the military and have to clean up what's left of your buddy after he has been hit. Or you could be a first responder who cleans up the remains of a child. I imagine health aides get often weary of cleaning bed pans out day after day.

Still that doesn't mean you have to be a door mat. If it bothers you, you should speak up. Don't keep feelings of being put upon fester within. That helps no one. Communicate it to your coworkers, but do it with gentleness and kindness.

In Israel there are civilian volunteers that rush to the scenes of suicide attacks. They do so to collect the remains of people who have been literally blown to pieces. The victims, obviously, can't repay their kindness. The volunteers do it at mortal risk to their own lives to serve without any possible repayment. They know that serving others is a privilege and mitzvot.

A mother who has lost a child would give the world to be able to clean up after it.

Really doing a dirty job isn't the issue. The issue is what our attitude is while doing it.
Nah, the issue is employers expecting more than what we agreed to give. If someone wants to work extra, fine. Let them. But to expect and demand it? As I said, I used to but I got nothing out of it and the only place I did go to with it is the operating room so I don't do this anymore. In fact, when I stopped caring and started doing less is when I did start getting promoted at work. Where eventually I dumped my growing list of responsibilities on others because I never got a raise and even ended up with a lower hourly pay (I did absolutely nothing extra when I trained my second boss for his position).
 

PoetPhilosopher

Veteran Member
I try to stick to the job description at a job, where I can.

There was one job where I worked extra hard, and yet the one time I got praised was when the upper manager came in, saw me taking it pretty easy, and for some reason thought I was ordering around the other two employees there around me, and said "You're delegating. That's great. If you keep it up, we may have to make you a manager."
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
I try to stick to the job description at a job, where I can.

There was one job where I worked extra hard, and yet the one time I got praised was when the upper manager came in, saw me taking it pretty easy, and for some reason thought I was ordering around the other two employees there around me, and said "You're delegating. That's great. If you keep it up, we may have to make you a manager."
That reminds me of that episode of the Office where Michael got way ahead and up the corporate ladder--despite his ineptness and incompetence--just because upper management liked him. That episode reminded me of the gas station I worked at, where this worker no one liked or wanted to work for was promoted and then several months later she popped out a kid who looked suspiciously a lot like the store manager (promoting her was basically the beginning of the end for him for that job).
 

PureX

Veteran Member
The one bad thing about being the person that will do a bit extra is that they tend to become the people everyone goes to for a little extra.

All the complaints I see here are basically the result of greed and stupidity on the part of management. I have learned in life to avoid working for companies that are basically parasitically designed. Meaning that the lower paid employees create the actual value and provide the actual services, while the higher paid employees just "manage" things. It turns the managers into parasites, and they always want more and more and more, while giving less and less and less as compensation, so they can keep the difference for themselves. And they ALWAYS think they deserve it, when in fact their parasitical attitude tends to run the business more than it helps it. Mostly because it poisons the attitudes of the people actually fulfilling the purpose of the business enterprise. And this is just bad management by stupid, selfish managers (and owners).

It's difficult to avoid these kinds of businesses because capitalism encourages this sort of selfish stupidity by rewarding it. But it's well worth seeking out those businesses that are not so parasitically designed. Your work life will be far less stressful and resentful if you do.

I also recommend sticking with smaller businesses as opposed to large corporations, as the distance between the decision-makers and people carrying out those decisions is too great in the bigger companies. Allowing for that parasitical attitude on the part of the "managers" to fester very easily.
 

JustGeorge

Not As Much Fun As I Look
Staff member
Premium Member
The one bad thing about being the person that will do a bit extra is that they tend to become the people everyone goes to for a little extra.

All the complaints I see here are basically the result of greed and stupidity on the part of management. I have learned in life to avoid working for companies that are basically parasitically designed. Meaning that the lower paid employees create the actual value and provide the actual services, while the higher paid employees just "manage" things. It turns the managers into parasites, and they always want more and more and more, while giving less and less and less as compensation, so they can keep the difference for themselves. And they ALWAYS think they deserve it, when in fact their parasitical attitude tends to run the business more than it helps it. Mostly because it poisons the attitudes of the people actually fulfilling the purpose of the business enterprise. And this is just bad management by stupid, selfish managers (and owners).

It's difficult to avoid these kinds of businesses because capitalism encourages this sort of selfish stupidity by rewarding it. But it's well worth seeking out those businesses that are not so parasitically designed. Your work life will be far less stressful and resentful if you do.

I also recommend sticking with smaller businesses as opposed to large corporations, as the distance between the decision-makers and people carrying out those decisions is too great in the bigger companies. Allowing for that parasitical attitude on the part of the "managers" to fester very easily.

While I generally agree with your recommendations, I have to point out that not all people have the luxury of such choices, sometimes due to location, skill level, or pay required. It can be hard to get away from corporate if you're surrounded by it.

And not all small businesses are free of it, either. My husband has worked at the same mom and pop's diner for 11 years(its been under two different owners), and has seen an owner hit an employee, sexual misconduct to ridiculous degrees, drug usage on site, the new owner scheduling people for time she knows they're not available and threating them when they don't come, attempting to require they come in 15 minutes before shift without pay, not cashing in vacation time appropriately...

No one in the area would ever guess it; the place is kinda ritzy and has a good reputation.:confused: I think the employees tolerate it due to pay(the new owner does pay well), some would struggle to find employment elsewhere due to chemical dependencies, and at least a third of them are related.
 

PoetPhilosopher

Veteran Member
While I generally agree with your recommendations, I have to point out that not all people have the luxury of such choices, sometimes due to location, skill level, or pay required. It can be hard to get away from corporate if you're surrounded by it.

And not all small businesses are free of it, either. My husband has worked at the same mom and pop's diner for 11 years(its been under two different owners), and has seen an owner hit an employee, sexual misconduct to ridiculous degrees, drug usage on site, the new owner scheduling people for time she knows they're not available and threating them when they don't come, attempting to require they come in 15 minutes before shift without pay, not cashing in vacation time appropriately...

No one in the area would ever guess it; the place is kinda ritzy and has a good reputation.:confused: I think the employees tolerate it due to pay(the new owner does pay well), some would struggle to find employment elsewhere due to chemical dependencies, and at least a third of them are related.

Although I believe your story word for word, I thought I'd pitch in my experience working for a big corporation:

There was a process for contacting the bosses at a job I worked at. What you did is you told your immediate boss, then they told theirs, then they told theirs, then they told theirs, etc. So who knows whether your message was properly conveyed.

So then all these bosses would come in regularly. But you couldn't relay your message directly. Because if you did, and talked to a really high up boss, and another employee saw, they'd start thinking of you as a weasel of sorts for hanging out with the top bosses, and create an "us vs. them" line between them and you. So you could either be a friend to the top bosses, or be in good with the employees, but not both.
 

JustGeorge

Not As Much Fun As I Look
Staff member
Premium Member
Although I believe your story word for word, I thought I'd pitch in my experience working for a big corporation:

There was a process for contacting the bosses at a job I worked at. What you did is you told your immediate boss, then they told theirs, then they told theirs, then they told theirs, etc. So who knows whether your message was properly conveyed.

So then all these bosses would come in regularly. But you couldn't relay your message directly. Because if you did, and talked to a really high up boss, and another employee saw, they'd start thinking of you as a weasel of sorts for hanging out with the top bosses, and create an "us vs. them" line between them and you. So you could either be a friend to the top bosses, or be in good with the employees, but not both.

My friend works for Target. Sounds about like what she says happens there.

The job I had was somewhere in between... it was large enough to be somewhat impersonal past the house managers(group homes), but not so big that you had the problems you mention. Most people didn't meet beyond the house managers, unless they worked at the work site. Being there as long as I was, I still never met anyone from main headquarters(though I was well familiar with local headquarters).

It was corporate in its pay structure and policies, but it was small enough that there wasn't a lot of drama between management and staff.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
So then all these bosses would come in regularly. But you couldn't relay your message directly. Because if you did, and talked to a really high up boss, and another employee saw, they'd start thinking of you as a weasel of sorts for hanging out with the top bosses, and create an "us vs. them" line between them and you. So you could either be a friend to the top bosses, or be in good with the employees, but not both.
I've definitely seen this. It's basically unavoidable that some will see you as one of those upper management jerks, will assume you are for them, and be just as greedy and abusive as the stereotypes presented here, but it does help to motivate workers when they know you are on their side and have seen you butting heads with the higher ups for their sake. It'll even give you some "social wiggle room" to fraternize with management.
 

JIMMY12345

Active Member
I spent many a year putting up my hand to all sorts of jobs which added some stress and extra work to me. They also added some more interesting tasks to my working life, and eventually provided me with advancement opportunities.
I still do extras, but if anything work bends more than I do these days. This is not necessarily a permanent situation, so I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

Worth noting, this wasn't a quick situation. I spent about the first 11 years in my current career doing every tricky job that came up, and built a reputation as a problem solver, which was both to my detriment (hey...so...we're not sure this is even possible, but we're going to get sued if we don't deliver) and to my advantage (hey...so...that 'You can't work from home' policy doesn't really apply to you...)
Hey specialise .Brickies,Sparkies ad chippies (electricians and carpenters) make good bread.Does anyone know the nicknames for Plumbers? They are smart and make the best dough.
 
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