A JOB IS JUST A JOB TAGGED IN AN HONORIFIC TITLE  – The hypocrisy of work-life balance in middle-large work cultures.

Why can’t a job be simply what it is. JUST A JOB. It has become very complicated to hire the right person for a position, since the plan behind the hiring strategy, is to MAKE-BELIEVE.

I think that people will be more relieved, and more productive to know that a job is just a job, that they are left to do it and they do it gladly. Simple. 

I am not starting off on a positive note, but this is an advice: stop encouraging others to manipulate your judgement. Take things for what they are, black or white. 

Dear people, have the power to say ‘no’ to your superior, for example tell them that you will not be sacrificing a Saturday to come to work, nor your inner belief, in order to agree with them on anything, just because it happens that you work together. What are you afraid of? That they might say that you are setting a bad example for your co-workers? How ridiculous. Grow up!

Has everyone gone mad? You show true character if you act on what you believe in. That and only that should get you hired! 

Recruiters and HR managers: stop believing in clichés about what you think the right candidate should be like!! 

Instead of getting to a job, and earn a salary, now one has to offer his/her SOUL in return for being employed in the organization!? One is required to blend in the organization, and no, it doesn’t mean believing in the mission and vision and all the principles the organization stands for, but instead it means that you must BE ONE with ALL, be prepared to give up on your particularities, all your secrets (since they want to know what you ate for dinner and if that went out, how many times), and start aligning to the requirements: be open, be flexible, don’t speak what you believe in, and if you must, do it gently, so as not to hurt one’s feelings, even though some do not deserve to be protected, they deserve the naked truth about their incompetence. 

Can you do this (align to the requirements, i.e), and still smile, and go back to your children and teach them it is ok ? If you cannot do /be all of the above, then expect to be shown the door, both candidate and employee. You are not versatile enough, you are not willing to sacrifice, you and your years of experience and know-how are not enough!

Recruiters and HR managers: the skills needed for the job, always come wrapped up in a personality, what do you do with the odd people, or more introverted people who have the skills? You’ll refuse them a position? All they need extra is common – sense. After all you pay them for delivering a product, or a service, not for spending time with them, not by making them become the best friend of every other employee in the company.

People like a good lie. So the strategy is to build on that, in order “to attract new talent”. Organizations started mixing work with their employees’ personal spaces. A lounge was created, thus indulging them to take more breaks, but also gossiping. Then they threw in some group leisure activities, and gradually made them feel like they are at home, spending time with “their family”. And then followed the blind loyalty. Loyalty of the employees towards the organization is counted in the number of coffees sipped, and other leisure activities at work and some reciprocal appraisal on LinkedIn. That is all it takes to turn a fool into a loyal fool. 

10-15 years back I was told by my boss to stay extra hours to solve some small things which could have been solved the next day. I might have sworn in my mind, and that was all. I stayed, did the job, but my free time remained my own. The boss was just being a boss, I was being just an employee, and we went along just fine! We did not stick our noses into each others’ lives. 

Now it’s more complicated, people will stay for the extra hours on their own will, because all they have is work-related, friends included. (It ‘s a good strategy if you do not want headhunters to “steal” your “talents”; friends and family hardly get separated).

It feels a bit as if you are back to school, nowadays, at the workplace. At school some teachers prefer some pupils, even though, honestly they were simply lazy & stupid. It doesn’t matter if we are all different, we are treated the same, leveled. 

Someone wrote that we are taught competition in school and was totally against it. I wish it were true! And that they are indeed taught that! That children are encouraged to be competitive in order to develop and grow as great adults and become great professionals and actually make a difference!

I pity the parents who actually do a great job teaching their children to be fair, to be altruistic, to be true to what they choose to do and believe in, for later on, when they will be working, or trying to get a job, it will all be used against them. 

People, keep it simple. It is ok to work sometimes extra, even on Saturdays if it is a critical time. It is ok to throw a party every now and then, but know the limit. At work some boundaries should exist. If you think they overreact with the events, and/or violate your intimacy, they interrupt and cause delays in your work, a work you are paid to do, then have the decency and express yourself. You owe it to yourself. 

Recruiters and HR managers: strive to know the black from the white, do not succumb to managers who imply things to be in a certain way, their way. Be a consultant, you have the right to disagree with your superiors, support those who are there to simply do their jobs. Do yours. And yes, yours is not to give your employees massages and organizing competitions more suitable for some small -children, yours is to listen, discuss, guide people to improve their efficiency, make them respect each other, evaluate correctly. 

Enjoy criticism, it’s progress !! 

Quoting a great ad: “We are all different, luckily!!”