Let's even out the department a little..

How should we do this?  Hmm, well, we've got two options.  We can either:

A) Encourage the majority of the workers to try a little harder, do a little better, and take on a little more work so everyone is comfortably working together or

B) Encourage the few overachievers to stop overachieving so much and work a little more like the majority of the department (read: SLACKERS).  You know, just so there's a better sense of equality amongst everyone.


My department likes to consistantly attack me because of my work ethic.  In the morning I'm meeting with my boss because she's "heard some stuff over the past few months and is concerned."

Considering that within the past few months I've pretty much kept to myself, cleaned up only after myself and my co-workers I directly work with (on my shift), and left them to figure out their days for themselves, I'm pretty sure this has something to do with it.

Besides, the last few times I've met with my boss it was over the same thing.  She even had the gall to tell me I work to a higher standard than the rest of the department and expect more out of them than the supervisor does, so basically my frustrations are my fault.

I no longer get upset when people want to try to tuck their draws into someone else's pile or manipulates another into taking on more work so they can sit in the room on their asses.  I no longer try to correct it or prevent it. 

I love this hospital.  I love who I work with (directly, you know, my shift?).  I love the regular patients who come in.  But damn it, I don't love being told to dumb down my work so I don't make the rest of the department look bad.

*sigh*...  I wish they'd leave me alone until I come back from maternity leave.

I feel your pain. I'm currently working on two projects, each independently with a number of partners. While I'm chained to a desk plugging, one of the partners in project 1 is spending his every waking moment with a new lady friend and planning a move to the beltway, and another partner is sunning himself on Greecian shores. One project two, the guy has the gall to complain about my 'lack of progress' while eating barbecue at a luau while he chills in hawaii there with his wife, and another will literally drop everything and everyone on a moment's notice if there's some tasty breaks at Malibu. I haven't had a vacation in 2+ years.

It's enough to make you want to pull a Milton and burn the place to the ground. Just grab the red Swingline stapler and flame on, baby!

I hear you! There's something really wrong with people when those with a strong work ethic are frowned on because their hard work makes their "superiors" and coworkers look lazy! Well, if the shoe fits! It's the biggest reason I left my last job. I hated doing all the work and being told I wasn't a team player!

The potential political and economic analogies are indescribably tempting.

But I'm trying to be good.

So I'll just stick with observing that you're way, way too good to be some hospital's peon.  Why don't you find some place that, you know ... rewards productivity?

A lovely theory, but I've learned many times over that the market doesn't reward productivity for ****. What the market rewards is MARKETING. You can produce quite literally nothing and get a bunch of people to buy it if you can baffle enough people with utter shaite... like Bernie Madoff, free market icon.

I'll get my share. At some point I'll wander off for a month long trip to the crib and won't be anyone to say a damned thing about it. Anyone who beaks will get a "How was Greece / Virginia / Hawaii / the beach, btw" and a cup of STFU.

In my department I sacrafice benefits for freedom.  Being contingent (not that I really have much of a choice, but I haven't put any effort into persuing the full or part time positions when open either) means if I get fed up with this place, I can take a week off and nobody can say otherwise.  I'm only required to work sixteen hours a month.  Anything else I pick up is simply for the sake of my paycheck.

Especially being pregnant, I do take advantage of it.  When they irritate me too much, I'll decline opportunities to come in for several days.  If it means I have to buy generic pickles, then oh well.

I've heard from my co-workers that this hospital is the only one around here that's like this.  Anywhere else you go, there's more equality and hard work is rewarded, not criticised.  However, they're all here and not at those hospitals anymore, so I wonder how much of it is really true.  Especially since this is a county hospital and we get paid considerably less than the private hospitals they speak of.

I have to wonder, about my own situation and hatamotos, are we too prideful of our jobs or is nobody else prideful enough?  Are we punishing ourselves because have such pride in our jobs?

Pfft, too click-happy.

I have one question. Why keep working there? Why not find someplace where you can work at the standard you're used to and that's acceptable.

PS.. it's NEVER a good thing if the boss starts talking to you in a negative sense. I highly suggest you start looking now before they boot you out for not conforming and not belonging.

You said you keep to yourself.  That sounds as though you have chosen to socially isolate yourself at work.  But the person who is socially isolated is not usually viewed favorably - fair or not. 

I am sure they are as you say they are, but perhaps more camaraderie would be beneficial to how they view you. 

Original Post by cellulitedelight:

I've heard from my co-workers that this hospital is the only one around here that's like this.  Anywhere else you go, there's more equality and hard work is rewarded, not criticised.  However, they're all here and not at those hospitals anymore, so I wonder how much of it is really true.  Especially since this is a county hospital and we get paid considerably less than the private hospitals they speak of.

I have to wonder, about my own situation and hatamotos, are we too prideful of our jobs or is nobody else prideful enough?  Are we punishing ourselves because have such pride in our jobs?

I don't know if it's pride so much, I just keep thinking about all the different things I need to be doing and the next thing you know it's 3am and I'm wondering what happened to the day. I run my business and you work for someone so your milage may vary, but it's interesting to see that those sorts of problems exist on both sides of the equation.

Keep in mind that in any given work unit, it's generally more important to have everyone operating on the same level than have every individual working at peak constantly. Consistant performance, even if it's leisurely to various individuals, gives management a solid time-frame from which to make estimates and know what's capable of being done. Whipping additional performance out of people tends to lead to burnout, increased tension in the workplace, and while it improves individual performance it generally leads to degraded results overall. That consistant level of effort also leads individuals to feel more comfortable with their abilities to perform in the position they occupy. The downside being that in some cases, that level of effort may be so low on an individual basis as to be mindbendingly dull.

The takeaway is that people who perform too far outside the norm (either doing far too little or far too much) are problematic to both management AND staff. People doing too little are easily to deal with: pick up and do your job or be fired. Problems with eople that do too MUCH are a bit more difficult to resolve, and a lot of times end up with the overacheiver leaving the company with acrimony.