When I walked into work this morning, it was to the same issues I have known since I started this job. I see the building and I think, ‘Here we go!’ I stroll in, to be greeted by the security man, who is a ray of sunshine to the place, and he’ll crack a joke forcing a momentary smile upon my face. I’ll then walk into the office. This is where the day takes its turn. I’ll glance at the clock and be grateful that I made it in on time given I can feel the eyes of the manager upon me, and passing through the office I can’t help but note how every individual is either entirely consumed by their computer screen, or doing anything and everything to avoid it. This is the disparity of the modern-age monsters of the workplace: the workaholics and the faithless.
What am I talking about? I am referring to those people that are so driven by the seeming importance of work that it is as though they have forgotten the importance of people. These are the people that are given a pat on the back by seniority for depriving themselves of sleep, food and human contact for working all the hours we are blessed with in order to hit ever-growing targets and deadlines. The workaholics have their sights on the end goal for career success whilst they work beside and in sharp contrast with ‘the faithless.’ ‘The faithless’ spend their days feeling trapped, swiftly losing hope and desire for progression, and instead find themselves increasingly caught up in company politics and coffee break gossip- who slept with who, who got reprimanded, who’s pregnant…and really, who cares?! Here exists the lost individuals that as children dreamed of being pop stars, doctors, astronauts, policemen and high-flying lawyers, had a beautiful naïve faith that in this world anything is possible, but one day woke up to a 9 to 5 desk job, a mortgage and a life of responsibility.
How did they get so far from their dreams? Well, I can take a guess. From the day I finished my degree, there were hints about jobs. Two weeks after my graduation ceremony, following more interviews than I care to remember, I was inundated and consumed with the pressure attached to bold statements directed at me bearing our preceding generation’s view: take a job, any job…and start financing yourself.
What happened to that inspiring view that I could be anything I wanted to be? Reality check! The cost of living means you have to constantly work harder just to meet inflation on essentials – let alone those shoes I’ve been eyeing up! Who can afford to wait for that ideal opportunity or take out the time to research, apply and interview to succeed?
In an age that prides itself on diversity, equal rights and liberty to be anything that you dream of if you work for it, I have to question whether the lack of coherency between people in employment and people happy at work is because we are a lazy generation of excuse-makers, or simply a generation that is victimised by a slave-driving capitalist society? Should people be actively seeking to better themselves, asking for greater responsibilities, further opportunities and other training? Undoubtedly. But, looking down the rat-race train home, I see face after sun-starved, sleep-deprived and overly-stressed face. I would suggest that this generation is taught one thing about achieving success in commerce: self-sacrifice.
Encapsulated by the very nature of the Blackberry, my concerns are realised. Today is an age of enslavement to the inability of letting go. I believe in family time; I believe that you should work to live, and after a hard honest days work; I believe you have earned the right to switch off your work phone, stop checking your e-mails, and just enjoy some quality time with your family and friends. I fear that our society is dictated by an economy which values competition and profit over everything.
Competition forces the need for cost-efficiency; so, where do we cut costs? People. Cutting back on staff, reducing holiday leave and increasing working hours is the shortcut to reducing the product or service price or increase profit margins. Worse still, the competitiveness of the candidate pool caused by the recession’s employment contraction, means that refusal to comply portends replacement. In effect, our nation is driven by the greed and demands of shareholders who continue to want more. There is no end to this human vice, but why has the whole nation bowed down to the monetary rat-race at the expense of the very things we work to support: family, friends and life?
Is it not a contributing factor to the breakdown of families, the growth of depression and stress? There is a need for a work/life balance; urgency for the repairing of our social values. How do we reinstate faith in those that have lost all sense of it in their potential? How do we motivate those that have lost it? How do we stop the workaholics from feeling obligated to work? It is time to confront what society expects of its people; from the pressure on children in schools as young as four meeting educational targets, to those in the workplace confronted with ever-tightening deadlines and ever-distant targets. Our nation needs to see the value in taking a step-back to appreciate and enjoy the life and career-path chosen, or work on changing it.
There is not a day that goes by where I ask someone how their day was to be met with a story about frustrating management or the lack of organisation, communication and enjoyment in their company. I constantly question, why? You will spend the largest part of your living day at work and it is the single largest factor that defines your lifestyle, this should be a point of pride for you, something that leaves you feeling satisfied and rewarded, whether that be monetarily or in satisfaction of your day’s achievement. Refocus on what you want out of your career. Plan how you are going to achieve it. Speak up and move forward. Don’t let your voice be drowned out in the crowd. The security blanket of a job will not fly anyone to touch the stars and make dreams a reality. That comes with exertion, optimism and faith that you are in control, bettering yourself, and moving on to great things. There is untapped star quality in every individual, the ultimate challenge is not to simply get through the day’s politics, or to hit that looming deadline, but to unleash those qualities and be all that you can. Conducted with pride and without obsession, work becomes a personal accomplishment, a part of who you are and a part of the legacy you leave behind in this world for generations to come.
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