9 April 2012
I’m expected to be in every day at 8:30am and work through until 5:30pm. Myself and my colleagues were recently sat down and told off for leaving on the dot. I’m sorry, but if we are treated like children and cannot be trusted we’re not exactly going to be producing our best possible work for the company. It’s condescending and like being back at school.
My boss even had a word with me the other day for not turning around and saying “hello” to him within “five seconds” of him entering the office. Now, something shouts ‘control freak’.
The company I work for sells consultancy and is now attempting to break into the software market. My role is web design/marketing/social media position, maintaining around 10 websites, coming up with and seeing through campaigns, focusing on inbound marketing. I also get dragged into doing administration, small sales procurement, a bit of management and many other little irrelevant bits. I didn’t mind this at first, because I like being an ‘all-rounder’, but now it’s starting to get tiresome when I can’t focus on getting a task done because of all these extras!
I’m looking for a workplace with a more relaxed culture, one that will treat me like a responsible adult and not like a naughty child. Businesses in the States are increasingly becoming this ideal, realising that it is what you produce and the quality of your work that counts (not how long you spend in the office). I don’t want to be sat at the same desk every day, in the same position, staring endlessly into my computer screen. I want to be able to sit somewhere comfortable, where I feel relaxed and able to get great work done — surely that outweighs creating average work due to being unhappy and uncomfortable!
Some of these companies have really understood the modern worker and have fantastic schemes, such as unlimited holiday. What a great idea! Doesn’t that make sense? It’s doesn’t matter where or what time you get your work done, as long as it is great work and on time. I’ve read how these companies say to their new employees, ‘we’ve never had to change the unlimited holiday policy due to abuse, but if we did have to, the person who abused it would not be right for our company’ (and would have to leave!). That’s much more fair, don’t you think?
Old Fashioned Bosses • Opuss № I