Five New-Job Habits to Avoid
At my last part time job, I discovered quickly that not only was
I expected to do my work, but also that of the coworker from the
shift before me. It wasn't written into my contract, nor was it
ever actually expressed in this fashion, but it was something
that infuriated me as it persisted. It started with little
things; being asked to "finish" mopping that had never even
started, bring supplies up from downstairs that she knew where
to find and had not shown me, organizing and other upkeep
efforts that, while either of us could handle them, would have
been nice to have finished, or at least started, before her
shift ended. In the daily log book she would complain of trials
and tribulations with materials and customers, even on slow
days, and would leave even simple tasks undone. While her
external demeanor was sweet and perhaps so much as ineffectual,
her attitude was ultimately one of the factors that helped me
decide to leave. I learned a lot about what I will and won't
tolerate from employers and other coworkers in the future
though, and that is worth more than a paycheck to me.
A few of the things that I've learned about along the way:
*Don't bend over backwards to impress anyone in your first few
weeks at a new job. Odd as this sounds, it will set you up for a
ridiculously high standard of performance from the job. Do
exactly as you are asked to do, and don't overextend yourself.
Demonstrate your ability to allot your time on the clock
effectively by picking small and manageable projects when left
to your own devices. This will show your employer that you are
responsible without leaving you as open to being potentially
overworked later.
*Don't be a pushover. It always sounds like a good idea to take
on everything an employer, manager or other employee asks you to
do, but the reality is, they sometimes ask too much, and failing
to do something when you've already agreed to do it always looks
bad, especially when you are making commitments to multiple
people. Know your limits; if you don't think you can manage all
of the things you are asked to do, ask for additional time if
you have to, or if what you are being asked to do is not
essential, ask if you can do it at another time. While at first
it sounds like a copout, if you are reasonable about the things
you decline, your manager will respect your honesty and will be
less likely to ask completely unreasonable things of you in the
future.
*Don't complain. If you are being "given" a lot of extra work or
feel like you may be getting singled out by another employee,
odds are, it's the reason the last person left. Determine
whether you think the behavior is simply rank-pulling or is
serious enough to warrant harassment, and whether you really
need the job if it is just rank pulling, but the behavior
persists. If you feel you must voice your concerns, make sure
that you voice these complaints only with a superior and out of
the earshot of other employees. Suggesting in any way that this
person's behavior is successful will only lead to more of the
same behavior, and may plant doubt as to your own abilities.
*Don't fight fire with fire. Don't combat rank pulling or other
subtle bullying with more of the same; it will only lead to two
people not getting all of their work done on their shift, and
while that seems like fair repayment, it may call unwelcome
attention to your work habits. Don't open yourself to that kind
of criticism.
*Don't tolerate unethical behavior. If you feel like you are
still being treated unfairly, it might be time to find something
new. It's never pretty when a job stops being worth the
paycheck, but it happens and you need to know when and how to
leave gracefully to minimize the potential future damages. Above
all, try to keep it polite.
Remember that when you work for someone, you are expected to
prioritize their needs, and that when they hired you, they
expected you would be able to fulfill those needs for a wage
that was agreed on from the beginning. Of course it was worth it
at first, but you need to monitor your feelings about the job
setting along the way to make sure that you don't feel used at
the end of the day. You will have bad days, but until they start
outnumbering the good ones by double digits, it should be worth
it to you.