Just a job?

[Butters]

I’ve been suffering from stress in the work place and a regular sentiment I often hear is that it’s just a job, at the end of the day. Not worth making yourself ill.

I agree that work shouldn’t make you ill, but just a job? Work is where we spend most of our waking hours. It’s got to mean something more than a pay check, to me at least. Is it right that we just put our lives on hold for 8 hours a day while we grin and bear the torture of employment?

I’m not defined by my job by any means, but I like what I do and I’m very good at it. To me, it can’t be just a job if I’m to give it my all, and if I’m not giving it my all I find myself distracted, drifting, miserable. A Half arsed work ethic in others infuriates me, but to them, it’s just a job, so, like, whatever.

I’d be interest to hear other thoughts on individual work attitudes, avoiding stress etc. Does anyone else feel this way?

 

[Refuge]

It's important to walk your own path rather than be a reactionary. YOUR work ethic should never be created in context of how someone else skates by. If you want to put it all in of a day and someone else doesn't, so be it. You go home you make dinner, you hang out with your family and you are true to yourself. Just remember that the days worries are going to mean nothing to those around you today and nothing to *you* in ten years time. However if you can sleep at night because you conducted yourself honestly, then it's worth it. Try not to get peace from those around you because it only has worth when you feel it.

I kind of learned a massive life's lesson from losing someone. Bit like Huck Finn attending his own funeral. This someone died loved and appreciated but he didn't really know that in life. I really think people need to be kinder to themselves

 

[Sibyl]

I believe a good work environment and a certain amount of camaraderie is important to a person's well-being and even if you love what you do for a living, if you're surrounded by negativity and an apparent lack of concern from your coworkers or bosses it can have a serious effect on your mental state.

Some of us will simply never be mindless automatons.

 

[USS Triumphant]

A good work ethic is important, and I take pride in my work. But they do have a point when they say that when you die, your job opening will be posted before your obituary. And your last thoughts will hopefully be of the people you care about, not what was on your business calendar for the day. (Though I've often thought / feared that my last thought as the lights go out may be a Windows 98 product key. )

 

[Kor]

It's ideal to be in a job that gives you a sense of fulfillment, and that you look forward to every day. Thankfully, that's where I am currently. In the past I've been stuck in awful jobs that made me miserable, and I had to repeat to myself that "it's just a job," for the sake of my sanity.

Kor

 

[Steven P Bastien]

I’d be interest to hear other thoughts on individual work attitudes, avoiding stress etc. Does anyone else feel this way?

I'm fortunate that I've always had jobs I like. I can't say I've never felt that way, but the issues have always been transient and have resolved themselves. However, if I found myself feeling that way for extended periods, without a way to resolve the issues, personally I would find another job.

Overall, I agree with your attitude. As far as avoiding stress, I would say you can work hard, keep a good attitude and also keep the thought that "it's just a job" in the back of your mind as a way to relieve the stress. You are doing your part, and whoever manages you and your peers is responsible to keep the others in line. If you are managing others, then you have some power to control them, but that can involve its own stress if you are not someone who enjoys the process of managing others.

Keep in mind that there is good stress and bad stress. It is easy to tell the difference and a good job should give you lots of good stress and a minimum of bad stress.

 

[Amaris]

A good work ethic is important, and I take pride in my work. But they do have a point when they say that when you die, your job opening will be posted before your obituary. And your last thoughts will hopefully be of the people you care about, not what was on your business calendar for the day. (Though I've often thought / feared that my last thought as the lights go out may be a Windows 98 product key. )

Oh wow, I have had this same fear.

 

[Sibyl]

Similarly, but in reality, I think the very first weak and nearly unintelligible words out of my dad's mouth when he woke from his week-long coma after his major heart attack in 92 was a request to my mom that she call his co-worker or boss or whatever Jim was to let him know that he wouldn't be able to make a certain meeting.

 

[Butters]

To my shame, I did take my work laptop in to the delivery suite with me when the youngest was born.

 

[Spot's Meow]

I feel like both you and your co-workers are right. On the one hand, if you find a job that fulfills you and makes you happy, then it has become more than just a job to you. To me it's the difference between job and career. A career is something you want to make your life's work. A job is something you do for a paycheck. If you have found your career, that is great, and you should not be discouraged from pursuing it.

On the other hand, whether in a job or a career, there is a point at which some people begin to give too much of themselves. The long hours and need to be in constant contact with work has started to have a detrimental effect on other areas of life. Family or friends may feel neglected at times, and hobbies have fallen to the wayside.

Some people lean on the phrase "it's just a job" when they do not have a strong work ethic and want to give themselves an excuse for not doing their best. However, many other people use the phrase "it's just a job" to convey the idea that while work is important and you should do a good job, it is not the entirety of your existence, and should not consume your life in negative ways.

At my last workplace, I had a colleague who cared very deeply about her work, and always did her best. She was one of the most senior employees, so she set the tone for the office. When I started, she enjoyed going out to lunch once a week, where we would chat it up. Our meetings were also more casual and we'd spend 5 minutes or so in the beginning or at the end to just talk about life. She was generally upbeat and positive, and would be the one to decorate someone's cubicle for their birthday, help throw a party, etc.

Once her work started to really consume her and she was made a salaried employee instead of hourly, she often stayed late, came in on weekends, and took her laptop home each night. Not surprisingly, her marriage started to deteriorate, as well as her relationships with colleagues. We never went to lunch again, and just the hint of asking her to come along to a team lunch was preposterous to her. "I have so much to do, there's just no way!" She always seemed overwhelmed and on edge. She liked what she was doing, but it was having a really negative effect on her. The office vibe went downhill quickly. Unfortunately, now she's a manager, and I don't believe she is setting the right example for her employees. Her colleagues also started to resent her because she made them look bad, since she was always staying late and others rarely did so. Meetings became tense because she would always be rushing us along. "Okay, next issue!"

Many people would tell her "it's just a job." She would talk about how she literally had sleepless nights over some mundane issue that no one else even cared about. It was really sad to see. Saying "it's just a job" to her was a nicer way of saying "you're putting way more effort into this than was ever needed or requested, you're wasting your time, and you're going to have a nervous breakdown soon if you don't let up."

I don't know which scenario applies to you and your coworkers, but it's worth thinking about.

 

[Butters]

@Spot's Meow
Thanks. That’s a useful way of unpicking it.

 

[Crazyewok]

I’ve been suffering from stress in the work place and a regular sentiment I often hear is that it’s just a job, at the end of the day. Not worth making yourself ill.

I agree that work shouldn’t make you ill, but just a job? Work is where we spend most of our waking hours. It’s got to mean something more than a pay check, to me at least. Is it right that we just put our lives on hold for 8 hours a day while we grin and bear the torture of employment?

I’m not defined by my job by any means, but I like what I do and I’m very good at it. To me, it can’t be just a job if I’m to give it my all, and if I’m not giving it my all I find myself distracted, drifting, miserable. A Half arsed work ethic in others infuriates me, but to them, it’s just a job, so, like, whatever.

I’d be interest to hear other thoughts on individual work attitudes, avoiding stress etc. Does anyone else feel this way?

God I hate that phrase from people.

"Just a job"

No its thing keeping a roof over my head and food in my stomach.

Worse is when doctors say " you need to reduce your stress". Like I choose to be under stress.
Yeah like you can just snap your fingers and reduce it.
Yeah like you can decide just work 4 days a week.

 

[Velocity]

I liked my job because I knew I supported an organization that helped people, but management was horrible. They didn't know the regulations so they were always telling us to do things that weren't allowed and then threw their weight around to punish us for following regulations. Plus, the regulations changed monthly. I came down with a nasty case of shingles about 2 yrs before retirement. Chicken pox, the gift that keeps on giving.
Don't allow stress to affect your health. Try to find ways to decompress and mitigate stress. For me it was reading humorous books and crafting.
I think when people say, "it's just a job" they mean that you can probably find another one--it isn't as important as your family or your health, for instance.

 

[Steven P Bastien]

I think when people say, "it's just a job" they mean that you can probably find another one--it isn't as important as your family or your health, for instance.

That's a good point. What people mean and what other people assume it means is not always the same thing. Often saying "it's just a job" or "it's only money" is just a way of reminding yourself that even though these things are critically important in life, they pale in comparison to the truly critically important things in your life, which is the well-being of family and friends. For many, it's just a way to keep a perspective and to keep a positive attitude.

 

[Mojochi]

A job is anything you can walk away from at the end of the day & not think about until you clock in on the next day, & in some ways, that's actually preferable to an all-consuming career. I'm not fortunate enough to have a career, because anything I was ever passionate enough about, to invest myself in professionally, I never found a niche where it worked for me, but I do have a job, and it's one I've done for a loooong time, in several different hospitals. I take it very seriously when I do it, as it should be, & they need me to do it. We ALL need me to do it, & do it well. So I do.

But I do not define myself by it. It's just a laborious task that society needs someone to do & I had the aptitude, & I wasn't finding anything else I could make a place for myself with. So I'm ok with it, because at the very least in this world, a person needs to be doing something that they can feel makes an impact for the good, with the time the spend earning a living wage. That said, I also like that I leave it at the door, & the rest of my time is mine.

I just wish there was more of that time... as I just said in another thread, because I'm the kind of person that if I had more time outside of job time, I'd have many more things I'd endeavor to do... personal things, fun things, enlightening things, life enriching things, things I can't do enough of imho, when I sleep 6 hours, work 9 including drive time, spend a couple on hygiene & eating etc... & then having to do routine chores/errands etc... There's just not enough hours in the day, as they say.

However, it's actually very healthy for humans to set up routines, especially those of us who are a little autistic. It grounds us. So it's sensible to think of job time as a necessity in your life too, just as much as sleep time, but make no mistake, just because you spend such a large chunk of your life doing it, doesn't necessitate that it hold any more significance than its function. I rarely even tell people about what I do. It is that little of who I am, that it's not even worth bringing up in mixed conversation, & I'm ok with that.

I have a very similar perspective on coworkers. Just because I spend a large chunk of time around someone at my job, doesn't mean I have to find them worthy of my personal interest, solely for the fact. I have a few people at work who if I didn't have to have a work station right next to them, I'd never want to have anything to do with them, & that is a legitimately healthy outlook imho. We may be employed at the same place, but you're proven as someone not deserving of any amount of me, and that doesn't change just because of proximity, & that's how having a run-of-the-mill job doesn't make you ill imho.

 

[STR]

God I hate that phrase from people.

"Just a job"

No its thing keeping a roof over my head and food in my stomach.

And? Jobs exist for people to fund their need for food, shelter and whatever else. It's still just a job. A means to an end. You aren't required to attach any more meaning than that to it.

It can be an outlet, an avenue for personal growth, a way to get away from issues at home or to provide structure to your life, to meet new people. But that's still using a job as a tool for you.

Why insist on elevating it beyond its practical purpose?

A job is anything you can walk away from at the end of the day & not think about until you clock in on the next day, & in some ways, that's actually preferable to an all-consuming career.

You can have a career without destroying your work-life balance. The very idea that a career, or even a calling, requires 60 hours or more of your time per week is deeply unhealthy. Some professions have that can of schedule drilled into them, particularly at the intro level, but it's largely unnecessary.

Checking out at the end of the day is crucial regardless of your profession. Some problems are never solved until you stop consciously thinking about them and let the subconscious handle it for a while.

 

[Amaris]

And? Jobs exist for people to fund their need for food, shelter and whatever else. It's still just a job. A means to an end. You aren't required to attach any more meaning than that to it.

It can be an outlet, an avenue for personal growth, a way to get away from issues at home or to provide structure to your life, to meet new people. But that's still using a job as a tool for you.

Why insist on elevating it beyond its practical purpose?

Most people don't want to be just another cog in the machine, easily replaced if not performing up to standards. I'm against that classification of humanity, myself.

 

[STR]

Most people don't want to be just another cog in the machine, easily replaced if not performing up to standards. I'm against that classification of humanity, myself.

Well, for one, you're a cog regardless. Second, that has nothing to do with what I'm talking about.

 

[Refuge]

I'm not convinced it is just a job in fact how often do people judge each other on their occupation? "Mummy I'm getting married! He's a Doctor". "Mummy I'm getting married, he's a Politician". Or you meet someone and you don't say, "Hi I'm Refuge, I'm employed in this industry and help it function 45 hours a week". More like "Hi I'm Refuge, I'm Rubbish Collector".

I wish one could switch off at the end of the day and envy those who do. However there is overlap from job, to identity, to still being 'on the job' when you get home.

 

[thestrangequark]

Freelance writing makes me happy. It is fun, and while I sometimes have to write slog, mostly I do work I am at least pleased with, if not proud of. I learn from almost every assignment, which is satisfying. When I average out my time I make $50-$100 an hour, which is sweet. It also allows me to keep my own schedule, and so helps me manage my chronic illness/disability.

But...I have a chronic illness/disability. And I am American. Freelancing is totally, utterly unsustainable. Not knowing when the next check is coming in is more than worrying about late payments and back rent (which are bad enough), but also means worrying about affording the medicine that keeps me alive. I've been offered more projects than I undertake, not because I can't manage them, but specifically to keep my income low enough to stay on Medicaid until I find full-time work once more (which might be in some shit, mind-numbing, unfulfilling role) that provides reliable health insurance.

It's all about health insurance.

Sometimes I hate my goddamned country.