This is my job now and it's kinda starting to eat me up. I would love to be bored at work just one day.
Question Re: Bored At Work
- Thread starter throwittoblythe
- Start date
This is my job now and it's kinda starting to eat me up. I would love to be bored at work just one day.
There’s a big difference between being engaged and being busy. The guy running the machine making bottle caps is busy all the time but probably not terribly engaged.
Most of us want work that is engaging and keeps us busy. Doing bs tasks just to fill the time is drudgery.
Some schools have 4 day weeks. The research has shown that this hasn't affected their test scores and the schools save a ton of cash by doing it. Although, it's probably a pain in the ass for the parents on that day off.
https://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/education/four-day-school-week-research/
I'm guessing we will continue to see significant changes in what the work environment looks like in the future. The big companies are already starting to adopt paid family leave, totally flexible schedules, and some are even eliminating their vacation policies. In a tight labor market like we have, these kinds of things become a way to set themselves apart so the employer market will begin to adapt. Hell, I just talked to a guy who manages benefits for a company and he was telling me that pet insurance and pet leave are becoming more common, as well.
The last big company I worked for was very generous with their PTO. I think I started with 24 days of PTO right out of the gate. You could roll over up to 2x your yearly accrual (i.e. I could roll over up to 48 days). The unique thing was, you had the option of storing your excess PTO in a sabbatical account. Once every 5 years, you were allowed to tap into that account and take up to 2 consecutive months off. So, every summer, one of the higher level managers would be off for most of it.
Yeah, depends on the task.
If it's useful and part of a bigger solution/process it makes sense.
If it's something a boss implemented to make a simple job more complicated, it's much worse.
Had a job that required scheduling via Outlook, and after a couple of snafus, a new 'system' was implemented that required everyone to block sharing calendars (so you had to make an appointment on yours, and send it to someone else, but keep it on yours) and then record the appointments on two more documents. It led to less work actually getting done, and more mistakes in between the added steps.
Working remote has it's advantages for sure. You make a good point to how much time is spent not working at work and how that would translate to working at home. Do you have a home workspace where you are able to focus and make it feel like work? It seems like a person could make their own routine at home and make it work. Not that is would be easy, but work is work
Working remote has it's advantages for sure. You make a good point to how much time is spent not working at work and how that would translate to working at home. Do you have a home workspace where you are able to focus and make it feel like work? It seems like a person could make their own routine at home and make it work. Not that is would be easy, but work is work
Friends that I have who work from home say this is key. You have to have a dedicated space in the house that is your "office." One friend has a wife who stays home with the kids, so it's important for him to set boundaries with them. When Dad is in his office, that means he's working and can't be disturbed. That's a hard thing to do with kids, but it seems to work well with him.
This is a great article that many of us have eluded to in this thread: ******** Jobs. Not ****** jobs that are necessary, but unnecessary, well-paid jobs.
https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/the-********-job-boom
https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/the-********-job-boom
I think the link isn't working, maybe due to the censor on this site. It takes you to a New Yorker Cartoon.
I was able to Google and find the article. Thanks for posting! I agree wholeheartedly with the thesis that there are many ******** jobs. However, there are some points that I disagree with, but aren't worth getting into here.
I really liked the last paragraph which mentioned some great works that were achieved while sitting at the ******** desk. I'm not creating great work, but I can relate to it, as I spend a lot of my ******** work time designing and dreaming up woodworking or home improvement projects to do on my personal time.
Right now I'm jealous of the guy running the bottle-cap making machine all day. I just want to mentally check out and not have a day end with "well, I only got done half of what I'm supposed to get done."
But I also realize that there are a lot of jobs I would enjoy for 2-3 months and quickly get very sick of. Assembly line, truck driver, guy who holds the "stop/slow" sign, etc.
Speaking for myself, it's nice to dream about the "brainless jobs" but I know I would hate them after a short period of time. As an engineer, I always joke with my wife that maybe I should go work for the DOT or the county where I can put in my 40, have flex-time and good benefits, but just clock in and out. She knows me well enough to know I'd drive her crazy not long after doing that because I'd be stir-crazy for 40 hrs a week.
I have a desk with space for a laptop and a pc to work if needed. I don’t use it a ton, but when I do I get a lot more done then when I’m the office.Working remote has it's advantages for sure. You make a good point to how much time is spent not working at work and how that would translate to working at home. Do you have a home workspace where you are able to focus and make it feel like work? It seems like a person could make their own routine at home and make it work. Not that is would be easy, but work is work
I’m a Java developer, so for my profession I’d rather be working remotely so I have freedom to do house tasks and be in a place where I can focus without work distractions. For people that have do more socializing for their job, they would probably be the opposite.
I failed the first time remotely because I was still in college and it was my last time being around high school friends for the summer. There was also a lack of supervision from my leader so I was able to get away with slacking off which led to a bad work ethic. All those are gone now so I should be ok, being an adult where more is on the line (job prospects, money) helps keep motivated.
