SINGAPORE: One famous anecdote in my yrs in the media plus communications industry will go like this: An agency mind walked into the office in 10pm and, on seeing only half the staff had been still working, yelled, “We must not be having enough business. We require more clients. ”
It is no secret several industries want workers that are ready to put in long hours . Indeed, the very first advertising agency My spouse and i applied to, a fairly reputed one at that point over time, had put out a career ad essentially stating that if you’re a clock-watcher, you need not really apply.
Within a meeting discussing work culture almost ten years ago, an agency mind stood up and declared the millennial generation had different values – more worried about work-life balance than along with career progression.
Just a few years ago, conscious that my employees were keeping extended hours, I advocated much better resource management and wanted not to motivate the culture associated with working long hours getting seen as a “badge associated with honour” or a must-have for a good evaluation.
The pushback I received amazed me. The common retort? Those are the fees we paid to get where we are today. If they cannot take it, this particular industry is not for them.
WORK HARD NOW, ENJOY AFTERWARDS?
There is some truth on this. We, boomers or even Gen X, do indeed equate extended hours to corporate achievement. And yes, many of us have climbed the corporate ladder because such “good work ethic” was rewarded.
Work hard at this point, we were told, to reach a level of seniority where we were purchased our experience, knowledge and expertise – not our hrs. Then, and only after that, we would have the time to pursue and enjoy those things we neglected in our earlier years.