Whatever You Are, Just Be a Good One, by Marc LeVine

It's also our collective delusion that overwork and burnout are the prices we must pay in order to succeed. —?Arianna Huffington

I used to work with a guy, who started every day telling us all how many hours he had already worked before the official starting time of 8 am. ?It was totally unnecessary for him to be at work by 4 am, but he thought he had something to prove to management about his loyalty to the company by racking up his hours in the office.?He didn’t accomplish that much more than anyone else, but he believed the personal sacrifices he was never asked to make counted for something special. He was dead wrong!

When business slowed and lay-offs eventually occurred, his blatant “workaholism” couldn’t save him.?He was thanked for his service and shown the door along with everyone else in his department.?It all came down to dollars and cents, as it almost always does.

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Companies make business decisions based on economics.?They – absolutely – appreciate employees going over and above, but when it makes sense.?Coming to work ridiculously early and staying excessively late is nothing more than “showboating” and “hotdogging.”?Not only does it not earn any special merits, but it can be considered rude behavior by fellow team members, who have no need to report to work at 4 am, either. ?People should not be applauded or criticized for the number of hours they put in at work.?Only measurable results matter no matter how many or how few work hours they are present.

It is unfortunate what has happened to America’s workforce over the last thirty to forty years. Globalization has caused everyone to fear for their jobs more than they did when dad and grandad got a pocket watch for 30 years at one company.

It is a shame that job insecurity would compel someone like the fellow mentioned earlier to arrive at his day shift job in the middle of the night, just to try and impress his boss, who was probably still home sleeping soundly.?Yet, there are many who continue this sort of behavior just to be seen and valued by their employers.? At least, they think it matters. But all that matters is meeting targeted goals and giving good customer service to all clients.

The bottom-line? Just do a good job.?This is all that most employers expect.?We all know what we were hired to do, and we must just get it done to be successful.?If we are expected to produce 500 widgets per week and only produce 200, grandstanding won’t do a thing to improve our position.?In fact, working 12 hours per day – instead of 8 – and still not making the quota is even worse than failing.?

Here is what most employers really want to see in their employees:

1.??????Loyalty simply means showing up to work every day on time and getting done whatever is expected, without creating unnecessary drama or controversy.??

2.??????The ability to learn quickly reduces the number of mistakes made and the number of hours needed to clean them up and retrain those making them.

3.??????Getting along well with other team members ensures that work will get done in a timely and efficient manner with everyone agreeing to be on the same page and working together as a single unit to accomplish goals.

4.??????Great customer service results from people who truly understand that it is their own positive or negative attitudes that determine what kind of customer service they will offer. ?

5.??????Team member flexibility makes a company much more nimble and easily able to adapt to changes on the fly.

6.??????Effective communication leaves everyone with a proper understanding of whatever is being discussed and explained, as well as with positive feelings that go a long way towards improving OVERALL customer and team member satisfaction.

7.??????Creativity aids in problem solving when traditional strategies are not helpful.

Bring your employer into synergy with you and others in each of these areas and they won’t be looking for you to walk a tight wire between their own roof and the that of the business next door to prove that you are a winner that they are happy to have on their payroll.

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The Author

Listen to Marc's latest interview on “Failing for You” with Jordan Yates

Marc LeVine is a graduate of Syracuse (NY) University with a degree in Industrial Psychology, Marc is currently Talent Acquisitions and Learning and Development Lead at Thermo Systems. He is the recipient of the Excellence in Talent Acquisitions Award from HR Awards in 2021.

Marc's prior employment includes senior Human Resources and Staffing Industry management roles with Edgewood Properties in Piscataway, NJ, Brickforce Staffing in Edison, NJ, InfoPro Inc. in Woodbridge NJ and Plainsboro, NJ and Harvard Industries in Farmingdale, NJ, a former Fortune 500 company. He also served as Director of Human Resources for New Jersey Press, the parent company of the Asbury Park Press, Home News and Tribune and WKXW-NJ101.5. Earlier in his career, Marc served as Director of Career Services and Placement at Union Technical Institute in Eatontown and Neptune, NJ. In addition, Marc owned and operated Integrity Consulting Associates, a New Jersey based Human Resources and Social Media Marketing firm for 11 years. Marc also served as Council President in his hometown of Freehold Borough, NJ