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Tell Us Why Work Sucks

Jan 24, 2010 » by Cali & Jody

We’d like to hear from you directly about why work sucks. Tell us your thoughts about how to make work culture better, what’s wrong with it now, or just tell us a story about something related to your work. Enter your story in the comments section of this blog post.

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  • Josh Imel

    Main “Suckage” Points:

    (1) Micro-management
    (2) Creativity Squashing
    (3) The “I’m in Prison” Syndrome

    WHERE can I find a reference for companies that practice ROWE?

    Sincerely – ROWE Dreamer

    • Cali & Jody

      Hey Josh – these are indeed huge suckage points. Jody and I are speaking at a conference in 2011 where we need to wear costumes and we’re seriously thinking of being a warden and prisoner and then stripping those off to be free birds or something. It’s so funny (well, not ha-ha funny, but you know what we mean) when people ask “So what if ROWE doesn’t work and we have to back to the old way?” Seriously. Putting everyone back in prison = *not* a good idea.

      We’re coming up with a super cool way for you (and all the rest of the ROWE fans) to be able to access companies that are moving in the ROWE direction. Stay tuned for it…coming very, very soon…

  • Nancy

    1) Band-aid solutions, e.g. there’s a problem within the company and it’s seen across all departments. Rather than truly doing the research to understand the root cause of the problem, the high level execs demand something be done, so middle management come up with some horribly lame band-aid solution that never truly makes the problem go away, and sometimes creates more problems.

    2) No trust. Management assigns a task to their team to complete, but rather than give that team the creative freedom to do what is necessary to get the job done, they can’t take the controls away and trust that we’re capable. Instead they throw in all sorts of policies and proceedures that only help to feed their need to be in control and generally hinder the process and creates redundant work. All they need to know is if a job is done well and the deadlines were met, the rest of that should be left to the “regular Joe’s” to figure out.

    3) Politics. I hate politics. I often feel like I’m on the very worst episodes of Survivor and fear that I’m on the chopping block because I’m just not playing the game well enough. Truth is, I rock at my job, I get things done fast and I don’t like sitting around with nothing to do making busy work while my mind becomes increasingly numb and paranoid because I fear someone will catch me trying to appear busy.

    4) Gossip. I don’t get it. Why is it so much fun to put other people down? Behind their backs no less. I fear the things my supervisor might be saying behind my back because of the things I hear her saying about other people to me.

    • Cali

      Nancy – so glad you commented on this because everything you wrote is going to resonate with each ROWE fan that reads this blog. It’s enough to make you want to scream!! We see all of these things in the companies we work with and the beautiful thing is that with ROWE, we get to see it start to evaporate, too. There’s just no time for Band-aid solutions or politics in a ROWE…everyone is focused and committed to getting the job done. Trust is a tough one – really tough. Managers have been conditioned to manage in a certain way and part of that hinges on controlling how, when, and where work gets done. When teams migrate to ROWE, managers’ roles shift to being coaches, mentors, and guides. They reward outcomes – not time or effort. In that scenario, you wouldn’t need to worry about making busy work – you’d get to do whatever you wanted with your own time!

      And…gossip. This “Sludge”, as we call it, is toxic to productivity. Imagine a life where you never had to worry about being judged for how you spend your time. Ever. Tell us what would look different in the work you do. Tell us how it would make you feel. We’ll be waiting to hear…

  • http://www.cropinsuranceservices.com Travis

    I would say work sucks because our work environment is filled with egotistic dicks that aren’t willing to hand over the reins to an employee and let him flourish within the company. They keep telling me time here isn’t enough, my knowledge base of said product isn’t strong enough, or I am simply to young. Yet they constantly tell me how much talent I hold and potential. Well it is coming time that if I can’t use and run with my POTENTIAL and Talent, then F’em I am going somewhere else…… The boss is always saying how everyone looks out for themselves and not the co. Well that is the same founding concept that built this Co. and many more!!! I don’t know about you but MY family and Myself comes before Work. That doesn’t mean I don’t want success at my work, or to help grow and establish myself at work, But damn boss! Let me Grow and don’t hold me back….. I have more of a fricken Idea then you realize!

    AH… a chance to vent to the unknown, feels good!

    • Cali

      Keep it coming, Travis. If you have rants and want to know where to go with them, this is always a good place! It’s so hard to hear about your talent and potential and then be completely squashed every day. If the squashing continues, the competition might just have to explore it for themselves…

  • Lexi

    They say that I am “the glue” that holds this place together. They say that I am dedicated. They say, “we couldn’t do it with out you”! They say, “what a creative marketing idea”, ” This is a great idea”!
    I was the only person in my field that recieved a nomination. I also still have the highest closing ratio after two years. I implemented some really great marketing, which increased our companies revenue. And yet, they cut everyones commissions. I did not get a raise, and I did not get a corporate marketing postion, that has been available for more than 5 months ” because they feel that they would like someone with a marketing degree”.
    I do not need a marketing degree to create innovative marketing ideas. If they would give me five minutes to share my ideas, I know that they would give me the position. But I am knocked down because I do not have a degree?!? I do however have field experience, and have taken marketing and field related courses. I am 150% dedicated, I eat, sleep and breathe my job and brainstorm all night to come up with these great ideas. But even after writing an email to discuss my great ideas, they do not respond. I have two children to get ready in the morning and I drive three hours ( round trip) a day to work, and yet I get to work before people who live 3 minutes away with no children!
    I have been here the longest, I have produced more than anyone else here, and I am the most dedicated employee you have, and I still bleed this company, and yet, they will not give me 5 minutes to go over my ideas which will HELP THEM!
    Thank you, thats all! :)

  • “Joe”

    My job sucks because I work in a cubicle taking phone calls all day, and we aren’t allowed to get up from our cubicle except for strictly enforced break times. I’ve had one 28-cent raise in the 3 years I’ve been here, yet they boast about the $51 million net profit they made last year.

  • Dave B (Brit ex-pat)

    1> Lack of stimulation.
    2> Lack of decent pay.
    3> Lack of opportunity or prospect.
    4> Inept & incompetent management.
    5> Lack of freedom to create.
    6> Petty HR & accounting policy.
    7> Comute time/distance/traffic.
    8> Too difficult to find new job.
    9> No time to find a new job.
    10> No new jobs out there to find.

  • http://www.enlightenedinc.com Josh

    For me, being an employee sucks because:
    1. My body clock doesn’t fit with the majority of the world that gets up at 6am and is at work by 8am, so I’m ridiculed for not being functional before 10am. Yet I deliver more value to the company than anyone I work with. Fascinating how getting up early is valued more than being productive.

    2. Most business owner’s are crazy sociopaths that expect everyone to work 7 days a week like them. For some reason in America, it’s lauded that workaholism is the answer to success, yet there’s so much data proving the exact opposite.

    3. Bad managers abound since too many people are promoted for the wrong reasons and the owners are horrible managers as well. The Chinese proverb of “The fish stinks from the head down” gets quoted a lot when I run into these walls.

    Looking forward to starting my next venture and having it be ROWE from the start!

    Keep up the revolution!!
    -Josh

  • Derek

    Work sucks because you’ll piss away your youth, vigor and blood doing menial tasks and dwelling in impersonal relationships. Later you will regret never living the adventures you always dreamed on because you were withering away in front of a computer screen.

  • randy vaughan

    In the beginning, i.e., my beginning as an employee, there were personnel managers.  And like most other workers, I simply disliked the notion of “working for a living,” but rarely actually loathed the specific employer.  And then a subtle change took place, a new phrase entered our culture: “Human Resource”.  And everything went to bloody hell.  So put as simply as possible, we, employees, workers, are in truth viewed and treated as “resources,” of no more real value than an ink pen or computer monitor.  So I live in a world in which organized religion calls me a sinner, government calls me a taxpayer, employers call me a human resource, and business calls me a consumer.  I’m of value only to the degree I grovel, work, pay taxes, and buy stuff.  And people wonder why I have nothing nice to say.  Not to mention the sixty-one jobs….

  • Mort

    Okay, here’s my strictly blue-collar viewpoint:

    I grew up on a farm so I am well acquainted with hard work but as one gets older it’s important to start breaking up this relationship and throttle down.  For every three people in my age bracket there should be one Twenty-Something that owes their job to the fact that we geezers are not putting out like we did in our younger days.  It’s our turn to impart our wisdom to the newcomer’s just as our predecessors did for us.  

    1.  Work sucks because they recently went to a results oriented system of management such as this website advocates.  Now, instead of 4 or 5 goals per year, I have 3 goals per quarter (and the VP that runs our campus denied that they were trying to get more work out of fewer people).  A coworker is “no longer with the Company” and I suspect his work ethic and goals didn’t impress the new boss.  I can’t believe they expect those of us nearing retirement to improve our productivity.  I did a straw pole among various female coworkers (yes HR, we talk about this on the plant floor and worse) and asked them if they would expect me to be able to perform in the bedroom as well as or better than I did when I was 20.  The answer was a resounding ‘No!’  Yet Management thinks I should improve in other areas?  C’mon people.  

    2.  Work sucks because in my present environment, there is no wink-wink, nudge, nudge “government work” going on and lots of us consider this to be an important, unspoken fringe benefit.  I make 30% more than I did at a previous job where, under my workbench, I always had a “project” to drag out over the lunch hour.  You’ve heard the old saying “If you want something done right, do it yourself?”  Actually, if you want something done right, take it down to the folks in the machine and sheet metal shops and bring donuts or pizza.  Ever wonder why so many of these shops seem to be populated with motorcycle & street-rod enthusiasts?  Ready resources & equipment after hours.  The CNC machining center no doubt has programs in its memory that make more than the customer’s products.

    3.  ”Lean” sucks because it interferes with # 2.  A scrap billet of metal used to become a custom connecting rod.  Now it’s an asset to be sold to the recycling facility.

    4.  Work sucks because the Stockholders, Wall Street and the love of money (greed) come first.

    5.  Work sucks because our mission statement has phrases like “strive without reserve” and “with a sense of urgency”, phrases that should only show up in living your life and finding a restroom respectively.  ”Putter toward quality” and “head in the general direction of excellence” are more my speed.

    6.  Work sucks because as you get older, you learn to cut folks some slack and bend the rules a bit but end up working for some hotshot youngster who micromanages by the book.

    7.  Work sucks because you just know you’re being monitored these days.

    • Christy Runningen

      Mort, 
      You have some interesting points that speak to the importance of recognizing each employee’s unique strengths and contributions to the workplace.  I fear you aren’t getting the type of personalized coaching conversations that your manager should be giving you in order for you to feel like a valued part of the team.  Every single employee has amazing ideas and great perspective on how their work should be done; it is important that these ideas are surfaced and explored so work can be something you own and are engaged in! 

      What is it that you are paid to do?  THAT is what the focus should be…not inequities between generations, or judgment, or any of the other crap that gets in the way of you doing a solid job.  In 2011, micromanaging and hierarchies are out, two-way communication and ownership of the job and your life are in.  

      Work shouldn’t suck.

      • Mort

        I work for a Large Medical Device Company that Shall Remain Nameless.  I maintain manufacturing equipment and take my job seriously.  But I’m the type who doesn’t balance his checkbook (I have a wife for that); how do you think I like keeping a running account of my activities?  That’s what manufacturing engineers are made for.  We techies believe ME’s are our bitches (not gender specific), so to speak — we turn the wrenches, they handle the paperwork.  I admit that I’m talented at writing processes and documents but just because one has a talent doesn’t mean they need to use it if they don’t like where that talent leads them.  I’m just glad that I’ve “failed” to mention other talents I have that could lead to even more distasteful tasks.

        Since my previous post, I have received the worst performance review of my career.  One coworker has just been fired and I feel that the guns are now trained on me.  We’ll be meeting with HR soon to set out a plan.  I’ve managed to hide the fact that I’m ADD/ADHD and have gotten by on my wits this far.  I was forced to confess to her that my meds aren’t working as well as they used to.  To the boss’s credit, she was interested in what my world looks like from my perspective and was genuinely flabbergasted when I described how my mind works (everything flies off on tangents; there are no direct paths).

        At my age, I can’t afford to lose this job in this economy.  If I can retire in the next ten years I’ll be surprised.  I actually expect to drop dead on the job.

      • Christy, Culture Rx

        Mort,
        My one tip would be: once you stop focusing on your daily ACTIVITIES and instead keep your focus on the bigger OUTCOME of what you’re paid to do, you will find that you discover better, more efficient, more satisfying ways to do your work.

        I truly wish you the best in the remainder of your career and I hope you find satisfaction in the work that you do.

        Thanks for being part of our ROWE community!

      • Mort

        Thanks for the good wishes Christy.  I try to be as efficient as I can  be.  If I can turn a 4 hour task into 2 hours I’ll do so.  The difference is all in the philosophy.  I prefer to save 1 of those 2 hours for me.

        I’ll be frank:  I’ve been coasting ever since I entered 6th grade.  My 5th grade teacher was a nasty woman who gave us pages and pages of homework on weekends and over winter and spring breaks.  Between farm chores and school assignments there was little time to goof off.  I made a conscious decision at the age of 11 that I was not going to work that hard again as long as I lived.  I succeeded in doing so until I was laid off 10 years ago.

        My practice has always been to be 2 or 3 steps ahead of my manager.  I’d give him/her my goals for the next ‘X’ months and would get rave performance reviews.  The boss never realized that I’d accomplished said goals 6 months to a year earlier.  I’ve been “sandbagging” most of my life.  This is the first time I’ve been unable to stay ahead of the game.  I’ve always considered it my job to eliminate my job but not let the boss figure that out.

  • Exhausted

    I work at what used to be Kinko’s, now is Fedex Office. And my job sucks primarily because of scheduling. Fedex used to be flexible about it, but a few months ago, all of that changed. Now schedules are fixed and we have to adhere to them or else. Now on Friday I have to work from 2-10:30pm, then come in on Saturday at 8 am. Which means I basically have to go home on Friday night and go straight to bed so I can snatch a decent 6 or so hours of sleep (although I’m lucky to get 4 because I’m still wound up from work and can’t sleep very well) before going back to work at 8 in the morning. My boss told me that Fedex had wanted me to come in at 6 on Saturday, but he talked them into 8 am. Isn’t that just great? There was no reason for this sudden change in scheduling. It was completely arbitrary and makes me wonder if some idiot vice president in the company needed to justify his salary somehow and thought the way to increase productivity was to abuse the grunts. Don’t believe the myth that Fedex is one of the better companies to work for. It SUCKS.

  • Nick

    Work sucks because everywhere I go I’m always frowned apon. I’ve been a manager for 2.5 years now and I’m only 24. People try to get me fired because they don’t want to take orders from their grandson or child (figuratively). The fact that I’m doing so well for my age frustrates people even more. No matter where I go, what I do, and how I do it people want me gone.  

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