I should make this very clear before you start to waste your life for the rest of the content. First, with this blogpost, I would like to share with you that not only IT job need to work over time, over time can happen to every job whenever needed. Second, I never try influence you to work extra time or go home on time. Third, this is to share with you that we can reduce the chances of occurrences of unnecessary over time with good time management. Fourth, job satisfaction play a very important role to encourage worker to go beyond the limit. Last but not least, if you are a manager and could not take things positively then you may opt to skip this. 🙂
Let’s start, if you are ready to spare your 10 minutes life for this crap! 😀
Many times, I heard people saying that IT workers needs to work long hours. Likewise, I interviewed many candidates who offer themselves to work long hours in order to win the good-will from the interviewer.
Honestly, there are so many managers would prefer someone that willing to work longer hours of course! For me, it doesn’t matter at all. Simply because able to stay back or work longer hours does not mean you are delivering more or highly productive. It is only show that you are willing to spend more time in office only. Of course, this is an advantage but that will not influence any hiring decision.
Time management is always a key characteristic that the professional must equip with. He/she must be able to properly plan his/her time for work and life, in order to avoid disappointment. I, myself, will be always plan my time but often the weak project management team keep spoiling my schedules only 🙁
In most business, managers always say customer first. They want it to be done before this date and you have to do it even to cancel your scheduled leave. Oh well, if this is true… why don’t you let me to rest at home when the customer has no work request for me? Yes, of course I know I am being sarcastic now. I know that the company is paying me to stay in the office during office hours with or without work request…
Let’s be more realistic in scenario based explanation. I worked for 12-14 hours / day for my last employment. I never complaint or whine that the job taken too much of my time. It is because I know what I am doing and I have the freedom to have my schedules providing there is no conflict to the company’s schedule.
I could stay up to exchange emails with clients during 3AM and go to office 8AM the same day. Most important, I don’t feel tired or unhappy. I am satisfy with what I completed and whenever I receive appreciation notes from the customer. With these, I gain more positive synergy to move forward. You know why? When one people loves what they are doing and they are being appreciated like a professional. They are satisfy and will keep on performing their best.
However, if you are a manager whom do not appraise / appreciate / understand your teams but keep on demanding them to work longer hours. It is very likely that no one going to fight beyond the limit with you. Simply because they don’t have the job satisfaction… Worst case, they will feel being treated like a robot which ended up with a lot of negative synergy and influence the others.
Some managers may always say “You know, having an IT career, that is your faith to work over time” . I will agree if I’ve been slacking around or I am being unproductive (like facebook or chat too much) during working hours.
If I could deliver tasks on time on budget and the manager still demand me to work longer hours, it is too ridiculous to tolerate it … Not because I dislike someone take advantage on me. Simply because there are so many work laying around and each people has only 24 hours / day, if you keep squeezing your people to deliver faster so the project can finish earlier which will shorten the project timeline. When the project timeline is shorten, the company save project running cost and overhead cost due to the project finish earlier, it directly lower down the project cost and give the company higher profit margin. By doing this, you are just burning out your resources. This will not be good to build up human asset. Time to rethink, managers?
Work time for IT professional is not always related overtime or after hours providing proper project planning(duration, cost and resources), fair management to execute and governance the project issues/deliverables/commitments/changes. This will definitely lower down the occurrences of unnecessary overtime…
If you are a manager and you disagree with me, I will not say you are wrong or I am totally correct with my point of view. It is because you may be a good manager whom your teams/subordinates can appreciate you in the way I could not understand only. 🙂
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