does hard work really pay off in the workforce?

truckfit

The title says it all.

Does hard work really Pay off in the work force?

Thé reason im asking this is because i know people in my old place That got promoted and these people weren't hard workers they were on holiday 40 percent of the time.

I always wondered why some lazy people get promoted and not hard workers

Has anyone expérienced this.

nel

Its like the old saying goes. Sometimes its not what you know, its who you know!

Essendon

From what I've seen, the so-called lazy people fall into 2 categories.

1. Efficient. They are good at what they do and take less time than their peers.
2. Back-biters. They talk behind people's backs, put others in a bad spot and get all the juicy work themselves. That way they are able to learn more, progress faster and get promoted because they work on high-visibility projects.

40% of the time they are on holidays, really? 40%? Maybe it wasnt a good place to work for and it's good you got outa there.

Apart from all this, hard work does pay off. But you got to work smarter too. Go out with your team for Friday afternoon/evening beers, go out even if you dont drink. Have a freakin coke or something. Network with people. Regularly chat with your PM's, see what's on the horizon. Find out what work's due soon, offer to help. Ask you manager to assign you on some projects. Ask for training. Be at the front when an issue occurs, suggest fixes. If you dont know the fix, keep your ears open and your eyes peeled as to what people do it fix. Read about the issue, offer to document the fix.

You only get out what you put in, really.

DoubleNNs

Often it's not WHAT you know, but WHO you know. As well as HOW you can market yourself.

2 people w/ the same knowledge base and competence can be perceived completely differently.
Unfortunately there are multiple factors you need to attack just to excel.
Fortunately, this gives people multiple different ways to approach reaching the top.

Iristheangel

Yes, hard work pays off. I went from $12 to over $100K in five years thanks to hard work.

Those people you speak of may excel in one company but they have a glass ceiling they won't get beyond with laziness and that laziness won't translate into job roles in other companies. If you work for a company that promotes laziness over hard work, jump ship and find a company that'll reward you more in the long term for your hard work. After awhile, you'll be looking down on those people from a better position

truckfit

yeah Iris this was my last company i moved im worried it might happen here as well. No joke 40 percent of thé time she wasnt there

Im 3 Years into IT i hope to roll like you Iris but when i get to thé 5 year mark ill get 75k probably.

im on 55k atm not bad in my area 42k is thé average salary

paul78

Are you actually privy to the work agreement and compensation structure of your "lazy" coworker and their personal circumstances? Maybe its just me, I personally would never make a judgemental decision on someone's work ethic or job performance without having budget or supervisory oversight of any employee. I am in management and if someone was truly habitually lazy or not pulling their weight, I would speak with them individually first and then their management if I see no improvement.

dave330i

Mindlessly working hard usually doesn't. Working smart does.

N2IT

Marketing yourself is a really big part of moving up IMHO.

cyberguypr

Funny. The answer to this thread is another thread right here: http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/84410-working-hard-pays-off.html

shodown

dave330i wrote: »

Mindlessly working hard usually doesn't. Working smart does.

+1

You need to choose where you give your effort. I hate to talk like this but the political capitol you build by doing work depends on job to job. At one job I put most of my effort into keeping the call center up and running, this built my name way more than some of the other voip projects that were going on. So while I did work hard, there where guys and girls working just as hard as me, putting in real effort, but I received the brownie points, as I choose the call center, because it was the most bang for the buck.

So my point is make sure you really have a view of whats the perception of the work you are doing. Spending too much time in non essential to the company area's will waste time that could be used for bigger gains.

SteveLord

paul78 wrote: »

Are you actually privy to the work agreement and compensation structure of your "lazy" coworker and their personal circumstances? Maybe its just me, I personally would never make a judgemental decision on someone's work ethic or job performance without having budget or supervisory oversight of any employee. I am in management and if someone was truly habitually lazy or not pulling their weight, I would speak with them individually first and then their management if I see no improvement.

This is what I was thinking. I am always skeptical of people who just flat out accuse others of not doing anything and reaping benefits regardless. Everyone thinks everyone else works less than they do.

Mrock4

dave330i said it all.

Only thing I can add is that I'd never advocate for someone to become political, BUT, it's important to understand all aspects of an organization. For example, that jerk Project Manager (we all know one) who's been micromanaging you? If you're aware that he's forced to attend multiple meetings per week and getting slammed there by senior management..maybe he wouldn't be such a jerk to you- and maybe you'd get along better..which may result in a better reputation for you..and thus better opportunities..

goldenlight

nel wrote: »

Its like the old saying goes. Sometimes its not what you know, its who you know!

IT Certainly helps when your proficient at something. Referrals can strongly tip a job offer in your favor.

This is one skill I hope to master.

Mrock4

To piggy back off goldenlight- I got passed up for a job I really wanted, so I told the company I knew someone who'd be perfect...a friend of mine. They hired him and two months later he referred me and I got the same job I had wanted previously.

bub9001

I feel your pain, I have worked for the Government for sometime now. And I question how some people get promoted and others don't. But I don't worry my little head about it. I will still say Hard Work does pay off, in the long run. I have seen many people work harder then others get promoted or pay raises that seem in line with what they have done. I really think it comes down to your relationship with your boss or manager. And yes you will have times you get passed up for a position you are perfect for. I believe that what you do after you don't get that position is way more important then getting it. Also learning to be content in any and every situation is key. Once you understand that there is a much bigger picture to all this madness, then you can truly enjoy your job and serve those around you.

kgb

I find that unless it directly affects me or they are doing something wrong/illegal, I don't worry about what "Joe or Sally" is doing. If they don't work for me, I have no control over it. I focus on what I have to get done. Now, if I have to interact with them and require their assistance and they aren't fulfilling that, then that's brought up with my boss. I don't carry slackers.

Perceptions can be deceiving. Perfect example is the issue of when people come into work. Unless you are there when they arrive, one can't really make a call on how many hours they are working. I'm a morning person, I prefer coming in early, leaving "early". I've worked with people that choose to come in 3-4hrs after me. If one just looks at the parking lot, they will always see their vehicle at 6/7pm... Like that episode of Seinfeld with George leaving his car in the parking lot at work.

kgb

bub9001 wrote: »

... I believe that what you do after you don't get that position is way more important then getting it. Learning to be content in any and every situation...

Personally, that's when I left for other employment. That age old saying, "they never realize what they got, until it's gone..."

tpatt100

I think it is all perception and projection, I worked years ago with somebody on the help desk that was so into everybody else's business about what they made, what they could actually do, etc. He spent so much time focused on the shortcomings of others that he thought everybody was successful because of who they knew.

Now of course he is perceiving this...from my perspective he spent half of his time watching everybody else so he wasn't really doing much work either.

paulgswanson

In my experience Managers generally want to get rid of bad workers, however its usually easier to promote bad workers out of the role than fire them.
Doubly so in government work. Of course this is all my personal experience.

bub9001

Every situation has different variables, and to say x is always the correct answer for every situation would be foolish. I am speaking about the fact that looking back on my life, when things don't make since as to why I didn't get something. Most of the times there is a much bigger reason, and that I can't even start to explain nor truly understand 100%.