When you are a child, you looked up to your parent(s). Everything they did, you tried your best to follow. That means the good, the bad and the ugly. (Good) A loving environment is usually passed on and as you grow up – you attempt to have the same. (Ugly) Smoking, for the most part, watching a parent or both parents smoke a couple of packs a day, likelihood is a child is smoking (there were just 2 of us growing up – and one is a heavy smoker, me – cigars every now and then). The list is pretty much endless; I bet you were thinking of some of your own. Not to say that there are not examples of not follow the example, but I would argue that following happens more often.
Well, the same stuff happens at work. I had some very bad habits that I pretty much passed onto my employee’s. Working on vacations! When I was busy on vacation doing emails, taking phone calls or anything work related – I blindly set an expectation to my employee’s. Not one that I really would want them to do. Plenty of them have done it! Each time I see it, I quickly fire off a stop what you are doing email. You are on vacation, damn it.
Lately, I have been noticing a lot of off hours and weekend emails coming from department heads, managers and overall senior leaders. The effect – the next in the reporting chain is doing the same thing. Soon, the next layer and so on. I have made and stated that I have gotten my nights and weekends back. Well, this past two weeks, I have slipped. I am now following the examples that have been set for me, by the organizational leadership. Doing some of this, is okay – but frankly – it looks like an expectation now. Those really are bad examples to follow!
So, what am I going to do about it. I am going back to what I intended to do. I want to spend more time with the family, my yard, this blog, exercising and with the other stuff I love to do. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job. It already gets over 60 hours of the week. Sleep gets about another 50 hours. Leaving about 50 to fill my time with the “other life.” Using that for work, just seems a bit wrong.
Time to fight back I say – how about you?
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