Slaves in the Workplace

There is a line between what you should and should not be required to do as an employee. The question is, where is that line. Unfortunately, it's usually hidden in greyspace. Many employers think that anything they want done is part of your job. Many employees will go along with that for fear of losing their job. When I was younger, I followed this mindset. When the manager of the meat market asked me to use nail polish remover to remove the dates on meat packages that had just expired, I did it. I didn't feel right about it, and it was almost definitely illegal, but I did what I was told.

Do what your told. Don't ask questions. Be a team player. If you aren't a mindless drone, then you aren't a team player? There are a lot of people who believe that. I am no longer one of them. I believe in doing things right and doing the right thing. I will recommend better ways of doing things. I will ask questions to clarify issues and make sure I understand. I will also call bullshit when I see it. It has been said about me that I make career limiting remarks. I say, do I really want to work for a company that doesn't want to think before instituting what could be a very costly procedure. There is a line that comes up so often that I have stopped saying it, "I seem to remember pointing this out a few weeks ago." It's funny how some people become irritated with the person who points out an issue for pointing it out and if it actually becomes an issue.

Anyway, I thought I would share some over the top examples of people I have actually worked with. At one job, the owner would call the manager to bring him donuts if he felt like a snack. This was usually on a weekend, and they lived in different counties. The manager would do it because she felt she owed the owner for her job.

I worked at another job where the owner made one of his employees come out to his ranch every weekend to empty a dump truck full of horse crap. He got to use a bobcat, but that's still not a job I would want. To make it worse, he didn't get paid for the time he was doing it, but he did it for fear of losing his job.

A good friend of mine had a boss that would call him at all hours of the day or night for any thought that came into his head. We used to joke that he had to call and ask how to wipe himself. I remember one Fourth of July where my buddy had a bunch of friends over for a cookout. His boss called three times while we were there. One of the calls was over 45 minutes and none of them were even important. My buddy took them all, though, because he wanted to keep his job. He helped the guy go from a two man operation to a multi-million dollar restoration company, and in the end, he got fired because they could pay someone less to do his job.

Is all the anxiety really worth it. Despite my perceived troublemaker attitude, my first instinct is not to make waves. If something strange comes up once, just go with it. However, if your having problems all the time, stand up. You will either live in constant fear or eventually get fired anyway. Why deal with all that crap and end up in the same place in the end?