I got into an argument with my dad last night. His email wasn’t working presumably because it was running on an older software, so when the installation CDs for the new version arrived, he asked if I could go help him out. I was a bit under the weather so I said I didn’t really want to, and he got upset about that.
I don’t often decline a request for aid, but this has been a common theme with me – I’m the go-to guy for fixing computers. You know the deal.
Recognize if you’re the type who does favors
It starts out when you have a recognizable trait that no one else seems to have. Some cook better than others. Some do the chores better. I just happen to know more about computers than most people.
That’s when everyone and their uncle will want you to come over and cook them dinner, fix their PC, help out with the lawn, and on and on.
That’s all great the first few times… after all, most people start out that way from an interest. Then after the 1000th time, it starts to get old. It takes 2 hours to install Microsoft Office, 3 hours to debug an IP address conflict, or set up an email account. What seems to take minutes can take hours, especially when there’s a tendency for mom to open an email attachment that’s actually a malicious Trojan.
Do it too often, and it won’t get you anywhere
I have a brother-in-law who just graduated with a culinary arts diploma. Everyone and his uncle wants him to cook meals after meals. And now he doesn’t want to cook anymore. He’s obliged to. It doesn’t get him anywhere in life.
I’m probably thinking it doesn’t happen to people who have jobs or careers that are completely undomestic – offshore petroleum engineer, sewage operations manager, mayor, president, pilot, formula one race driver.
But for the rest of us, we’re be cajoled into cooking, fixing PCs, doing the accounts, fixing pipes, mowing the lawn… and the payoff isn’t very rewarding, simply because it’s not part of a career. It’s like a reset button because you’re constantly being reminded that you’re only valuable to most people as a tax accountant, a tech support guy, an assistant chef…
Play it to your advantage, not the other way around
If you have an unmistakable trait that everyone recognizes in the office, you need to be aware of how favors and paying it forward can be a benefit as well as a deterent to you. I’ve personally experienced both the positive and negative aspects of it.
In my first job, I set up the company’s first source control system, and initiated changes that slowly took place within the company, but nobody paid much attention. Everyone else was so busy with their work to realize they were working 10 times harder than they should. But the company rewards them for hard work, not for shortcuts that get the same work done faster.
In another job I took, everyone was pretty much knew how to look after themselves, and we would help each and other out if there was a lack somewhere. We did it because it was teamwork, not because nobody wanted to do the job. If there was something repetitive, we would work to minimize it, by documenting or simplifying or ensuring things were understood.
Solution: Speak up, know what you want in life
Most people won’t reward you much for the little things because it seems like such a small thing, it’s so common sense that anyone can do it except no one wants to. So, sometimes the job gets pushed around until finally someone does it, and that person ends up with a ‘permanent’ role. The rest get to sit back and do the work they need to do to get ahead, and everything seems to happen like clockwork.
If you’re the guy who constantly gets the simple jobs, you need to speak out. Getting the job done is important, but make sure you’re heard, and if it’s not difficult for everyone to play a part, then call for a reassessment of roles. Make sure you’re being rewarded for your extra effort, and if not, you’ll need to assess your situation to see if this is working out for you or not. The message has to get out, and it has to make sense to everyone. People get trapped in tunnel vision all the time.
If you don’t want your career to be full of fixing small things and doing small jobs, then quit. Spread the work out, do a work rotation or let someone else do that job – people will learn to adapt with outsourcing, hiring temps and so on. If it’s necessary work, it’ll get done somehow – everyone just needs to know what needs to be done and have a spirit of teamwork.
I’ll still fix my parents PC because I love them, and the amount they’ve invested into my life can’t quite compare to the little help I do with their computers. But that’s not the same as doing favors all the time in the office and not getting anything back for it.
Resources:
- Five Things to Change To Save Yourself From Burnout
- Beyond FoA: What’s Fair When Granting Favors to Friends and Family? (read the comments section)
- Five Common Blindspots of Young Workers
If you liked what you read, consider subscribing.