Brightness
08-18-2004, 05:31 AM
Is your current job one where you have to be . . .a TEAM PLAYER?
Now, I know that most jobs will tend to trot out the teamwork and being a team player speech every now and then. But sometimes that teamwork/team player stuff is some b.s.
I’ve always gotten good work reviews as far as being considered a team player but I think that sometimes that works against me. Especially when members of your “team” recognize that you often can/do go the “extra mile”. It seems as if they will purposely do (or not do, whichever the case may be) as much as you will allow them to get away with.
I’m basically a self-motivated individual and can work with little or no supervision. I know how to ask questions, understand what is expected of me and then adapt to the task at hand. I know how to organize my workload and get maximum benefits & results with minimal stress. Sometimes this requires a little more effort on the front end but on the back end . . .which is typically the end of the month for us. I’m cool as a cucumber while folks are tripping out.
Okay, my big problem with this teamwork/team player thing lately is this . . . some members of my team don’t seem to be pulling their fair share of the load. There will be times when I work on a particular investor single-handedly and then at the last minute . . . someone from the team will step in to help. This is generally after all the hectic part is over.
Now, I can be on the road and stuff will pile up on my desk or not get done and then I’m in the position of trying to do up-to-date work and then problem-solve last week’s/month’s issues.
The days before I left to attend Hushnic, I skipped lunches and even stayed late to make sure that my absence wouldn’t unduly affect some loans that were supposed to fund on yesterday. I get back and the work wasn’t ready to fund. I know that I can’t do it all in one day so I’m pissed off and I have a lightweight rant about it because the investor is asking me the status and I’ve been off work for two days. I told them to not help me and I would just do it . . .they can move on to something else.
One of my co-workers is especially fond of unnecessarily making tasks a two-person ordeal. And I’m thinking this is to deflect the responsibility just off them. If something isn’t done you really can’t point a finger like you can if only one person is doing it. And even though they are supposedly helping . . .it ends up being a tutorial and with me double-checking that they’ve done this or that. And that whole scenario really burns me up because I end up helping do their part and still doing mine. Which they will eventually ask again. . .what can I help with and we start the whole cycle over again.
I did some research and realized that this was the file count . . .I had done 40 before I left, one person had done 47 and the other had done 9. I was trying to figure out how the hell I could be off for two days and still outworked one person and only been 7 files less than the other.
The problem is that my “team” says they are overwhelmed and overworked but they will leave shit sitting around to be done in protest and that’s not my style . . . I like to just do the job I get paid to do and save the bitchin’ sessions for happy hour after work.
So, I guess my question is . . .how can you adapt and still be a team player without always having to freakin’ take one for the team, day in and day out? Are there some strategies that have worked for you when dealing with trippin’ teammates?
Now, I know that most jobs will tend to trot out the teamwork and being a team player speech every now and then. But sometimes that teamwork/team player stuff is some b.s.
I’ve always gotten good work reviews as far as being considered a team player but I think that sometimes that works against me. Especially when members of your “team” recognize that you often can/do go the “extra mile”. It seems as if they will purposely do (or not do, whichever the case may be) as much as you will allow them to get away with.
I’m basically a self-motivated individual and can work with little or no supervision. I know how to ask questions, understand what is expected of me and then adapt to the task at hand. I know how to organize my workload and get maximum benefits & results with minimal stress. Sometimes this requires a little more effort on the front end but on the back end . . .which is typically the end of the month for us. I’m cool as a cucumber while folks are tripping out.
Okay, my big problem with this teamwork/team player thing lately is this . . . some members of my team don’t seem to be pulling their fair share of the load. There will be times when I work on a particular investor single-handedly and then at the last minute . . . someone from the team will step in to help. This is generally after all the hectic part is over.
Now, I can be on the road and stuff will pile up on my desk or not get done and then I’m in the position of trying to do up-to-date work and then problem-solve last week’s/month’s issues.
The days before I left to attend Hushnic, I skipped lunches and even stayed late to make sure that my absence wouldn’t unduly affect some loans that were supposed to fund on yesterday. I get back and the work wasn’t ready to fund. I know that I can’t do it all in one day so I’m pissed off and I have a lightweight rant about it because the investor is asking me the status and I’ve been off work for two days. I told them to not help me and I would just do it . . .they can move on to something else.
One of my co-workers is especially fond of unnecessarily making tasks a two-person ordeal. And I’m thinking this is to deflect the responsibility just off them. If something isn’t done you really can’t point a finger like you can if only one person is doing it. And even though they are supposedly helping . . .it ends up being a tutorial and with me double-checking that they’ve done this or that. And that whole scenario really burns me up because I end up helping do their part and still doing mine. Which they will eventually ask again. . .what can I help with and we start the whole cycle over again.
I did some research and realized that this was the file count . . .I had done 40 before I left, one person had done 47 and the other had done 9. I was trying to figure out how the hell I could be off for two days and still outworked one person and only been 7 files less than the other.
The problem is that my “team” says they are overwhelmed and overworked but they will leave shit sitting around to be done in protest and that’s not my style . . . I like to just do the job I get paid to do and save the bitchin’ sessions for happy hour after work.
So, I guess my question is . . .how can you adapt and still be a team player without always having to freakin’ take one for the team, day in and day out? Are there some strategies that have worked for you when dealing with trippin’ teammates?