The Lies We Believe About The Traditional, Full-Time Job
After ten years as a traditional, full-time employee and six months as an independent worker, my eyes have been opened to the lies I believed. Here are a few of the of things that kept me tethered for so long.
1. White Collar Overtime
In “blue collar” positions, if you work more than 40 hours per week, you get paid more — both in the volume of hours and compensation per hour. Time and a half.
“White collar” jobs are different. More nuanced.
Do I get paid for extra hours worked? You might.
When will I get paid? Eventually.
How much do I get paid? You will need to wait until your next annual review to find out.
Do I get paid more for hour 41 than hour 39? Who knows?!
With white collar overtime, you have a hypothetical account with your employer. It has a credit balance. And although you cannot withdraw from that account, you keep paying in. Maybe someday you will get your money back. Maybe.
2. Collaboration Begets Productivity
The hallmark of my MBA program was group work. Business gets done in teams, except when it does not.
In a team, it is easy to hide. Some carry the team and others coast. And from the outside, it is difficult to tell which is which. As such, teams are better equipped for telling you why things can not happen than why they can. No’s require less work than yes’s.
I previously worked at a startup, where I was in charge of integrating technology. One such task was setting up a e-fax account. For the months following, I was asked the same question 3+ times per week (often from the same people), “What is the fax number?”
When I created the fax line, I put the number on a shared Google doc, along with several other important numbers. Everyone had it. For the asker, it was as easy to open the doc as it was to ask me. But the doc required one person’s time. Asking me required that, times two.
You may be more productive in a group, but your group is not. It is easier to shout out a question than to type an email. But there is value in the friction.
3. Collaboration Begets Innovation
Innovation happens in a group much like productivity happens in an open office environment — poorly.
When you work with others, you need structure. You need a standing meeting, progress reports, and a task manager. Someone needs to be in charge. Someone needs to grant permission.
Innovation happens when you feel unfettered. It happens when you are not surrounded by no’s. It happens when your mind is free of the pressure of what others think and the pressure to produce something.
Groups refine ideas. They don’t create them.
‘Path A’ can be a game-changer, but could also flop.
‘Path B’ falls short of the expectations placed on ‘Path A,’ but is unlikely to fail.
Which path do you think an individual is most likely to choose? And which is a team most likely to choose?
4. It’s Stable
There are at least two types of stability.
- You could have a job that never changes.
- You could have a job in which you are in control.
It’s important to acknowledge the difference because your definition has a huge bearing on whether traditional employment will satisfy your needs.
We have all known talented, hard-working people that lose their jobs because of things that were outside of their control. Instead, they became a victim of a recession, a bad business model, a poorly performing department, or misguided leadership.
Everyday people who did nothing to deserve being laid off have their careers turned upside down. That’s not stable.
5. Your Time Will Come
The mantra of companies that provide no room for personal growth is patience.
“It is not the right time.”
“Just be patient.”
“Stick with us.”
“Your time will come.”
It is a terrible reality, but the best opportunities in business involve changing companies. It is so rare to see a company accurately adjust compensation based on merit or accomplishment. You may get raises, sure. But the raises rarely keep pace with your market value. It leaves employees with two options — be loyal to your company or leave to pursue an opportunity worthy of you. What a terrible position for your employees. From my experience:
Nothing That’s Worth Waiting For Is Worth Waiting For.
You can spend a lot of time waiting for that next big break. But the break is rarely ‘as advertised.’ You can spend years waiting for something to come to fruition, frustrated and becoming increasingly disenchanted. Or you can make it happen, fail, try again, and still come out ahead.
6. You Will Learn A lot
People once made careers through apprenticeships. They would find someone who had mastered a skill. If they were a hard worker, a person of good character, and hungry to learn, the master would take them under their wing. Over the course of many years, they would be taught everything they needed to know.
The world no longer works that way. 35 years of experience is no longer a badge of honor, but a disclaimer of relevance. It is just too hard to keep in touch. The world changes too rapidly.
At best, you may get someone with dated experience. At worse, you will get a manager whose only skill is bullshitting the person who hired them.
Regardless, the onus of learning lies on your shoulders. If you are expecting that from those above you on the org chart, I am sorry to disappoint you.
P.S. It would mean the world to me if you would help spread this by clicking 👏🏼. And be the first to know of future posts by following me. 😘
P.P.S. If you are an independent worker (or aspiring to be), I would encourage to you to check out the Unfederated podcast. Each episode is packed full of wisdom & encouragement for folks just like us - folks that have chosen the Unfederated life.
