While driving back home last evening:
Me: Hey, guess what? I saw a dog today!!!! Ain't that something?!?
Bro: I saw two the other day!
Me: Whhaaat??!!??
Bro: Yeah, can you believe it?!
Me: Noooohhh! Lucky you. The blessed one.
Bro: I beat you at it.
Me: Don't rub it in.
Bro: (After a few seconds) What are you thinking?!
Me: About my next blog post (smiling wryly)
....which also happens to be my 100th post. That's 100 posts in 1 year and 4 months of blogging. That's 1 post every 4.87 days. I never blog on weekends. So that's one post every work week. Not a pretty bad average I guess. Work reminds me....
Last Tuesday I had the most optimized work day. The expected in-time at my work is 9.30 am with 15 min grace so effectively that's 9.45! Expected out-time is 6 pm. On Tuesday my entry-exit log read:
In-time: 09:44:38 AM and Out-time: 18:01:12 PM
I've had several 9.45 ins and several 6pm outs. But never on the same day! I always thought the best possible combination is to get in 1 min before time and out 1 min after time. And coincidentally last Tuesday was the first time that happened. Which takes me to another point....
I think no one should work beyond their stipulated work hours. At my last job, leaving on time was almost like a CLM (Career Limiting Move). It was a taboo. Colleagues spoke about it behind your back. Managers gave sarcastic comments. Even the cab drivers stared at you. You almost wished to be invisible. Leaving work on time would require maneuvering. (Guys, I'm going to take a bio break (or smoke break or a quick snack). Anyone coming?). And you walk towards the rest room (or the balcony or the pantry) and then quietly slip out.
But it was my first job; full of energy; all guns blazing; out to prove to the corporate world that the next big thing has arrived. So it hardly ever mattered. I've stayed back at work even upto 7-8 hours. Overtime was not part of the package. So never got paid for it.
Thankfully, my current job has no such 'culture'. People come on time and leave on time. Period. And so do I. Work never requires me to stay 15 min more than my time. Guess I learnt a bit of time management as well. And I almost never work from home. Have 8.5 hrs to do my job and I make sure my job gets done in that time. Work should be at work. It should never take up your personal time.
Ofcourse if you get paid to work late, that's a different thing! Go, dog...err...Tiger!
(p.s.: For the record, you never see a stray dog in UAE)
Please take note
7 months ago
3 comments:
from dog to work.. ahmm quite something...
well working late and more than stipulated time is a very "Indian culture"
u will rarely find that happening in foreign land..
also, its the Indians abroad who get into the habit of working beyond stipulated hours and working from home.. glad u got rid of this habit...
congrats on the 100 post.. u beat me at getting there although i started before u :(
now thats some more dubai advertising with 'no stray dog' fact..
n guess what! me n Amit were talking abt the same things sitting late culture while on our last evening post dinner walk..
ask him how long the walk was :)
happy blogging!
Gosh, I've become so bad at replying to the already few comments that I get!
Iya - Yeah, it is very Indian. When I'd been to Dublin, noticed that folks left office bang at 5. And got it bang at 8. I'm sure you remember how it was in OD in blore.
About the 100 posts, well you did start before me but you were quite dormant for more than a year!
Tara - Yeah, let's see who wins! :)
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