Work...

Checking my stats at work a lot lately.
Seeing how I compare against the others.
Sometimes, I have an off round.
Sometimes, I'm cock of the walk.
And, of course, I prefer to be above the daily average.
Thinking about this, I realized that we have been steadily increasing our productivity without a similar increase in our pay.

Today saw the introduction of a new item, the 'project stars'.
The top three performers in each project are dubbed the stars for the day.
What does the mean exactly? They type out your first name instead of just your employee number. No bonus, not even a ballot entering you into a draw for a bonus.

So why do we care? Why does this bullshit work?

I don't know, vanity? Is that it? We want to be recognized? If that's all it is, I'm sure we'll wise up quickly. It's hardly recognition at all. I'm sure people will stop even checking the stat emails. Well, I guess I'm sure I will. I'm pretty sure that I will anyway...

Oh fuck, I want to crush my coworkers. I want the best stats in everything I dial.
But why? That will get me nowhere but stuck on the phones. I would much prefer a job without a headset I think. Monitoring calls, verifying data, troubleshooting addresses, any of that should be better. But would it really be any better? I'd still have to listen to calls all the time.

Maybe it is time to seriously consider getting another job. Either in addition to, or instead of my current job. The thing is this though; most of the jobs I've had have sucked. They all had bullshit to deal with. All of them. Not one excluded. That's why I ended up leaving them, too much bullshit. Rules for the sake of rules, policies that serve no purpose, blatant lies told to keep you producing, double standards, office politics, et cetera.

So, I'm afraid to leave my job, because I see no ideal alternative. If every job I've ever had sucked, why even bother? Just stick with the shit I'm in, at least I'm getting used to the smell.

That's grim. Grimy too. But mostly grim.

So what's the solution? What's the answer? Create a new industry that is fun to work in? Marijuana farming perhaps? Growing and clipping. Drying and processing. Packing and distributing. That's an industry I'd like to be a part of.

Maybe it's me though. Maybe I'm the problem. Maybe I expect too much from people.

Still, that's not an answer. Can I just expect less, by will alone? Can I do that?

Maybe the awareness of the problem will aid me in fixing it.

Well, in the meantime, have a good shift. Don't work too hard. May random find you well.
\m/