Over the summer, I had the privilege of working for a financial services company in Washington D.C. With very few employees and very little experience, I was constantly learning; my two direct managers would frequently peek over my shoulder at my progress or take me out to lunch to see how I was adapting, and an analyst had a running task list so that I was always kept busy. One day, the analyst showed me a podcast giving advice and perspectives for summer interns. It was on that day (and class this past week) that I realized my superiors did not particularly care for my personal growth as a young professional, they were making sure that I was not shirking..
How did they do this? A number of ways. First, there was well-defined output; when something needed to be produced, my superiors would add it to a master task list with loose instructions as well as a timeline. Second, I was monitored. My desk was strategically placed so that at any given moment, a senior associate or managing director would look over from their desk and see my screen. Third, I had performance reviews - once every three weeks, I would go out to lunch with a superior to discuss my progress as well as areas to improve. Lastly, they had secure alternatives. Had I not been getting the job done, they could have easily terminated my employment and found another summer intern.
1 comment:
I have noticed this scenerio in almost every job I have worked. I have noticed that jobs that pay hourly are especially prone to shirking, and in the past my friends and I have tried to take advantage of this. A couple summers ago we worked for a commercial moving company that payed an hourly rate and did not pay tips. As a result, many employees adopted the strategy of shirking as much as possible. The only tool managers had to reduce shirking was monitering. However, this was difficult to do and there was not many punishments as replacement workers were difficult to find.
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