Job Complacency: The Secret Thief of Productivity

Millions of Americans go to work every day less than enthused about their jobs. It is so easy to become complacent in our professional career. The excitement we use to feel in performing our jobs and the pride we felt in our achievements has somehow slipped away. We are going through the motions, existing from payday to payday.

Bob Lewis, president of IT Catalysts and author of The Toughest Job in the World: Leading IT got it right when he said in his article The Seven Signs of Complacency, "Good enough is the enemy of better." We do our jobs "good enough" to keep them and to draw a paycheck. We perform "good enough" to get a satisfactory job evaluation. Are we as American workers happy with good enough? Good enough is definitely the enemy of better!

What happens to turn us into the robotic machines performing tasks without thought, rhyme or reason? It is sometimes comforting to have the same routine, to know what to expect, and how to perform a job well. Who was it that said familiarity breeds contempt? Perhaps another word here for contempt would be complacency. Complacency is dangerous on the job and is a leading cause of accidents and injuries. Awareness and safety concerns are put on the back burner when workers become complacent in their jobs.

How can we avoid this sickening work transgression of complacency? Do you really want to continue going to work every day with that sick feeling in the pit of your stomach? Give yourself some aspirations. If you are bored with your current position, chances are, you are not performing it to the best of your ability. There is no shame in being uninspired by a job. The shame is not seeking another position to replace it. If you need more training, go get it! Go back to school and get that degree, take some night courses, whatever you have to do to get where you need to be, short of injuring others along the way.

Perhaps it is not a new job you need but a new attitude. If you truly loved your job at one time, perhaps the love has just grown cold? Seek to add new dimensions to your duties and do not be afraid to discuss this with your boss. If you are capable of doing more, do more! It will be both challenging and rewarding. Job descriptions are not always written in stone, maybe yours needs updating. If you feel there are more creative ways to do your job, make a detailed list and present it to your supervisor along with your argument. He may not say yes, but he will be impressed with your creativity and enthusiasm. Management will remember these traits when new projects come along that need creative workers.

Try to remember this when combating complacency in your job. You are lucky to have a job and many people would love to have yours. Take the time and the necessary steps to change your attitude about work and how your view your job. Whatever you do, do not continue in the complacency. Other workers around you and eventually your supervisor will notice it. Remember, there is no worker who cannot be replaced.

Sources:

http://www.cioupdate.com/career/article.php/3452861/The-Seven-Signs-of-Complacency

http://www.toolboxtopics.com/Contributed/Complacency%20%202.htm

http://www.nowpublic.com/7-offenses-avoid-workplace