WORK

Tim Denning’s Advice About Working for the Man Struck a Nerve

I couldn’t let this one go by

I just read Tim Denning’s recent article in which he asserts that working long hours as a corporate employee will ultimately get you nowhere. The message is hard to miss: “Stop working so f*cking hard,” unless . . . you’re working for yourself.

Curious about what others thought about the piece, I opened the comment window and did a quick scan. The majority were positive and appreciative. That was disappointing. No one had offered a more balanced and realistic viewpoint to the opinion espoused by our good buddy, Tim.

Please understand I’m not disagreeing with a fellow writer’s work because of a personality conflict or a predisposition to be the voice of opposition. Just the opposite. Usually, I’m among the many who clap for Tim’s articles. In this case, I simply want readers to have the bigger picture, for reasons you’ll read about below.

And before you read what follows, I urge you to take a look at Tim’s post.

Make a fair assessment based on both viewpoints. And most important, make sure your takeaway is appropriate for you personally, not because you want to follow the popular trend or do what all the other “cool kids” are doing.

Here’s my rebuttal to Tim’s piece.

When I read articles about the employee vs entrepreneur approach to work, I typically see a motivational dialogue that generalizes what should be a very personal and subjective choice.

To say that the collective “we” should always avoid working for the man in deference to pursuing the more lucrative and rewarding path of being our own boss is to ignore the challenges, risks, and out-of-balance lifestyle typically required for entrepreneurial success.

Conversely, heaping generic praise on self-employment while trashing the corporate working environment may be the fashionable trend, but it fails to acknowledge the value and benefits associated with being an employee — some of which can only be realized by working within a large organization.

For example, there is no better opportunity to learn about the products, services, process, procedures, and priorities of an industry than to work for a major player in the market — and remember, you’re gaining all that education on someone else’s nickel!

Not all companies are bad.

Not all companies cheat their employees out of equitable compensation. And most important, not everyone is receptive to being their own boss.

Many want and need the discipline of a structured workplace. Try to explain the fallacy of trading time for money to these folks and they shake their head and call you naïve.

And keep in mind that many of those corporate fans feel happy and fulfilled with the path they’ve chosen. And it’s a damn good thing, because if everyone held the same level of disdain for working for someone else, who would build the cars, the buildings, the roads, and the rest of the infrastructure we depend on? For that matter, who would collect the trash?

How we bring our skills and knowledge to the marketplace is an individual choice, and many times the ONLY choice is to be an employee. For example, the majority of engineers, scientists, teachers, and others who work at the highest level of responsibility are employees — because there isn’t a viable, equivalent position within the gig industry.

In other words, when NASA or JPL needs to hire a rocket scientist, they don’t go to Fiverr.

Ask yourself this . . . What would happen to our economy, our reliance on product and service availability, and our expectations concerning consistent standards of quality, inventory, and delivery without the economic power and stability of large companies?

The greatest disservice you could do for yourself is to leave a job where you are respected, adequately compensated, and have a sense of “belonging,” to chase the imagined rewards of self-employment — especially when you have no plan, no knowledge or experience with selling or negotiation, and no financial war chest.

If and when it becomes time to change your work situation, your individual circumstances will determine whether the better choice is a new employer or to strike out on your own.

Yes, to be an independent contractor and/or freelancer is all the rage — at the moment. But I’m concerned that the recent Great Resignation is going to become the Great Future Regret if we don’t get realistic about making choices based on the individual’s attitude, skill set, and ultimate career goals.

The bottom line is simple

If you’re happy where you are, doing what you’re doing, then stay with it. Roll with the bad days (because they’re inevitable), and enjoy the good ones (because you earned them). And that’s true whether you’re an employee or an entrepreneur.

© 2022 Roger Reid. All Rights Reserved.

Roger A. Reid, Ph.D. the host of Success Point 360 Podcast and author of Better Mondays and Speak Up. A certified NLP trainer with degrees in engineering and business, Roger offers tips and strategies for achieving higher levels of career success and personal fulfillment in the real world.

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