Venting about work
Recently, I have been struggling with my emotions, particularly when it comes to work. Throughout my career, I have always been one of those high-achieving staff members. I worked hard, worked smart, ticked the right boxes and received good annual bonuses. I took pride in knowing that my efforts were recognised.
Then the new management took over, and everything changed. Instead of the usual checklist, we are now expected to explain how we bring money into the company… all within 200 words.
For the first time in my career, I received a score that essentially meant “no effort beyond job scope”. I would be lying if I said it did not hurt. It did. Not because I feel entitled to a good bonus, but because I genuinely thought I had been doing my job well. Apparently, that is no longer enough. I even went beyond by attending meetings where my boss had no clue what to say, even during my father in law’s funeral and my divorce hearing.
Academia is becoming exhausting. We are turning into research zombies. Every human is viewed as data, and every meeting seems to revolve around pushing another KPI. We are expected to excel in IQ, EQ and now AI, with barely enough time to catch up with everything. Oh, and we have to be careful with student’s emotions and feelings in class … even if they were rude.
The saddest part is that we slog and slog, only for management to ask, “What have you actually brought to the company?”
If we perform well within our job scope, we are average. If we go beyond it, perhaps we are “Good”. But even then, the management might turn around and ask, “How does this relevant to your job?” We can’t win.
Some contributions take years to show results, yet we are judged annually. I find this increasingly frustrating. It feels like management keeps demanding more without recognising what people are already giving. To me, this is where ambition becomes greed. After all, academia is just a business.
So yea… Here I am, still working on a Saturday.
Perhaps what frustrates me most is that despite everything, I still care about my work. I still want to do well, even when I feel that my efforts are no longer valued.
I refuse to be someone who complains and does nothing. So, I complain and still do something 🙃
Then the new management took over, and everything changed. Instead of the usual checklist, we are now expected to explain how we bring money into the company… all within 200 words.
For the first time in my career, I received a score that essentially meant “no effort beyond job scope”. I would be lying if I said it did not hurt. It did. Not because I feel entitled to a good bonus, but because I genuinely thought I had been doing my job well. Apparently, that is no longer enough. I even went beyond by attending meetings where my boss had no clue what to say, even during my father in law’s funeral and my divorce hearing.
Academia is becoming exhausting. We are turning into research zombies. Every human is viewed as data, and every meeting seems to revolve around pushing another KPI. We are expected to excel in IQ, EQ and now AI, with barely enough time to catch up with everything. Oh, and we have to be careful with student’s emotions and feelings in class … even if they were rude.
The saddest part is that we slog and slog, only for management to ask, “What have you actually brought to the company?”
If we perform well within our job scope, we are average. If we go beyond it, perhaps we are “Good”. But even then, the management might turn around and ask, “How does this relevant to your job?” We can’t win.
Some contributions take years to show results, yet we are judged annually. I find this increasingly frustrating. It feels like management keeps demanding more without recognising what people are already giving. To me, this is where ambition becomes greed. After all, academia is just a business.
So yea… Here I am, still working on a Saturday.
Perhaps what frustrates me most is that despite everything, I still care about my work. I still want to do well, even when I feel that my efforts are no longer valued.
I refuse to be someone who complains and does nothing. So, I complain and still do something 🙃
36-40, F
