I am quite exceptionally fast at work if I'm doing something that's not completely new to me. I haven't really thought much about it, but recently I was working with some people in the company and we had divided up the work to do it fast. The other two people spent the better part of a day finishing their parts while I had my done in a few hours, there probably were some basic effeciency saving techniques that I could use through Excel that they didn't use, but still. I have a general reputation in the company to deliver the work very quickly.Thinking about it, I realized that this is probably traced back all the way back to elementary school where I realized that if I finished up the chapters given to us quickly; after a while the teacher just gave up on giving me more stuff to do so I wouldn't get too far ahead in the book and just ran out of extra assignments and told me to do something else as long as I kept quiet and still. This usually meant working on one of those huge drawings I used to do with Martin (the one's where we drew the whole class and the stir that created among some of our classmates is a completely other story) and have fun instead of studying. I think that from that time, it's instilled in my DNA that working fast means that I get more time to do other fun stuff instead.
Unfortunately that's not really how it works inside a company where I'm bound to the clock to some degree and drawing pictures is not really an option at my desk... I really should start working a bit more slowly since effeciency is very rarely rewarded in the Japanese working environment...
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You are too efficient, you make everyone else look bad!
Do one part of the task, then goof off for a while. Or get a side job? I suppose that wandering out for a bit is a no no.
At an enlightened company you could go home early as a reward for your efficiency...
That's an issue in Western companies too, I think. Most workers don't really have any incentive to work harder or be more efficient.
I've heard that some companies have become more flexible about their employees working from home if they can demonstrate their efficiency, but I don't see that practice being commonplace in Japan any time soon.
The other two people spent the better part of a day finishing their parts while I had my done in a few hours...
I assume then you work in one of those traditional Japanese companies where a few hours is not, in fact, the better part of a day...?
Efficiency is rarely rewarded in Japanese companies! You have managed to say so eloquently what I have been whinging about for a long time here in japan. In Australia if I finished everything I needed to do for the next day's class I could go home at the official clock off time of 3:30pm. If I pissed about and chatted with other colleagues then it was my fault I was working late to get my job done.
I work like a well oiled machine in my job as an ALT in a JHS here and most days have prepared 3 days ahead and am ready to head home well before my official clock off time. When I listen to other teachers moaning about the long hours they MUST work, I always wonder why they rarely look busy, throwing back coffees and googling baseball scores in the afternoon, while running around like chickens with their heads cut off in the morning, 10 minutes before the bell!
gosh, sorry, this has become a long winded comment. but thank you for the read:)
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