Perception vs. Final Product.. industry people
polycounter lvl 17
i browse and post at these boards often enough to want to stay anonymous as people i work with may or may not lurk here. those with access to my ip address please keep my identity confidential.
i've been working where i work for awhile now and i'm seeing more and more of the atmosphere be perception rather than the final product. people who work late are actually looked at negatively by their superiors as oppose to positively for putting in more effort. if these employees are making up for lost time for slacking off at work thats one thing, then i agree they should be reviewed and evaluated accordingly. however, they're making things worse for those like myself who want to put in the extra time to either get further ahead of their tasks or to make the assignment that much better. also i prefer to put a comedy dvd on and listen to it rather than listen to music while i work - but i found out certain people are commenting on it negatively and don't put in any effort to look at my final product. and if i can be perfectly honest my final product lately has been the best work i've ever done out of all the companies i've worked for. i can assure mister superior that me listening to music is no less destracting than listening to a movie. perhaps next time i'll just let the movie play and minimize the screen, god forbid you actually come to check out the work i am doing!
so again, i'm wondering if this industry, or any industry, is moreso about perception of hardwork than actually DOING hardwork. the person who's working 9-5 is doing an 'ok' job, and someone like me who puts in extra effort to do a 'great' job but has that negative perception because of joe-slacker.
is it worth it to even be concerned about my work as much as i am while im there? perhaps i should worry more about making my personal work 'great' and just make the superiors happy because they can't wrap the idea of someone wanting to go above and beyond around their heads. thanks.
i've been working where i work for awhile now and i'm seeing more and more of the atmosphere be perception rather than the final product. people who work late are actually looked at negatively by their superiors as oppose to positively for putting in more effort. if these employees are making up for lost time for slacking off at work thats one thing, then i agree they should be reviewed and evaluated accordingly. however, they're making things worse for those like myself who want to put in the extra time to either get further ahead of their tasks or to make the assignment that much better. also i prefer to put a comedy dvd on and listen to it rather than listen to music while i work - but i found out certain people are commenting on it negatively and don't put in any effort to look at my final product. and if i can be perfectly honest my final product lately has been the best work i've ever done out of all the companies i've worked for. i can assure mister superior that me listening to music is no less destracting than listening to a movie. perhaps next time i'll just let the movie play and minimize the screen, god forbid you actually come to check out the work i am doing!
so again, i'm wondering if this industry, or any industry, is moreso about perception of hardwork than actually DOING hardwork. the person who's working 9-5 is doing an 'ok' job, and someone like me who puts in extra effort to do a 'great' job but has that negative perception because of joe-slacker.
is it worth it to even be concerned about my work as much as i am while im there? perhaps i should worry more about making my personal work 'great' and just make the superiors happy because they can't wrap the idea of someone wanting to go above and beyond around their heads. thanks.
Replies
As far as the rest, if your final product is good, I dont see what you have to worry about. Just try and blend in with everyone else and do what youre told
Whatever, a couple of observations:
You're falling into the trap of office politics. Don't do it. Don't be concerned with stuff like 'how come x employee gets away with y, and I dont? etc, etc. It's a *very* slippery slope. Just worry about you, and your work and ethic, nobody elses.
I don't believe that people who work late are looked upon negatively by their employers. I know I personally did well out of bonuses etc because of putting in a lot of extra hours. That still doesn't mean that i think putting in extra hours is the right thing to do though. If you can at all help it, don't.
I've never understood how anyone can sit at work with a DVD on. I've seen it, and I think it's bs. You simply can't be commited to what you're doing and watch a movie at the same time.
Don't assume the entire industry is the same way everywhere based on one studio.
I can see how people can perceive that you're slacking by watching comedy movies, if you're just listening why wouldn't you minimize the screen??
Seriously consider whether those movies you have in the background are actually helping you. In the book, Animator's Survival Kit, the first lesson is "UNPLUG." Essentially that means eliminate distractions, including listening to music while you work. Over the years, I found there were tasks I could do while working. I could write and listen to music, or paint and listen to books on tape. But I couldn't switch the tasks around. When I went to work on computer games, I found that both music AND books distracted me from the thought processes needed to do my work.
It may also be that your movies distract your co-workers ... either by sight or by sound. In that case, they are justified in complaining about you.
Dazz is right about the whole office politics things ... but you also can't entirely ignore it. All groups of people end up being political in some way, and your continued successs within the group can easily hinge on your ability to be successfull at both your craft skills and negotiating the political climate. I once worked a studio that put way too much emphasis on having your "face time" at the office coincide with that of the lead programmer who was also one of the owners (even though he wasn't my direct line supervisor) ... unfortunately, he liked to come in late and work very late hours ... something that didn't work well for people with families.
so again, i'm wondering if this industry, or any industry, is moreso about perception of hardwork than actually DOING hardwork.
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This uis a human nature thing.
About the movie-thing. At Piranha Games my boss was all offended when i watched a movie while painting. i wasnt accually waicting at all, i was listening...but since my computer couldnt handle both i played it on the TV with headphones. It didn't matter that i put in more hours than I was paid for, it didn't matter that 'everyone' complimented me on my level textures...what mattered was 'everyone' thought I couldnt paint and listenen to shawshank redemption at the same time.
Now that I understand how important perception is...I don't do shit like that anymore. Though one of my art lead friends watches videos at his job all the time at his desk and they keep promoting him. He told me it 'depends on the culture'
-R
id like to hear more comments on experiences had if anyone else can contribute. thank you.
Why? If they don't appreciate it, is it really necessary? Aren't you already getting frustrated by how it's not positively affecting people's perceptions of you?
Do you think 10 years down the road you're going to look back and be glad that you spent all your time working 12 hour days?
Do you think the other people who work more reasonable hours appreciate you making them look bad? As soon as one person decides to spend all their time at work, everyone else has to do it if they want to keep up. Soon, 12 hours is the standard instead of being extra time, and the people who want to have lives outside of work suffer. Eventually, you end up with a situation like the one EA just went through, with workers tossing lawsuits around because they're forced to do all this overtime.
I think you should relax and get yourself out of the workplace at a reasonable hour. You're going to spend the majority of your life working, there's no need to dedicate the rest of your time to it as well. You're going to burn yourself out.
thanks for the comments everyone. i'll clarify again that i work late to put in the extra time, not to make up for lost time and that when i work 12
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Stop. The only thing you will accomplish is possibly annoy your co-workers who choose to only put in their required 8 hours and go home. Especially if you talk about all the hours you are putting in.
You are Tubboy, aren't you?
I reccomend doing everything in your power to keep your employer's confidence in you as high as possible, for your own benefit. Once you have gained confidence as a dutiful employee, then your boss will notice your art more. (Sorry if that sounded like it hatched out of a fortune cookie).
given the freedoms you have, as a manager i would expect product as the trade off, not the mere perception of work. in a properly managed environment the managers know every bit of what you have accomplished and how fast. if you are still employed, i would'nt take things so personal. if you produce the work, and don't get fired for it you are fine. it's just drama. unless a supervisor says something, just do what makes you comfortable. don't make sacrifices for other employee's, lest the freedoms you have be stripped away for you, them, and future employees.
if your supervisors get used to you working extra hours, they will expect it from everyone. they may be getting worried about that. i'm salaried, so it's extra harsh to pull 60 hours and still rake in the same money as 40. If you are just working for the money, eh, dunno what your office policy is.
on the other hand (though i think your job is extremely cushy) if you are worried about the employment, i'm sure sacrificing the comedy dvd watching for job stability is a trade off you can handle. the short is that ultimately it's up to you, or your boss, not the water cooler llamas.
Easiest way to avoid all that is to put in those extra hours at home, on your own PC.
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There's the best solution. Nobody likes the guy that drags his cross in every day just so he can nail himself to it. Just do your work at home where you can crank up the Comedy Channel.
make up for lost time and that when i work 12+ hours, they're getting 12+ hours of work from me and not 8.
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Well it sounds like you really love what you are doing and you have no life..
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acc, me working late isn't an every day thing. i'm not worried about 10 years, if i spent time worrying about stuff like that i'd never get any work done and have to work 24hrs!
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Yes, but then you are worrying about keeping ahead versus keeping current with your workload. So you really cant use that excuse. Relax.
Look at the IGDA writeup about overtime and comparisons to other idustries. It was shown that people after eight hours of work start dropping off efficiency. Your not doing you or your company any favors by putting in those extra hours trying to be "superman". You are just making your output that much less outstanding.
I once went to a talk where a supevisor from Pixar commented on a worker who wanted to work late to finish up a character he was involved with. He ordered the worker to go home. Not out of spite, but he realized the output he would get from the worker would be top notch the next day versus the possibility of something less with the after hours. (Something unrealistic game leads/managers/execs should take note of)
Go home. Get a hobby, girl/boy friend, whatever. Just allow yourself to experience the now. Again, you are worrying too much about the future. Enjoy the now.