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Lack of Motivation

Gavin
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 You know, I feel completely un-motivated today at work 🙂

I gues that’s what happens when you’re on notice and they’re working you right up to the last minute they can. Tomorrow’s my last day here and really I find myself lacking motivation to do anything.

My reasons aren’t because I’m lazy. Quite the contrary; I would rather be busy than bored any day of the week. However, the problem remains that I can’t get too deeply into anything because with tomorrow being my last day here, anything I start I won’t be able to finish. It’s like a presidential lame duck.

Why do we work our good employees up to their last day of the two weeks notice they give? Honestly, I don’t think it makes that much sense, particularly in technology. What can you really do with those last two weeks, and in particular the second week of that two week period?

I know the theory; that the two weeks is meant to transition projects and jobs over to another member of staff, or to train a replacement. However, this seems to be missing the fundamental point that with good documentation, decent employees and sticking to industry standards there’s nothing to hand off. I’ve found that I’ve had almost nothing to hand off to my colleagues because our documentation is good enough that we don’t have to.

It also seems to me that particularly in technology, there are plenty of avenues for a soon-to-be-ex employee to “leave his mark” on a company’s systems. Say I wanted to get some side work in the future; what’s to prevent me from setting a “time-bomb” in the company systems that they have to turn to Gavin to fix because he’s the one who set up these systems in the first place? Sure, in my particular case that’s not likely; I happen to like my colleagues and wouldn’t do that to them… but I know that not everyone feels that way. Particularly if said employee feels that he’s been dumped on and forced into a corner before he quit, there’s likely to be a “going out in a blaze of glory” type event.

Yes, there are legal ramifications to that action… but anyone knowledgeable about technology can find ways to cover their tracks.

Perhaps I’m just bored and that’s what’s causing me to think like this; but really, what value am I bringing the company during these last two days of my tenure when everything’s handed off and I daren’t start into anything new because I know it’s all going to go by the wayside tomorrow no matter what?

Maybe they hope I’ll have second thoughts? Well; I have. I’ve repeatedly wondered if what I was doing was the right thing. I mean, it’s not like I’m REALLY unhappy at my current position and I think I’ve been well enough treated (if not always well utilized). But I have to weigh up the benefits versus the costs of going to this new role. It’s going back to Systems Engineering and Architecture again, but for a much smaller company than I’ve worked for in quite a while. But it’s a company that shows profit and future, even in a down market right now. It’s also a Berkshire Hathaway company, so it’s got the support and backing of Warren Buffett; the world’s richest man according to Forbes recently.

So what am I complaining about? Who knows? 🙂 I’m only human after all, and change is part of life. I hate to job-hop but in this case there was nothing for me at my current company. At least, not yet.

See? I am trying to update more frequently  🙄

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