Work vs. Job: Nothing Has Changed in 2012

In a recent article, a former Walmart employee recounts his positive experience working with the company on more than one occasion. In what is commonly seen as a dead-end 'job', Travis Okulski highlights the experience and skills he had gleaned from working at the retail giant, including what to do when confronting co-workers, being in close proximity to customers and what to do about theft. He also mentions that there was an emphasis on training properly and room for advancement in the company.

To be fair, he admits that the pay was $9.00/hr and that the work day was 9 hours with a one hour lunch that went unpaid. Travis also goes on to say that: 

"Some fellow associates seemed content to do the bare minimum and didn't go anywhere in the company because of it. In fact, they are still at the same level.

In my opinion, these are also the employees that you hear speaking negatively of Walmart's employment practices. They want something for nothing from the company and they aren't getting it." 

The bottom line is this - what you choose to do for a living, either permanently or temporarily, will greatly affect your well-being depending on how you perceive your position. Work is work, a job is a job, they all have good stuff and bad, there will always be glory and ugly little details no matter what you do or how much you get paid to do it. The fact is that everybody has a choice of what to do for a living and how to perceive it. Sometimes choosing to be successful can take a while to realize and, likewise, choosing to do the bare minimum can take a while to realize in retrospect. 

If most of us are going to work for a third or more of our day, why not get on a path of fulfillment rather than that of anger, self-pity and resentment. This is not about a retail giant, it's about perception of vocational success.

As a contrast, and for what it's worth, here are is the link to the article and some of the reactions to it (bear in mind I did not come across anything but negative comments, which is a bit of a distortion of perception):

http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/i-worked-at-walmart-for-two-years-and-i-actually-really-liked-it.html

"The training is great if the staff would only apply it. Unfortunately at my walmart on hwy 42 in garner nc they do not. I have even been snubbed by a manager there. I was trying to buy an IPOD for my grand daughter and you would have thought that I was asking them to run a marathon for me."


"I really enjoyed this commercial. Thank you."


"What bull.......even the "Greeter" at my local Walmart (Fishkill, NY) never greeted me. Also, try to find someone in a department.....what a joke. Fifty cash registers with four opened, all cashiers having frowns on their face. What planet was this Walmart on?"


"Well, this guy did find filling out the Wal-Mart application difficult. Perhaps he's just deficient."


"Now I am convinced Walmart owns Yahoo"


"I wonder how many employees like seeing 75% of thier paycheck gone on rent lol"


" My wife works at Walmart and she is treated like crap. It is ridiculous that she comes home and cries all day because of the crap she has to take from the bosses and the manager will do nothing about it."

The Challenges of Working from Home

Working from home since the mid-1990's has made me more protective of the time I have to complete my projects. Although I like getting things done in the comfort of my own place, I can't ignore the fact that it is certainly a challenge to be highly productive, but understanding the challenges has given me insight into how to deal with them effectively.

I will state at the outset that a) I am not married, b) I don't have children and c) I do a lot of field work as well. Points 'a' and 'b' are challenges I certainly cannot comment on, so if either of those apply to your situation, please share your experiences!!

The Challenges:

1) Nobody will take your time as seriously as you do - people who are content with working 9-5, Monday to Friday, like their weekends off. When working from home, sometimes you have to do some work on weekends. This means that friends may try to lure you out of the house with the promise of a party of some other fun activity, but you must stand firm sometimes to get your work done, otherwise, you will be procrastinating. Better yet, allow a certain time frame to complete your work so you can enjoy fun activities guilt-free.

2) Distractions are everywhere - from telemarketing, television, email, knocks on the door to wondering what snacks are in the fridge, distractions can throw you off course. Try turning off audible distractions, so you can concentrate and check messages periodically, rather than every five minutes (this includes email, cell phone, home phone and texts). Encourage colleagues to text you as much as possible but keep the ring tone off. The sound of the distraction can be much more stressful than the visual.

3) There is no punch clock - try to schedule tasks the best you can and try not to work too much. If you create a list of things to do, and do them, you will have a better sense of accomplishment and leave the rest for the next day. Start with four or five tasks per day, then whatever you don't complete that day, do the next day, but be sure to complete everything that week, when possible. You sometimes must create your own punch clock hours or time-frames when you can get important things accomplished.

Never feel guilty if you leave some tasks undone. Sometimes you might want closure on certain items, but you can't anticipate the actions of others you rely on, so you should go on to the next item and get back to the unfinished one at some other time when it is possible to complete it.

You might be your own employee, but you must also be your own manager, one who manages with a little more common sense and a little less emotion.

- Buck Moore, thinkworknotjob.com

helpful video: