So you got the job, now what?

Getting that email or phone call that you are hired can be a rush of endorphins, and we often have a honeymoon period with new jobs where we just go with the flow and have trouble paying attention.

There are some basic things we can do to help be a good employee but also make sure we are being treated fairly. So, before you enter the workplace, we need to discuss some mental things first.

There is growing sentiment that anyone from Generation Z is likely to be a lazy worker. In the words of one of my professors, “we have a PR issue as a generation.” But it is a PR issue that every generation has had before. Human nature is to change and evolve, each new generation of humans has new mentalities and opinions.

Gen Z is considered lazy because as a collective, they believe in balance between things. They have made it clear by establishing ‘quiet quitting’ and doing only what they are paid to do, that work is not their main goal in life. Others see this as a lack of effort and passion; it is a kind of privilege and self advocation.

Gen Z has seen generations before them be asked to ‘be above and beyond’ and ‘go the extra mile’ for low pay. They have parents and grandparents who worked long hours and were loyal to their companies but still struggled. The problem they noticed was a lack of connection with family and friends, lives devoted to work and work only. Gen Z wants to be different.

Quiet quitting was started by Millennial and Gen Z workers who realized they were be asked to take on workloads above their pay grade. Imagine getting paid minimum wage but being asked to care for someone’s child, clean their house, cook food, and still be engaging. It feels like a lot, because it is. While some have made quiet quitting into total disconnect from their job, the majority are just being compliant. The majority just do what they are paid to do and nothing more.

This is where Gen Z and even Millennial workers are getting the ‘lazy’ label. Because after generations of ‘going the extra mile’ as a mantra, the idea of a worker who only does what they are paid to do is the epitome of laziness.

It is appalling to some people that a person is not willing to give ‘110%’ for their full-time job. But we need to acknowledge that if we give 110%, we will not have anything left for our friends, family, health, and other life functions.

You can still learn how to be a good worker without giving up all your energy to a job. I think everyone deserves balance.

To start, find or ask for your job description in written form. It can be an email or the job posting you applied through. Save it as a screenshot with a date mark of when it was written. This is your fail-safe.

If anyone asks you to do something that is not included in that original description, do not simply say yes. Ask if this is a one-time request, or if they are adjusting your job description to include new duties. If you already have a heavy workload, ask if you will be allowed to hand off another task for the duration or if there will be some compensation for you taking on extra work.

To be clear, the old guard could view this as hostile. There is a chance they will say something along the lines of ‘well as an employee, we expect you to be a team player.’ This is a manipulation tactic to make you feel guilty for making your time a priority over the company’s needs.

It is up to you if you want to fight this fight, of course. I want you to be aware though, if your employer views you as the ‘go-getter’ they will continue to add more and more to your plate. Even if the small extra task they initially proposed feels easy, it sets a precedent. It establishes that you will be the team player who takes on extra work.

I recommend establishing that you are here to do your job. In all honesty, I struggle with this too. But I have ended up in multiple positions where I was doing the job of a manager while only being a part time employee. All because it felt easy at first. It always starts with smaller tasks but builds overtime for you working way too much for too little pay.

Some people will argue that this makes you valuable. Being the team player and taking on more work than you are supposed to will make it hard to fire you. To an extent, this is true. Two things can be true at once. You can become a valuable employee who has more job security while also being an employee who is underpaid.

This also means not offering to work when you are off schedule unless you really need the money. Part-time workers, this is less for you since you can add and drop shifts from your schedule. If you have a full-time job, I want you to be very aware of when your workday starts and ends.

Scenario: You work 40 hours a week in an office, and your boss emails you at 8 pm on a Friday night requesting you come to work on the weekend because they just got something new to work on and he wants to start early. What do you do?

A) Tell your boss that you don’t feel like giving up your weekend. They pressure you, saying it is important and that the company’s well-being impacts you. You cave eventually since you had just planned a weekend of relaxing and cleaning, so it wasn’t important.

B) Tell your boss you would rather not give up your day off. Over apologize in your response, worry you look bad and unprofessional.

C) Lie, say you have a doctor’s appointment or a funeral. Something nonnegotiable and seemingly important. Justify why you are choosing not to work on your day off.

D) Simply send a quick email saying “I am not available. I will be happy to look at the new tasks on Monday when I get to work.” Then shut off your phone.

The first 3 options all stem from the idea that we as humans need to justify or prove why we deserve rest. You never have to prove that.

You deserve rest.

Option 4, a straightforward and polite no, is something I think you should use. The phrase “I won’t be available” is a weapon, a truth, and a very very impactful message. You are not lying, because you will not be available even if it just means you are sitting at home with a large bowl of sweets binge watching tv. Your boss only needs to know that you are not going to work.

Any time you tell a boss why you won’t be there, they have the opportunity to belittle your plans and pressure you into doing what they want. The same thing happens when you apologize. Even one sorry show them that you feel guilty.

The good old “I am not going to be available,” is a strong but professional no. Hopefully your boss is professional and moves on.

Some bosses will push back though. Here are some of the possible responses they may give to your polite rejection.

Boss: “Are you sure you are not available?”

You: “Yes.”

Boss: “Why won’t you be available?”

You: “I have a prior commitment.”

Boss: “What is your prior commitment?”

You: “Sorry, but it is a personal matter.”

Boss: “Can you reschedule it?”

You: “No. It is not something I can reschedule.”

The less information you give them, the less they can push you. All of those answers are bland. They give no details, no excuses, and very minimal apologies. I wish I didn’t have to teach you that your free time belongs to you, but we live in a society that prioritizes work above everything else.

Something else to keep an eye on is how you contact people. Emails or LinkedIn are the preferred and professional methods of contact. For anyone who finds corporate emails uncomfortable and unnatural, I need you to pretend you are learning a new language. Business emails are all written in professional-eese. It feels stunted and like lying when you start, but after a while you will get the hang of it.

Your basic professional email format is below:

Dear [person I am writing to],

Optional introductory sentence if you do not know this person well and have not contacted them before, add your name and who you work for. Second optional sentence in case you were told to contact this person, please list the name and email of who directed you to write this email. You can replace that sentence with a quick recap of when you met the person you are currently emailing, if you have met them. Now state the purpose of the email in this sentence

This is an entirely optional paragraph in which you give more details on the topic. This sentence is when you discuss the relevant information and how soon you would like an answer. Please specify what kind of answer you are looking for and any other information that may be useful. Feel free to separate this paragraph into smaller ones to avoid sending a giant wall of text.

If you wrote the optional paragraph, then restate the purpose of the email and the request being made.

Then platitudes, thank them for their time or consideration so you do not come off as rude.

Closing salutation of your choice,

[your name]

Some common professional-eese phrases are below along with their translations.

Thanks for your patience = sorry for the delay; I took a while, but you can deal

Could you do [insert time]? = what works best for you; my schedule is important to me

Always happy to help = no problem; no worries; yeah, you are welcome

It would be best if we [insert action] = I think we should [insert action]; I know what I am doing

It’d be easier to discuss this in person = wording this is hard; I am confused on your tone and opinion

Let me know if you have questions = hopefully that makes sense?; do you get it?

When can I expect an update = Just checking in on the progress; where the heck are we on this?

Nice catch! Updated the file attached. Thank you for letting me know = Ah sorry, my bad. I fixed it; I made a very small error, and you pointed it out publicly

I will need to leave for [blank] at [time] = could I leave early?; I have an appointment

Per my last email = please pay attention; why must I repeat myself; try reading

To reiterate = I refuse to say this again so pay attention

Moving forward = I am done with this so do not bring it back up

I have cc’ed/copied on [insert name] = we have witnesses now so behave; this is not my job so go away

Kind regards = I am currently screaming into a pillow because you seem incompetent

Now every office and region may have slight variations on professional-eese. If you approach emails in the business world as a new language, and are ready to learn, you should be okay.

I do want to stress the importance of knowing your rights in any workplace. No matter where you work, if it is in America, I can assure you it is your legal right to talk about how much you are getting paid. A lot of companies try to discourage anyone discussing pay rates because it helps them get away with shady things like paying people poorly. If an employer ever asks you not to discuss pay, that is a warning sign.

I often find myself in situations where people demand more of me because I befriend my managers. This is a double-edged blade, because I do gain a better understanding of what is happening both good and bad. Be careful that even if you are friends with your boss, you keep in mind the power imbalance between you.

Last piece of miscellaneous advice for those who have attained a job, how to deal with people interrupting you or ignoring you. This one is more aimed towards people who have been discriminated against in the workplace. People with disabilities, uteruses, extra melanin. People who are ‘different’.

If someone is talking over you, don’t keep trying to talk. Go silent. Stare at them blankly. Ignore every word that comes out of their mouth. The minute you acknowledge or contradict something they have said, you admit they spoke. Instead, ignore them.

As soon as the interrupter has stopped talking, simply say “I was not finished speaking.” If someone else in the room starts to respond to the interrupter, ignore them. Now start over at the very beginning of what you had been talking about.

It doesn’t matter how far in you were, start over. And this is where it is important to not mention anything the interrupter said. If you do, they feel like they contributed in some way. When an interrupter realizes you did not pay attention to them, they will be sad.

If they interrupt you again, then do the same thing. Once it hits interruption 3, switch out the “I was not finished speaking” for a “You are not letting me speak. Either wait until I am done before you try contributing, or we can just be finished for the time being.”

If the interrupter laughs or tries to joke about you being bossy or uptight, just leave. Forcibly end the conversation. If this is happening during a meeting, simply turn away from them to the rest of the room and say something like “I will not be able to continue because [interrupter name] refuses to let me finish.”

Acknowledging this to a crowd or group of people in a calm and collected manner makes them look bad.

I know it is hard out there. I know movies and TV make it look like the underdog is the best thing to be but in real life being the so-called underdog is frustrating. I feel tired after just a few minutes of trying to make a point or be seen as a person not a woman.