Making It Up As I Go Along #402

Heading to Overtime
Overtime excitement is something I’ve never gotten. I don’t mean a hockey game. Playoff hockey that goes to overtime is matched by little in this world. What I mean is working overtime.

For several years now, our office has offered quite a bit of overtime. And I’ve rarely done it. Why would I want to drive in to the office six or seven days a week? Isn’t five enough?

Yet it’s a virtual celebration in our office when the overtime sign up sheets go up. It’s like Christmas with the giddiness you see on some people’s faces. And I can never help but feel like there’s something drastically wrong in life when overtime causes such joy.

More money isn’t a bad thing. Don’t get me wrong about that... I’d take it. But time away from the office is a valuable thing to me. I think I’d need to be offered quadruple time to make it worth my while. I guess it shows that I’m doing alright for money.

But it is a sad thing if people are so much in financial need that a full time, well paying job isn’t enough to make ends meet. Cause for some, overtime seems to be a lifeline. As if they were just about to lose their house before the sign up sheet offered them salvation. It shouldn’t come to that. And if it’s a legitimate problem... well maybe our jobs aren’t so well paying after all. At least not in today’s economy.

For others, it’s like they really don’t have anything else in life other than work. Overtime seems to be something good for them the same way as going out with friends would be for others. Like it will save them from many hours at home... with the family. I swear there are people who dislike their family so much, they’d look for anything to be away from them.

For others, it’s simply seen as a fairly easy way to get some extra bucks. Go in for a few hours and come out with an IOU for a few hundred bucks. I say IOU because our office is horrible at actually paying out overtime. All finances in our office is about two months delayed. Get a promotion... you’ll see it in two months. Work overtime... two months later it’ll be there... probably. I have heard of a few who have had to hound the finance department for three to six months before getting what they worked for.

Still, people flock to overtime. It’s usually a full line up on the weekends with people clamoring to find a space. Maybe everyone wants to get a new flat screen TV. Perhaps homes are falling down around them all and this money will help pay for renovations. It’s possible that ten year old’s university educations are getting paid for on these Saturday and Sunday mornings. Who am I to begrudge someone else going back to work for some extra money?

But one thing for sure, it’s not for me. I can’t say I’d never go work overtime again. But I’ll never treat it like winning the lottery. For me, I can’t help but think of years of overtime as a sign of poor planning. It overworks employees and takes away from people’s lives.

And for me, a day around the house with a record on the turntable or a hockey game on the TV, while the laundry is rumbling and the sun shines through the windows, giving the place a special Saturday glow... well that’s worth much more to me than a couple of hundred dollars.

MONDAY...
— Working with Terry’s team. Kiyomi being the desk buddy doing AFIS work. Not a bad night.

TUESDAY...
— Sickness getting into the office again. Tonight, Martin leaves after a few hours and Kiyomi and Bill both never made it at all. In the end, Devin and I are the only ones left in QC/AFIS by the time the night ends. Pizza for supper is good though.

WEDNESDAY...
— Feel sort of off today. Up early but go back to bed around 10:30 and sleep until 1:30 or so. Still off a bit at work... Devin leaves sick... Kiyomi is back and Martin is there too, but not 100%. Kiyomi and I do some Wendy’s for supper and it’s an alright night. I actually even feel kind of better by the end.
— See my old house during Republic of Doyle. Not a great view of it but it’s there.

THURSDAY...
— Feeling fine. Seems I skirted the flu thing rather than get hit with it.

FRIDAY...
— Greek night at work... yum. Next week... dayshift again. I’m afraid.

SATURDAY...
— Watch some TV and do laundry. Montreal beats Pittsburgh in hockey and Toronto pounds Ottawa. The Toronto game makes you feel good for sports teams as the Leafs really came together to get a win for Brian Burke (who lost his son by car accident Friday).
— UFC after the hockey... not a real good card but some fun all the same.