September 24, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Prometheus
September 24, 2008 at 9:48 pm
I think that you may have confused Sisyphus (eternally condemned to push a boulder up a hill) for Prometheus (bringer of fire/light/enlightenment to humanity). Mind you, I think that you can make a case for either as an analogue for DBA's. 🙂
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September 25, 2008 at 1:59 am
I have to say I work in a small team. Each of us are responsible for our own workload and occasionally picking up the pieces if we need to.
Sometimes if you are driving yourself its hard to put on the brakes and appreciate time with the family. I think its only recently (and I've been working here 4 years) that I've realised that there is always tomorrow - no one is going to die if I knock off on time. Sure, certain projects are critical to your business, but prioritising and being able to realise whats keeping you in pay and whats a none urgent nicety helps to free up your time.
Theres a famous saying - No one ever died thinking 'I could have spent more time at the office'
Jamie
September 25, 2008 at 6:23 am
As a developer, one of the most annoying issues is being give a "hard" deadline from a client, spending long hours and weekends meeting the deadline, and then finding the client just sits on the project for weeks or months as they weren't "ready" for deployment.
Companies sometimes wonder why they have turnover, when they often don't appreciate that burnout is a real phenomenon. A person can only be pushed so far until they either break or give up. Sometimes you have to work long, hard hours, but everyone needs a rest to re-energize and recover.
I think the reference to Sisyphus should apply to the bosses who abuse their power and never seem to understand why their wildly optimistic timetables are rarely reached.
September 25, 2008 at 6:32 am
rbarryyoung (9/24/2008)
I think that you may have confused Sisyphus (eternally condemned to push a boulder up a hill) for Prometheus (bringer of fire/light/enlightenment to humanity). Mind you, I think that you can make a case for either as an analogue for DBA's. 🙂
Maybe Steve had a Freudian slip, thinking of a previous stressful time and just wanting to burn the place down . . .
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September 25, 2008 at 6:35 am
Didn't prometheus steal fire from Zeus and give it to mankind?
September 25, 2008 at 6:38 am
Taking a vacation of 2 weeks or longer is a great way to level out during the year, and while few companies offer one, even a self funded sabbatical is a way to regain some perspective. Working hard is good, but you have to find an overall sustainable pace. Easier said than done.
September 25, 2008 at 7:09 am
I think I did miss my target with the myth, though as I think about it, giving up a liver every day for your boss might be how many of you feel. :w00t:
It's easy to stress out and think that things have to be done tomorrow, but think about how many times you've delayed a project because something wasn't done. Did your business fail? Probably not.
I think that having deadlines is good. It pushes us and we instinctually want to finish by that time. And people need to have deadlines or they'll work at a slow, lazy pace. At least most people will. Not everyone, but lots of workers would just place less importance on a task if it doesn't have a due date.
But driving people to burnout or making them miss the rest of their life to meet an arbitrary deadline isn't the solution.
There's probably some middle ground here, some negotiating the deadline, but also some constant communication as things change or issues arise that slow the pace of work.
September 25, 2008 at 7:26 am
I've worked for companies where everyone worked extra hours all the time. I agree, a good manager knows how to manage the employees' workload, but when the manager is working long hours also, that tends to be passed on down to his/her people, and it's usually futile to ask for a "lighter" load. Sometimes the only thing to do is find another employer who values their employees and understands the need to balance workloads.
September 25, 2008 at 7:30 am
Good editorial, that's a great thing for people to hear. I think though, like everything, you have to experience it for yourself. Eventually, you'll have a massive burnout, and hopefully come out the other side somewhat enlightened. At least that's been my experience. 🙂
I've been working with a start-up software company as the "IT guy", which means I design, develop, and do all the maintenance tasks to keep the thing running as well. It's a niche SAAS offering.
It's a neat job, I love a lot about it, but the stress has been killer. The development phase was past due before we even started, there's no one else to share the work (or the blame), plus the extra pressure of trying to make a business viable. I wound up feeling constantly behind, would go on massive work spurts to try to catch up, then burn out just feeling dejected and horrible.
After repeating that enough times, I finally decided that it's no way to live. My Mom gave me a knick-knack that says "When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging." Good advice. One other piece of advice. You will actually accomplish more, and accomplish it better, by defining clear priorities and reasonable goals, taking the time to put systems in place, and working steadily, consistently, regular hours.
People want everything, and they want it right now, but you can't always give it to them. Prioritize yourself and your sanity first, it's really all you've got. 🙂
September 25, 2008 at 8:11 am
For me, it depends on what I'm accomplishing or contributing towards. I've worked for causes that were saving lives, and for those, I worked long weeks, long shifts, missed vacations, sometimes didn't go home or even sleep for days at a time, and it was worth it to me, even with very low monetary pay. Currently, I work for a marketing company, and if I work a 50-hour week, I expect to get 10 hours (approximately) of paid time off some time in the future. My current boss sees it the same way, and we're happy with that.
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September 25, 2008 at 8:41 am
In the dim distant past, having worked for a division of the Union Carbide Corp. (since gone belly up and sold) where at the end of your first year of employment you were given an annual 2 weeks of vacation, at the 5th year your annual vacation was 3 weeks per year, and for each 5 year period after the 1st 5 years you were given a 6 week paid sabbatical leave. Now as far as enjoying that time off, it was mandatory that each employee take a yearly minimum of 2 weeks vacation, either as a 2 week period or two 1 week vacations. Yes when we did work we commonly worked 40-45 hrs per week and if those extra hours where at the companies request compensating time off was given. In that position stress overload was non-existent, and the teams I had the honor of working with were extremely productive. In todays day and age I do not think I will ever see another company that truly believed that all work and no play made Jack a dull and less productive employee.
September 25, 2008 at 8:55 am
I agree a good manager is important. If the deadline of a project is unrealistic and the workload is overwhelming, the manager should raise the issue and help the employees. However some managers are side with the upper management and don't care about their employees. They just want the project to meet the deadline so they look good in front of the upper management.
Unfortunately the number of bad managers outnumbers the good managers.
September 25, 2008 at 9:01 am
I find that the breaks actually make me aware of how hard I'm working, so without breaks, I can usually push myself to extremes without too much stress. But as soon as I have a bit of breathing room, I push for more...
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