The Charming Artisan

It’s not as hard as you think.

It really isn’t.

Here is the secret, work 10% harder than the person next to you. Clean up your work area, organize your materials. Ask if anyone needs help with anything. There are many things that you can do that the others aren’t doing.

When you are working with a journeyman, have the next part/tool/step ready to go without being asked.

If you’ve stepped back to look at what you’ve just installed and the boss comes around the corner (because they always do) and it looks like your being lazy, always have a question on your mind to ask them. That way it will seem like your just planning your next move.

“Does that look crooked, not square or uneven to you?”

“What do you think of…?”

“Do you know if we have the parts for the next task?”

When layoff time comes around, the first to go will be the ones who put in the bare minimum effort. The ones who complain the most. The ones who are always standing around when the boss comes around the corner.

The first ones to be hired back for the next project will be the ones who pay attention to the little details. The ones who ask questions. The ones who put in that little bit of extra effort.

Pay attention to the group of co-workers (there’s always a few) that complain about everything. They think they are owed something beyond a regular pay check. The work, but only hard enough to keep from getting in trouble. The last to show up and the first to leave. These are the groups that you don’t want to be associated with. They will probably get on your case for putting in any extra effort, but in the long run, you will be better off.

This works for any job in the world, not just the trades. You don’t need to put in a bunch of free hours, but keeping your break times tight and being generally helpful when the right opportunity comes along can help you keep steady long term employment in the future.

I have seen many colleagues look for ways to avoid doing any actual work during the day. To me, that seems like more work than the work they were supposed to be doing, not to mention that it makes for a very long day.