Imagine screwing together two blades, like assembling a pair of scissors, 272 times an hour. Because you rotate into three other positions, you will do that task nearly 3000 times a week. You can cut yourself if you’re not paying attention and the activity is not mentally stimulating. Did I mention starting pay under $12 an hour?
That was one of my production lines when I was a Plant Manager. My turnover rates were so good they were bad. One of my guys was 76, still grinding parts in the machine shop 40 plus hours a week, on his feet most of the time. (The company would have loved to pay a 20-something less.)
It wasn’t my amazing management. It was 3-day weekends. The shifts which had the longest shifts, but also the longest weekends, had the least accidents. And the best attendance. The most eager to work on continuous improvement projects and the most management friendly.
How was only one shift not burnt out when they are all doing the same tasks for the same amount of time per week? Because they weren’t bored… Burnout isn’t simply being bored. Boredom comes from not doing enough of the right activity.
On the opposite side of the spectrum is burnout. Burnout is doing too much of the wrong thing. Assembling parts. Folding laundry. Leaving voicemails. We aren’t factory workers, so no loud whistle cleanly separates work from life. Entrepreneurs often live their business. We work right through our three-day weekends.
When you think about it, that means we must find more of the right activity inside of recruiting. If you run your own business, there must be something about the job which fires you up, because your free time isn’t free.
Easy assignment for the week. Write a list of the things which are the fun exciting “right activities” inside of recruiting for you. The more things you like about your job, the more the “grind activities” disappear. Display your list where you can see it so it reminds you to celebrate the parts of your job you like in the sea of busy work it takes to get there.
Here’s some of mine beyond a pay day, but it is crucial you make your own:
- Surprise! They answered
- Elegant search strings
- Deploying clever messaging
- Client appreciates me
- Engaging conversation
Stop working in a silo! Get the support you need from expert coaches and a group of high performing peers. Learn more below.
Tricia Tamkin, headhunter, advisor, coach, and gladiator. Tricia has spoken at over 50 recruiting events, been quoted in multiple national publications, and her name is often dropped in groups as the solution to any recruiters’ challenges. She brings over 30 years of deep recruiting experience and offers counsel in a way which is perspective changing and entertaining.
