A problem with blue collar work, and what I'm gonna do to help
I'm a welder by trade. I have a day job as a welder and I run a small weld shop for side gigs.
I love my work, but sometimes the environment is a bit much. You know the stereotypical welder type. There's a reason that's the stereotype.
The biggest problem that I often get caught up in is trash talking. There's an amount that doesn't hurt anything, but it can get out of hand easily, causing butthurt and a toxic work environment. Nobody wants that.
So what I decided to try today was to:
- Brush off trash talk
- Not return fire
- Ask myself if what I want to say is useful and productive
I'm prone to taking things personal, but I also tend to internalize it and be passive aggressive. I've found myself repeatedly CREATING a toxic work environment, and that's not professional or efficient. This week I decided to work on that.
In taking these steps and implementing them into my daily life I hope my work environment will improve and I expect there will be less workplace politics. I hate workplace politics. It distracts from production and increases interpersonal friction. I hope I can help that some by changing myself.
Anyways, that's just my self-improvement idea for the day. Maybe you can read this and find it useful.
Stay relevant y'all
Nate
I hope that you find success with your new strategy! A toxic work environment is taxing on a person: and we need to spend so many hours at that place in the week. Hope some rays of sunshine come through for you today Nate!
Bro, I feel it! Today feels awesome already, thanks!
That's part of why I'm doing this: I spend at least 40 hours a week here, and that's a quarter of my life! Why would I not try and improve something that takes up that big of a part of my life???
I'm super glad to hear of how the day is going.
I encourage you to push on with this new method of handling the work racket. Remember that you cannot control others, only yourself. And it seems like you're owning that today!