“Prison life consists of routine, and then more routine.”

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Okay, so it might not be fair to compare work to prison, but you have to agree that there IS a lot of routine involved. You struggle to wake up every morning, put on your suit, trudge down the stairs, get on the tram, beep into the building, sit at your desk, attend a few meetings, zone out at the desk, wait a few hours, and then leave work, only to start the cycle again for the rest of the week.

I can’t decide whether having routine at work is a good or bad thing. I think most people would claim that they want a dynamic, challenging job that throws them curveballs on a daily basis. I would also say the same. BUT I can also see the other side, because it could be very comforting to just go to work, do what you gotta do, and then leave without anything hanging over your head.

“Work” for me also used to be much more defined. Sure, I have things to do now, but my tasks aren’t as clear as they used to be. What do I mean? Well… Back in the hey day when I wore grey clown pants, a greasy white/grey striped shirt and floppy green visor for A&W, my job was very clear. I was to:

• Take customers’ orders (Do you wanna biggy-size that?)
• Serve food to customers
• Bag take-out orders
• Clean the dining area
• Clean the toilets
• Take out the trash, etc.

Every task could be written out and checked off once completed, it was so clear. Oh look, the straws are almost out, we need more straws. Oh, oh, the ketchup’s spurting, we need to fill that up. Running low on extra large soda cups. Milkshake machine’s making a bit too much noise, we need more mix for that too. And so it went…The 8-hour shifts flew by as if they were only 2.

I remember when I first started at my so-called corporate job about one year ago and meeting my fellow coworkers. One of them introduced himself as responsible for Sustainable Development for an entire business unit. During our one-on-one meeting, I kept asking him, “So…what exactly do you do?” to which he responded with a slew of phrases that I (not surprisingly) cannot remember even one, and I am still unsure of what exactly he does to contribute to Sustainable Development for that entire business unit. I just didn’t understand what he was doing while on the phone, or in front of his computer for 8 hours in a day.

But eventually, it clicked, and now I realise that what people do at their desks is really a sort of façade. We’re all working in a maze of emails, corresponding with people, dealing with IT problems, googling something now and then (I’m pretty sure it’s not only me), making PowerPoint presentations, planning meetings, etc. Everyone seems to think that what they do is mighty important, when in fact, perhaps what they do doesn’t make an ounce of difference to the all and powerful multinational corporation.

I guess that’s the difference between working on the front line, and working on a ‘higher’ level (headquarters). On the front line, it’s clear what you gotta do. In fact, it can be very noticeable if you don’t do your job, (ie. No more ketchup!!) and when you are sitting behind a desk, doing ‘high-level’ stuff, it can become very ambiguous and vague what exactly you’re supposed to be doing…

Perhaps it’s just me and the other people in headquarters actually have lots of tasks to keep them busy. It could be true. But sometimes, when I am staring blankly at my screen, wondering what else I can possibly google today, I wish I had a mindless job which was simple enough for me to do without thinking, and just let the time fly by (and the money roll in.) ;)