In one of my previous jobs, I had a supervisor with a rather peculiar attitude towards taking leave. Even if it was a normal leave request and tasks were completed on time, I could sense some dissatisfaction.
At first, I didn’t understand. I thought as long as I did my job well, it would be fine. To avoid affecting the progress, I adjusted my work routine:
- Arrived 30 minutes early
- Shortened lunch break
- Stayed late
- Sometimes continued working in the evenings
The tasks were never delayed, and I never complained.
Until one year-end 1-on-1 meeting, when the supervisor said something that really surprised me:
“If you have time to take leave, that means you should have time to handle more work.”
That’s
when I realized — my supervisor didn’t know that I was adjusting my
schedule and putting in extra effort to complete the tasks.
They only saw me “taking leave but still delivering on time” and interpreted it as me “having more time to do other work.”
This experience made me realize the unwritten rules in the workplace: if the official work hours are 40, you should report only 40, and the negative impact it causes.
In the past, I complied and chose to remain silent, but from that moment on, I decided not to do that anymore.
I track the hours I work honestly.
Any overtime, I don’t hide. Any effort, I no longer ignore.
The work itself is important, but making sure the work is seen is equally important.
