DOES HARD WORK PAY?

Recently, I have been consuming a lot of content on my Tiktok about hard work. a bulk of those contents have been against hard work. Most people are of the argument that going above and beyond for any organisation isn't worth it. Now, before I share my thoughts on the matter, I will share why many people feel this way about work (respective of their class or race).

What does it mean to work hard?

We all have different definitions or ideas as to what constitutes hard work. However, there is consensus on the idea that going above and beyond what is expected of a person in a given setting is 'working hard'. For example, if your job requires you to be in the office for six hours daily, working hard would mean sacrificing personal time and prioritizing the completion of tasks with utmost dedication. This may involve investing additional time and energy into a project or task.

Many individuals not only complete their assigned tasks but also perform them flawlessly and add ingenuity, which is admirable. Every business owner or team leader would appreciate having such dedicated and tenacious team members. However, most businesses fail to reciprocate this effort. They tend to do the very opposite of what the employee is doing which is to give the bare minimum.

My mum recently shared a story about a lady who worked for a said family. She was committed and went the extra mile to serve this family and as expected they showed appreciation. However, when the said lady had accommodation problems and reached out to the family they would not help her even though they had the means to and it would cost them nothing. Rather, they consoled and prayed for her in their usual fashion. This hurt the said lady deeply and withdrew from them, but it did not stop there.

The said family members went about telling other community members that the lady was ungrateful. However, that did not stop them from reaching out to come back and offer her services because they knew the value she was giving. This is the two-faced nature of most organisations and communities.

Now, you might say this said lady felt entitled, and ythink that no one owes anyone anything in life (which is false), however, we also must establish that no one does anything for altruistic reasons. There is always a catch, a healthy one I must add, and it is that their devotion and commitment be reciprocated. Unfortunately, this is never the case.

Often people are reminded how replaceable they are in any given setting especially when they voice how unfairly they are being treated. Yes, there are instances where people overvalued their impact or service in a given setting, but typically most people who give their very best never really get the best, and there are various reasons for this situation.

Most people who often work the hardest are often less privileged. Working hard isn't often a thing of choice but a necessity to survive because people in this category do not have much bargaining power. It is either they work hard or nothing, and those who have the power know and exploit this to some degree.

When we look at the Web 3 industry, we can see that the majority of the work is being done by individuals from second and third-world countries. Unfortunately, this group is also the most exploited. However, there are certain demographics with less input, but most of the capital, and they are always catered to even at the expense of a project or organization. It doesn't matter how hard someone outside of this demographic works, they can't seem to break into this group. They may work hard and receive occasional recognition, but the rewards for their efforts are never equal to their input. As a result, many feel disconnected and may only give the bare minimum or even quit altogether. This is a passive-aggressive response to the perceived injustice they experience.

As someone from a third-world country, I am aware of the limitations placed upon me. I understand that certain groups may have access to opportunities that I do not and that financial resources often dictate success. Despite these challenges, I believe in working hard and giving the possible best in any situation, whether it be in my community or within an organization. This entails doing a little bit better than most people in that system.

So for instance, if everyone can give 50 per cent, I give between 51-60 per cent. That is enough to set me apart from the crowd. Exceeding that will be a wasted effort because it would neither be recognised nor appreciated. There is nothing worse than doing better than everyone else and still getting rewarded less than most people. You go from loathing the establishment to engaging in counterintuitive activities that hurt your image/resume in the long run. Instead, I focus on improving my skills and networking to take advantage of new opportunities. This helps me avoid the negative consequences of doing subpar work and navigate a system that may be working against me.

When you do get out of the gutters as a person from a humble beginning, you need to help your community or people in your demographics. This is the only way to end the cycle of exploitation. Understand that doing the bare minimum never elevates a person or group that is already disadvantaged. Only those with privileges have the luxury to be lackadaisical about work and life. So this is why I am passionate about community work and harder on people from/in my demographics.

So in conclusion, working hard doesn't always pay, but working as hard as you need to elevate yourself (and your community) will often bring about the result we want. This might take a lot of time but guess what? You aren't suffering burnouts from over-extending yourself in ways you shouldn't to impress people who only care about their bottom line. Cheers!