Why should I bother and give it my all if I'm getting nothing in return? I'm being treated exactly the same way as people who barely do anything the whole day. Then they wonder why productivity continues to fall. You give me no incentives to work hard and you still think I'll do it? Fu-k that.
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I generally agree with the last post but the acceptability of leaving at 5:30 and not answering emails on the weekend entirely depends on your group and manager. I found out in my last role that I was not allowed to have a life.
Here’s the deal OP: Nike values your hard work but, if you don’t have the right internal social connections, that work will not be rewarded with promotions and other financial incentives. Some might say I’m being cynical but I’m not. That’s just the cold hard reality of working at Nike.
At some point you’ll realize that you either are or are not going to advance much at Nike. It takes a lot of people a pretty long time to learn this. They incorrectly believe that if they do good work, have enough wins, and are generally liked by their colleagues then that will be enough to advance. It isn’t. You HAVE to be schmoozing with the right people and you must be a member of various internal social networks. That’s how it works.
When you discover that you are never going to break past a certain ceiling you have a choice. Either accept it and be OK with it, or start looking for opportunity elsewhere.
Both of those are valid choices. Most people are fine with the decent pay, benefits, and relative stability that comes with working at such a large company. Others want more, know they are capable of more, and aren’t willing to settle for what Nike is offering them. Again these are both valid ways to feel. Not everyone has the same life priorities.
If you decide to accept your fate of career stagnation it’s also valid to treat your job like a 9-5. That means no evening and weekend emails, no taking on work you don’t absolutely have to do, and essentially doing the bare minimum. As you noted “going the extra mile” isn’t going to benefit you anyway so there’s no reason to even bother. This might also sound cynical but it is also just a cold hard truth. Those colleagues you complain about? Maybe they’ve learned how this all works and have decided to work at a minimal level. Maybe they’re being smart and taking advantage of Nike as much as Nike is taking advantage of them.
Don’t worry that your minimal performance will increase your chances of being laid off. Layoffs are not based on performance. They are largely based on business needs and demographics. Being the highest performer or the lowest won’t matter if your org or demographic has been targeted for reduction. It takes people a long time to learn that too.
Decide what’s going to make you happy, move in that direction, and then stop stressing about it. I have chosen to stay here and be that guy who everyone vaguely knows but no one ever thinks about. I fly under the radar. I do good work but a minimal amount of it. If I don’t absolutely have to do something, I don’t. There’s a lot of work that will just go away if you ignore it long enough. I reliably check out at 5:30 everyday. I get email all weekend but never respond until Monday. I have yet to hear or see anyone complain that I didn’t respond immediately. No one has ever died because I didn’t work over the weekend or while taking time off. I know I’ll likely never be promoted and stopped caring about it. I’m in it for the steady paycheck and good benefits. I know that at the end of the day I’m a number, that most of my work relationships are superficial, and that Nike is just a company that sells shoes and apparel. I don’t pretend to myself that we’re saving the world nor do I drink the corporate Kool-aid. I’m in it for me and my family and make no apologies about that. Do what YOU need to do for yourself, stop worrying about other people or what they think, and ride the gravy train as long as you can. You’ll be happier that way.
@1mjc+1o7yW3s8 That's exactly what happened to me - I was told that as a WM I wouldn't really be considered for the position
Leadership initiatives are another huge factor. I watched directors loading women into roles one year and then in a panic, divert to seeking out POC after the latest initiative. Many of which were under qualified and frankly not even interested in the role being provided.
I’ve literally been told in interviews that I had little opportunity as a WM despite having a highly successful rating.
Why would anyone in this position even consider working hard?
Happy for those given opportunities, but you have to admit it’s kind of a mind f*** of a situation to be in for someone like me
My lesson after a decade was that it does not really matter what you do or how well. It matters who you know and how you are "classified" early on in your career. That classification can largely depend on what school you went to and/or who you jog with in the morning. Nike expects your whole life to revolve around the company. I saw people ki-ling themselves who got nowhere or were constantly disciplined and beat upon. I saw others who seemingly could make multi-million dollars goofs and still be promoted to the VP level because they were protected. I checked out my last year at Nike and just started working on my next move. It was clear it didnt matter how much value I delivered but that I wasnt in with the right crowd...nor did I want to be with the level of sociopath who were in that group.