I believe the reason why many people accept a job duty they do not like is because they feel they have no choice. Speaking for myself, I accept a job duty I don’t like because I, too, feel like I have no choice. If I ignore what I am told to do I’m fired, and if I suck it up and do what I’m told, I keep my job. However, I would argue that it all depends on the duty I’m asked to accomplish that determines whether or not I do what I am told to do because if the duty goes against my own personal morals, I quit before I get fired. For example, I quit my job at SFO (San Francisco International Airport) as a customer service agent for an airline a few years back because I could not deal with two things: the late hours and the toll working late hours had on my body and mind.
When I was hired to work at SFO, my boss told me my schedule would be from 5pm or maybe 7pm (it all depended on the flight schedules) till about 2am. I took the job because I wanted to work for an airline and also because the work schedule fit with my busy school schedule. At first it was wonderful working at SFO. My coworkers were all very friendly and helpful; they made me feel welcome and comfortable. I didn’t mine working the late hours because I was getting paid. I was getting paid overtime to help rebook angry passengers all morning after a flight was cancelled. Though I have to admit, rebooking angry passengers SUCKED BIG TIME! But I had to do it because if I didn’t I was fired. However, I did not mine having to stay long hours when it was on a Friday or Saturday morning because I had nothing to do the following day, except maybe homework.
Eventually working long hours started to annoy me because I did not want to stay all morning long, especially Monday mornings. Working late hours and going to school on Mondays were the worse for me because I was practically a walking zombie. I attended school four days a week: Monday through Thursday. I had class on Mondays from 10am till 6pm, and by the time I got home on Monday in the evening, I was practically dead. At school I had the hardest time fighting the urge of wanting to fall asleep in class. My eyelids felt like they each weight a ton; they felt so heavy on my face. Caffeine had no affect on my body; it did absolutely nothing to keep me focus. I could drink two cups of coffee, one after the other, and feel no affect. In class, I would space out and not absorb any information the professor was lecturing on. Whatever my professor said when in through one ear and right out the other without me even noticing. I dreaded feeling so tired and drained. I mean I had been working since 5pm the day before till 8am the following day, which was 13 hours. Sometimes, however, I could not leave until the morning crew arrived to takeover.
I knew I had to change the lifestyle I was leading because it was affecting my ability to stay sane. Once having to rebook angry passengers into later flights started to become a routine and I was losing too much sleep, and loosing my ability to stay present not just in class but in life, I knew it was time do something about it. As much as I hated having to make the decision to quit my job because I really enjoyed working with my coworkers, I knew I could not handle being a full time student and work 30 hours a week. Yes, the money I received helped me, a college student, live comfortably, but I had to make the decision to quit and keep my sanity and health. I knew that if I did not stay when asked to stay and rebook angry passengers in other flights, I would be fired. Therefore, I did stay for as long as I could take it. However, I reached my limit of tolerance and I had to make the choice to quit because my education and health were suffering as a consequence of working long hours. I had to set my priorities straight and decided for myself what I valued more.
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