What do you like and not like about your job?

[Phoenix84]

The question is pretty self explanatory.

What aspects of your job do you like, and what elements don't you like?

[Deleted]

I like the work, I like that I am good at it. 

I do not like the toxic atmosphere around here (that's what happens when family works with family) and that the company is so small there's no room for advancement. But I get to work "Mommy hours" and the boss leaves me alone for the most part, so I stay. 

[shanendoah]

I don't currently have a job.
What I don't like: I don't have a job. Sitting home alone all day is slowly driving me crazy. (Slow is good since it's not a very far drive.)

What I like: Currently, I'm in bed in my bathrobe with my puppies curled up next to me. A little later today, we'll go to the dog park.

[midjd]

Likes:
- I feel like the work I do makes a difference (last week one of our cases was written up in the Wall St. Journal!)
- My boss is incredibly good at her job, and I've learned a ton;
- My other boss is like a father to me;
- My coworkers are pleasant;
- The work itself is interesting;
- The pay is good for a government job;
- Solid benefits, including free CLE;
- Snazzy business cards with a big gold embossed state seal;
- I have my own window office with a nice view of downtown;
- We host a lot of meetings so there are almost always delicious leftovers in the breakroom

Dislikes:
- I don't like having to talk to people on the phone;
- I occasionally have to inquire into very sensitive personal matters, which always pisses people off;
- There are political pressures that can be annoying;
- Death threats from prisoners;
- Because we are beholden to the taxpayers, there are a lot of nitpicky rules (must be in the office within 5 minutes after your start time, or you will need to flex or use PTO, must take lunch between 11-2, etc.)
- Not a ton of flexibility with regard to pay/raises;
- Vending machines are highway robbery! $0.85 for a can of Diet Coke?!?
- Office is 50 miles from home - although I don't mind my commute, there are days when it would be nice to be able to just dart home at lunch.

[Bob Ross]

Dislikes:
- Sometimes they make me do shit.

Likes:
- Sometimes they don't make me do shit.

[Deleted]

I like that I get paid.

I don't like pretty much everything else! 

[resolution]

I telecommute full time for a brick and mortar employer.

What I like:
I like the variety in my work. I have a mix of analysis and creativity, which I enjoy.
When I make suggestions, management listens to me and gives my ideas consideration.
I have a lot of short projects that last for just a few months to a year, so I don't have lingering, old problems.
I have enough deadlines to keep me on track but not enough to stress me out.
I like my supervisor, manager and coworkers. It is a pleasure to work with them.
I overslept today and woke up 15 minutes before my start time, but I still got to work on time.
I can live anywhere.

What I don't like:
I am isolated during the day.
I don't get as much exercise because I don't leave the house.
Promotional opportunities are extremely limited.
My coworkers resent my preferential treatment, as none of them are allowed to telecommute.
I am stuck in a rut, in the sense that if I stay 6 more years I can receive a pension at 50, but if I leave for a better opportunity then the pension won't kick in until age 60.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

What I like:

My work makes a difference in the world even if it's a small one

I am always learning new things, it's never dull around here

Lab work is mostly about productivity so I have a lot of flexibility as long as I get everything done

My bosses are very supportive and so is my workplace when it comes to breastfeeding.

I work by myself so everything is exactly how I leave it, no having to clean up messes besides my own.  No dealing with co-worker drama

Even though the hospital/university stay open my bosses told me I'm not doing anything worth getting in a wreck over so as long as I have vacation time I can stay home on really crappy winter days

I now work right across the street from my women's clinic so I don't have ot take any vacation/sick time off for pre-natal appointments.  I'm gone and back in less than half an hour

I work 15 minutes from home

What I dislike

Academia sucks when it comes to pay

It's all about the pieces of paper, not about your experience and even if you have the piece of paper there isn't much room for advancement.  You're competing with thousands of people for one professorship

Whether or not I get a raise depends on the whims of the state since they have to approve the budget for the university

I work alone which means I'm the only one who can do the work, there is nobody to take over if I am sick which means I pretty much have to drag my behind into work if I don't want to end up buried

The parking!  Expansion is great and all but they tear up parking lots to build all these fancy new centers. Then they don't build anymore lots. If I get pushed back any further they might as well charge me to park in my own driveway!

[sheilaincali]

I like most of the actual work I do and 99% of my co-workers. The customers and clients are for the most part great to work with.  I like working for my folks because I have a super flexible schedule.  I can take a day off to volunteer at DS' knowledge bowl meets (my mom sometimes comes with to volunteer too).  I get paid a great base salary and annual bonus for what I do.

I dislike- working with my idiot brother and having to do certified payroll reports.  They make me go cross-eyed.  I don't get insurance currently (I have it thought DH)- the one company is an S corp and our insurance was set up as a monthly contribution to a medical savings account and family members aren't eligible for that under the old laws.  Now with the ACA we are offering health insurance but I don't know if I am eligible because I technically work for a different company (two companies, two different corporations (one  S and one C), same owner, same office building). 

Otherwise I'm content when I go to work.  I do my thing and leave at the end of the day. 

[Phoenix84]

I like the independence I have.  My boss is out of state, so I largely determine what I work on and when and how it gets done.  I like that I don't have to deal with the public, or try to sell stuff, or have to drum up business.  The work can be interesting and challenging as well.

I don't like all the administrative tasks that are heaped on us.  It seems like every year that goes by I do more and more admin tasks.  I also do not like that there is no opportunity for advancement with this agency.  My job is overhead, and not part of the core mission.  The only reason I'm here is because the law says they need someone like me.  So there's no real chance to move up.

There's also travel, which kinda fits under both catagories.  Sometimes it's a drag to have to drop everything and head out of town, but other times the trips are a pleasent get away.  I can see some interesting stuff I wouldn't normally see too.  Last week, I got to see the Sierra Mountains and Lake Tahoe.  Everything was covered with white, fluffy snow, pretty as a painting.  I had the two extremes in two weeks, a long, stressful trip where I got sick, and a shorter, low stress trip where I got to enjoy myself a bit.

[souldoubt]

I like my boss who is a great mentor, the company I work for which treats it's employees really well, the continued involvement in higher level things each year along with new projects that keep me interested, the pay, the perks, the fact that it isn't a corporate 'stab the guy in the back next to you to move up' mentality and so on.

Any dislikes would really be me nitpicking.  

[Phoenix84]

Mar 13, 2014 13:30:59 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

I like that I get paid.

I don't like pretty much everything else! 

Come on MPL, don't you at least like your bosses and co workers?

[The Captain]

Likes:

I have an office with a door and three windows on a Major Downtown street
I get to listen to music (on low) while I work
My boss takes me seriously and gives me the resources I need (HUGE)
Pay is good
Work is interestering
My opinion is sought after and valued
I get to set the timelines and deadlines for a lot of my work
I get to come up with process and management reporting improvements

Dislikes:
Commute - two hours each way
Regulatory issues - didn't exist when I started in this profession.  Now we have Sarbanes Oxley, PBAOC, etc to deal with.
Stress - financial errors in my particular area of disclipine are the #1 reason companies have to reissue financial statements (a major black   eye).       Because of this my particular area has insane levels of external auditor scruitiny and low dollar amounts of materiality.
My area is kind of technical, and I support dozens of people in the field who are not as technical.  I'm the last line of defense in catching material errors.
Separate from the commute - people are just plain flipping rude, clueless, and self absorbed at times.

[Sunnyday]

Mar 13, 2014 13:52:36 GMT -5 resolution said:

I telecommute full time for a brick and mortar employer.

What I like:
I like the variety in my work. I have a mix of analysis and creativity, which I enjoy.
When I make suggestions, management listens to me and gives my ideas consideration.
I have a lot of short projects that last for just a few months to a year, so I don't have lingering, old problems.
I have enough deadlines to keep me on track but not enough to stress me out.
I like my supervisor, manager and coworkers. It is a pleasure to work with them.
I overslept today and woke up 15 minutes before my start time, but I still got to work on time.
I can live anywhere.

What I don't like:
I am isolated during the day.
I don't get as much exercise because I don't leave the house.
Promotional opportunities are extremely limited.
My coworkers resent my preferential treatment, as none of them are allowed to telecommute.
I am stuck in a rut, in the sense that if I stay 6 more years I can receive a pension at 50, but if I leave for a better opportunity then the pension won't kick in until age 60.

I'm quoting you because your list is the same as my list except for the pension part.

Right now, I'm loving the flexibility that my job offers me. I work from home, when I pick up my kids from daycare, I walk two minutes. my house is central. But I never leave it because I never need to. This is a problem that has leaked over to my personal life. The more i stay home, yhe more I want to stay home. I don't even make an effort to look nice.

I'm bored and tired of my job. and sometimes, I just want to say, screw it and use my "f**k you" money to quit, but that makes no sense. I will keep working with a smile plastered on my face (I was once told to smile when I answer the phone, because it makes a difference in your voice when talking with colleagues and clients) until I find a job that is better on all levels: pay, work and possibility for advancement.

[Deleted]

Mar 13, 2014 14:30:08 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

Mar 13, 2014 13:30:59 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

I like that I get paid.

I don't like pretty much everything else! 

Come on MPL, don't you at least like your bosses and co workers?

Yes, I like (most) of my coworkers.  I've been here for 20 years, so some of them I go way back with.

The job itself is so pointless and dull.  I think I would rather be on the production floor where I started so I could go home feeling like I accomplished something. 

But, I have my cozy little cube where nobody bugs me and I have some flexibility in my hours which helps with the kids.

[Deleted]

I like (ok, love) working with kids.
I like (ok, love) making the kids read my favorite stuff.  Although some stuff is mandated, there is enough "optional stuff" that is incredibly fun.  Can anyone say My Fair Lady?  We filter it through the lens of how language affects class, which is a great lesson in itself.

I don't like technology for technology's sake.  I actually heard an asst. principal say aloud that one of the reasons we gave kids Ipads is because they will have to deal with such distractions all of their lives.  We are helping them to make "wise choices."  Ok.  I'd rather just help them learn.

I don't like feeling that I'm slowly getting out of touch because of technology for technology's sake.  Sure, it will be a part of these kids' college experience, but I think it's still at the replacement level instead of the transformative level.  The difference is that replacement is simply replacing the typed essay by turning it in electronically.  The transformative level is that you are no longer simply creating an essay.  It has been transformed into . . . I don't know exactly what.  Maybe an interactive website?  Think Prezi.  You keep on drilling down until . . . I don't know exactly what.

I don't think college has reached that level yet, but maybe it has.  I last went to graduate school five years ago so it isn't like a generation ago.

I don't like feeling old.  I watch the younger teachers' eyes glaze over when I say I started teaching in 1974.  They didn't become a twinkle in their parents' eyes until at least 1990.

[lazysundays]

I think my management team is useless. It makes life here pretty unbearable. Just when you think they can't be replaced with more apathetic uselessness, they were. I like the work. I'm a hospital pharmacist. I like the day to day data entry and the curveballs for stat rare drugs even more. I think I wouldn't like it so much if it was chaotic all the time. I like working evening shift bc it gives me more independence.

[swasat]

I love my field of work. Mostly I am very happy with my work. 

I like:

I make excellent money.
I have a lot flexibility in my work. Even though i don't work "alone", it always working in a team, i can come and go as I please and change my hours to suit me. As long as the team can reach me through email or phone all is good!
My commute is 2 miles and I work from home a LOT!!
I get 5 weeks of paid vacation and a week of sick leave.
Its extremely interesting work and my mind is always engaged and stimulated (this is huge for me)
I work for a Fortune 25 company, so lots of scope for upward movement.

I dislike: 

That its a desk job. The mind is always stimulated, the body is not.
It can get stressful in times of production releases. Though I am sure thats a part that comes with any high paying job.
The bureaucracy associated with a big company.
I still have 30 years before I can retire 

[Cookies Galore]

Likes:
I'm doing work that is interesting and is in the public interest
The job security is great. So long as there are doctors and people becoming doctors, I have a job.
The benefits are insanely good
Free gym
A 35-hour work week
The vending market (I don't know what to call it, open air vending machine) is subsidized. Cheap snacks!
Someone on my floor brings in soft pretzels every couple of months
People like to bake and share the goods
I get along with pretty much all of my coworkers
There is opportunity for me to move up, or over if I prefer

Dislikes:
All of the free food
Sometimes advancement comes at a glacial pace
I work for a non-profit so raises aren't exactly awesome (and what's a bonus?)

[Deleted]

Mar 13, 2014 19:07:55 GMT -5 Cookies Galore said:

Likes:
I'm doing work that is interesting and is in the public interest
The job security is great. So long as there are doctors and people becoming doctors, I have a job.
The benefits are insanely good
Free gym
A 35-hour work week
The vending market (I don't know what to call it, open air vending machine) is subsidized. Cheap snacks!
Someone on my floor brings in soft pretzels every couple of months
People like to bake and share the goods
I get along with pretty much all of my coworkers
There is opportunity for me to move up, or over if I prefer

Dislikes:
All of the free food
Sometimes advancement comes at a glacial pace
I work for a non-profit so raises aren't exactly awesome (and what's a bonus?)

Wow on the free food! We are just the opposite. Cokes in the machine are 75 cents. Candy is $1.00. I bring my own, but I'm thinking, "Way to make a profit off the employees."

Something else I hate is the "Buy! Buy!" mentality. Schools, especially large schools like ours, are constantly pressuring you to buy stuff.  Every team, every club, every grade level, plus the principal plus the charities plus whatever . . .  I just can't do it any more. 

For St. Patrick's Day the St. Jude club is selling expensive cupcakes ($5 each).  I actually don't like decorator frosting so that part is easy for me.  But I hate telling my kids, "No, thank you."  Sure, it is a life lesson.  But I feel bad because a lot of the time they have to buy what they don't sell.  That's a worse life lesson. 

[violagirl]

Pros:

 - Flexible work environment - get your stuff done, no one cares when or where you are when you do it.
 - Pay isn't bad.
 - Work with lots of very smart people
 - Subject matter is complex enough to make it interesting
 - While I might be doing similar things every day, I'm constantly working with different clients with totally different  business styles so I get to see how everyone runs their businesses.
 - Continuing education is strongly encouraged and paid for by employer
 - opportunity to work with people all over the country
- can transfer offices easily if I wanted to move
 - saving people money

Cons:

 - very long hours at certain times of year (Feb, March, April, September)
 - unless i take a trip in early January, I am really unable to have a vacation during the first half of the year
 - the boring parts of work - like repetitive tasks, filing stuff, organization 
i - talking to people on the phone
 - telling people they owe more money than anticipated to the government

[Pants]

Things I like:

Big company, big name recognition.

Get to see into all areas of the organization and get an understanding of what everyone does, what our strategy really is. Real high-level view that few non-executives get. Can literally ask anyone in the company for anything and 99% of the time they will provide it.

Many projects have definitive deadlines and deliverables - you hand it in on time, you're done, you feel great.

Boss trusts me, can make things work as I need to.

Up for a promotion, fingers crossed!

Things I don't like:

Big company, big bureaucracy/takes forever to get things done. Like that promotion.

Big company, big name, but not a sexy one.

Department very political.

Work hard, only for work to disappear into "black hole" without acknowledgement or feedback.

High-stress periods (like now) where too many demands on time. Approximately one out of every 3 weeks.

[swamp]

Pros:  self employed so lots of flexibility in my schedule 
interesting work 
mentally challenging 
make a difference. 

Cons: I hate whiners 
everythng is problem and nobody wants to work 
lif you drive drunk it is not my fault you will lose your license and and don't care how ou get to work. 

[Deleted]

Pros:
I go to work in shorts/t-shirt/sneakers everyday
I have an office with a door and windows
I'm paid extremely well
We stay up on the latest technology, so there is always interesting work
Management supports me by approving training/conferences/etc
Company is kicking ass.  Stock has been doing well.

Cons:
The people I manage are unmotivated coasters.  If they all quit tomorrow, I'd throw them the biggest going away party.
It is REALLY hard to get rid of coasters.  I want to remake this department, but it is going to take years.
I'm tied to a cell phone every day of they year.  While not primary on-call, I'm ultimately the escalation point for anything major.

[Apple]

Like:
95% of my coworkers
Four 10s, so three day weekends
Good pay, especially for the area
No one cares if I need to take a few hours off (just have to use vacation or sick time)
The work, it's mental, it's hands-on, it's challenging (at times)

Dislikes:
5% of my coworkers
The politics
Periods of time where the only way to get promoted is by being a brown-noser (I'm not)
The completely illogical way things are funded/funding is allocated (government)
The high risk of getting injured/killed

Overall, I know it's a great job, but sometimes things get frustrating, especially when they shouldn't be.  And sometimes, working on certain equipment, you wonder "is today the day this will blow up?"  I try not to work on certain things when I'm tired.

[wwtpgirl66]

What I love about my job:

        Excellent bosses who are smart, family-friendly and just great all around people
        Wonderful office that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean every day
        Only woman working here so no catty bullshit from my coworkers
        Very good pay and benefits (a union job)
        Lots of variety in my day to day duties and no one looking over my shoulder
        Very laid back atmosphere so jeans and sweatshirts every day

What I don't love:

        One coworker whose mission in life is to make everyone else as miserable as he is
        Go home smelling terrible at the end of the day due to the nature of the job


So all in all, it looks like the pros far outweigh the cons. 
        
        

[teen persuasion]

Likes:
Love my boss and like the other staff, but 95% of the time I work only with boss or alone.
Cheerful environment and ( most) patrons.
Enjoy learning new skills and concepts, enriching my community.
Our board love us and do as much as they can for us.
Flexible schedule if needed, near kids' school, not far from home.

Dislikes:
No benefits, low pay, part-time only.
No real room for advancement, only a handful of positions, and I'm at #2 now.
Don't have "the" degree, no point in getting it unless I want to replace the director. I think about it, but it is not really where I want to go - I'm looking to downshift in a few years.
Working 2 hours in evenings is hardly worth going in, unless I lived in the village like the others and could walk in.
Access to so many books, so little time to read them!

[tskeeter]

Like the check

Don't like having to get up and go to work

Why can't they just direct deposit the checks and forget the work?

[Deleted]

What I like:

When my workday ends, I don't have to think about work again unti it's time to go back
The paycheck is decent for my area
I get 5 weeks of vacation time plus sick leave
I can zone out listening to music or thinking about a million things and never miss a beat while I'm working

What I don't like:

It's boring
It's physically challenging instead of mentally stimulating
I work weekends
It's work

[Sum Dum Gai]

The customers, and the customers.