You’re clocked out, but it feels like work comes home with you despite being on hourly pay, am I right?
That’s where releasing yourself of the responsibility and guilt surrounding your responsibilities and actions after you clock out comes in.
Off the clock, your job is not your job anymore.
It’s over until your next shift.
Even if you’re shopping around as a customer with employee privileges.
Product on the floor
You’re clocked out. It’s not your responsibility anymore, even if it’s a safety issue.
Fixtures all messed up, looking like a hazard? LOL. Okay, byeee. Have fun with that.~
Seriously. Go home. Don’t worry about fixing it.
Detach — emotionally, mentally, physically. It. Does. Not. Matter.
Look away and keep looking away until you’re out the door.
‘Cause you know what?
I bet you only the salaried managers care about fixing stuff after they’re off — if at all.
Stresses of the day
Go home, reset to feel like a human again, do a therapeutic activity to release your stresses from the day.
I paint. Sometimes, I clean, but I prioritize stationary activities so I can rest my body after work.
Like blogging, watching TV, petting my cat, working a puzzle, napping.
Read a book, binge-stream a new TV show, learn a new skill, paint your nails — do something where you focus on you and your life instead of continuing to focus on work.
Because, again, you’re done.
Work is over.
Being a workaholic and dedicating yourself to the job will burn you out.
It’s not worth it.
Also, if you are willing to dedicate yourself for your current pay, why would they wanna promote you when they can benefit from your labor by paying you less?
Drama from the workday
Off the clock, the drama’s gotta stop.
Do NOT take it home with you.
You can totally rant or vent to people at home like they’re your therapist, but it’s not going to help.
Go get yourself a therapist or find a therapy-like activity — coloring, painting, writing.
You can also throw stuffed toys at the wall or the floor.
Or throw a quiet sensory ball at the floor.
Point is, do not take the drama home with you.
Keep up with or dismantle the drama on-the-clock so you get paid for that emotional exhaustion.
Otherwise, you could wind up stressing about the drama — and remember what I said about bringing your work stress home with you?
Work you didn’t finish
You do what you can today, and what you don’t finish will be there tomorrow. Late is better than never.
Unfortunately, retail management didn’t get that memo.
Sometimes, I think retail managers are Straight-A types who try to pass all the computer-based workplace training programs and express that via overachievements.
If they are, I surmise they didn’t get the memo: Straight-A students often make the WORST employees (and even worse managers).
Most days, you will probably NOT finish all the work assigned to you.
All you can do is your best; you can want to do more all you want.
You can also make plans; those plans will fall apart.
But you will be paid the same unless you’re salaried or receive bonuses.
As an hourly employee, your work isn’t supposed to come home with you. There is no homework you receive points for.
As a freelance writer, I learned not to perform work I don’t get paid for.
How other people feel about you
What other people think and feel about you is none of your business.
Is so-and-so mad at you? None of your business.
Did so-and-so get upset because you didn’t do something but didn’t confront you about it?
None of your business.
If they were, they need to be clear to explain it to you instead of leaving you guessing. You’re not a mind reader!
Your responsibilities the next shift
If you’re off the clock, you’re not responsible for anything work-related until the time comes for you to clock back in.
The only responsibilities you have off the clock are related to taking care of yourself.
The only work-related responsibility you have off the clock is clocking in for your next shift, even if that’s just coming back from lunch.
How you feel about your coworkers
Journaling and therapy is great and all, but if most of your negative emotions are all about how you feel about your coworkers…guess what?
You don’t have to connect with them off the clock, so you don’t have to deal with your feelings about them off clock, either.
That whole never-go-to-bed-angry “rule” for married couples is really toxic and misinformed, since oftentimes people are tired or need to reset and sleep is the best route for that.
Like, maybe you’re exhausted today and will feel less negative towards them tomorrow because something they did was NOT that bad.
Shut it off for now and check back in with yourself when your next shift is minutes away. If you’re still feeling icky about it, decide what to do.
You don’t have to like your coworkers — you only have to work with them.
Work is where your life paths meet — that’s it.
I guarantee you I wouldn’t really get along with my coworkers outside of work.
This is because, at work, I’m “on” — masking, making myself palatable, fawning at management — but I’m “off” outside of work.
Coworkers naming things they like about my trauma response or autistic mask feels like a slap in the face, by the way.
Taking your work home with you — to the point that it consumes your overall health and well-being, — leads to work burnout and the unfortunate case of wanting to scream at everything that inconveniences you.
Don’t spend your precious energy and sanity on a job that doesn’t pay you enough to care.
It’s not that serious (even when it is).
Working hourly, you get to shut work off.
So shut work off.
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