How many of you work pointless extra hours? I was talking to someone recounting a tale of her boyfriend doing long hours and staying late because he loves what he does but yet no-one appreciates it and she thinks that a lot of the efforts and new initiatives will be wasted when the management scrap them. Dan Ariely deduced by experiment what a lot of us know instinctively; that work, however fun and apparently meaningful, when it remains unacknowledged becomes a drudge and we descend into a state of demotivation.

Last Friday was apparently Work Your Proper Hours Day according to the TUC because they are concerned that, on average, a British worker provides their employer with 7 hours a week for free. Does that include you?

If we love what we do (and I feel myself very fortunate to be in that position) then it is often easy to do extra - tearing ourselves away is hard. If we are perfectionists or even just someone who revels in a job completed properly, then likewise, leaving before it's finished is anathema. This is dangerous because we don't resent working extra and we don't notice the adverse effects so easily.

The problem is much more obvious when there is the expectation that we will complete these overtime hours whether we like it or not. As a one off we might do it but as soon as it becomes a regular feature of what we do, we resent it in much the same way that we resent any of our work that goes unacknowledged.

At what point should we stop and say, "That's enough extra unpaid hours!" and go home? There are many parameters to take into account, primarily the impact on our boss (and their subsequent reaction towards us) and the impact on our customers or service users. Yes, the company may now rely on us doing a certain amount of free overtime and will struggle without it not to mention the level of customer service possible decreasing. If you look at the flip side though, what is the effect on us if we don't stop working extra - as we deteriorate in our ability to work at peak levels, we suffer, our company doesn't get the best from us and the service to our end-users becomes sub-standard.

If your boss or company is not showing their appreciation for your extra hours, maybe its time to say, "No more".

I flicked on the telly in an idle moment last night and came across "Toughest place to be..." on BBC1 which was all about a London bus driver going to Manila. (UK readers can watch it here until Sun 6th March). Apart from the moments when BBC2 disappeared in a noisy snow storm, I watched it avidly for two reasons: I came of age as a car driver when I lived there in 91-92 so there was a certain nostalgia value to it. However it was as much about the people involved; Josh West from London and his Filipino counterpart, Rogelio Castro who drives a jeepney, an elongated jeep with inward facing side seats. 
Josh obviously was quite taken aback to hear the Castros' story - I switched on at a point where they were sat in a cheap burger chain and Rogelio was talking about not being able to take the grandchildren there when there is no money. I was simply amazed that he could go at all, given how little he earns. Manila was the first place where I really stared poverty in the eye and it looks like Josh did too and failed to remain unmoved.
The thing that really struck me though was Josh ruminating on what separated him and Rogelio; given their similarity of upbringing and profession it was little more than an accident of birthplace.
How often do we stop to think about the huge advantages we have been born into - the mere fact that you have access to an electronic device to read this I suspect allows me to include you in a similar band of privilege to myself. How grateful are we for this birthright, for the benefits that come with life in the 1/3 of the world that has. I've been complaining regularly and loudly about BT failing to repair my landline within any of their promised deadlines but hey, I've got a mobile as well so whats the problem. Not to mention a roof and warmth, food and electricity.
Josh went home to discover that driving in London was ludicrously easy but also that he wanted to do something to help the Rogelio's of this world; to organise sponsored events, to be able to send money halfway round the world - which is actually a typically Filipino thing to do.
Last week I talked about saying thank you to people who have been important in your life. This week I find myself writing about the poorest people that we've never met who have had little or no impact on us but that doesn't mean we can ignore them. The world might, the media does regularly but if it moves us, if it makes us realise how'fortunate' we are, what action does it inspire in us and require of us?

Have you ever stopped to think about all the different people who have had a positive impact on your life? A few years ago when the Government were trying to encourage new teachers, they had a campaign about the teachers that we remembered. I'm guessing if you stoped now, you could bring to mind at least one good teacher whom you haven't forgotten. Maybe there were youth workers, parents and other adults who said or did something which you can now see had a significant bearing on what you did or didn't do with your life.
From Gareth at Marrick Priory who challenged me that 'why not?' was a rubbish justification for anything to Alastair Cram, my headmaster who broadened my horizons when it came to leaving school, I have a whole list of people that I can recognise made a difference.
Once you have identified them, what next? You can simply be grateful for their contribution. Even better though would be the chance to say thank you to them, in person, by email or on the phone. It may take effort to track them down but its worth the time spent. I was lucky enough to bump into one of my significant school teachers (for the record, Wilma Pearson) a few years ago and had the chance to say thank you for her encouragements, in this case in bible reading, and it felt good to say it, to acknowledge her contribution in my life.
Being grateful is worth it, for our sakes as well as for those we target it at. We give ourselves a more positive view of life and they get a sense of a having achieved something. For most youth workers, they will never truly know the fruits of their labour unless we become famous. Or we tell them.
How about finding someone from your past that you owe a thank you to, tracking them down and saying it.