I have always been a certified member of the ‘Club 501” in the office. For those unfamiliar with the term, ‘Club 501’ pertains to a group of employees who go home the minute they are allowed to go home, which usually is 5pm, hence ‘501.’
Such branding, or membership to this club, doesn’t usually come from the purported ‘member’ but from other people who look down on co-workers who itch to leave the door as soon as the clock strikes five.
So here I am, your self-confessed, Club 501 member. My membership was way before I became a mom. It rooted from the fact that I wanted balance in my life since early in my twenties, and I think having a life outside the office provides me that balance.
Don’t get me wrong though. I admire people, single or otherwise, who are so passionate about work that they dedicate long work hours, and even weekends for the company and their own careers. They are the reason why companies succeed and survive. But then again that admiration is a whole different blogpost altogether.
Anyway, so how do you know that you’ve been branded as a member of Club 501 by your workmates? Here are the top three signs:
1. When passing their cubes on the way to the office door, you catch them looking at their watches or the office clock.
2. They are perplexed when you stay more than 15 minutes past dismissal time.
3. They hint during conversations that you don’t like to attend 430PM meetings.
But to my fellow Club 501 members, why will we give a damn? We have our own circumstances, and it is our PA that will be affected and not theirs. Besides, for some bosses, rendering overtime all the time might mean you do not know how to manage your time during official work hours.
To each his own, right?
Till next post!
