When I started my policing career, a fellow officer heading another police unit started working in office till 3 am! He would come home, have dinner, and then again push off to work.
Whenever we had review meetings with our boss, he would flaunt all the great things he was supposedly doing. Naturally, compared to him, I felt like a slacker even though I was myself working as hard as I could.
But sitting in the office till 3 am was beyond me — so I did not even try.
Anyway, after some time, this hard-working chap got transferred due to corruption allegations (later he got suspended).
And unlike him, his successor was a pretty sensible guy. He would be back home before 7 pm and the same police unit ran just fine (in fact, much better).
This made me wonder, why was this 3 am drama needed?
The reality is that our workplace behavior is driven as much by peer-pressure, optics, and posturing, as by real work requirements. And sometimes, there is little correlation between perception and reality.
Whatever happens, don’t let peer-pressure and face-time push you into mindless late-night slogs. Do your own thing, do great work, and let that shine.
If someone wants to be a 3 am donkey — let them. You don’t have to give them company.
– Rajan