Taking annual leave on-site, on-call, and general boundary issues with employer
Comments
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baldelectrician wrote: »If you were the group that's fine.
Sometimes people need to fail- he who never failed never learnt a lesson
People need to learn from their failure
I understand that as a concept, but we are under scrutiny and I worry we won't get "another chance" if we screw up once. So I do whatever I can to keep the wheels on...baldelectrician wrote: »As things stand you are essentially acting like a director (assuming the hassle and responsibilities) without the remuneration or respect.
Keep working like this and you are on the road to poor health and burn out.
Yes, many times I've put the company/department's interests ahead of my own and thought that was just part of the job really, but have had comments from a previous boss (before all this started) that I am taking on issues that are 'above my pay grade' (my paraphrasing) and it's their job rather than mine to worry about that, so am I saying they aren't doing their job?? My response: yes: you aren't, but someone has to. (I'm still here and they are not!)baldelectrician wrote: »What would happen if a loved one was unwell and you had to take 2 weeks off?
That is something that worries me, as I don't think I'd be able to go.0 -
That is something that worries me, as I don't think I'd be able to go.
How could you not?
I'm sorry, but no job is worth giving up time that you need for family crises such as these. They would cope. They would have to. You're doing neither yourself nor them any favours by continuing to promote the idea that you're indispensable.All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.
Pedant alert - it's could have, not could of.0 -
Been there, done that ... I now use the Snipping Tool to put pictures into important instruction documents. But I might also respond with something like "I will come and help with that once you've gone through the document and worked out what your questions are."However in the past inexperienced colleagues have complained to the boss that when they asked me how to do something I referred them in the first instance to "have you looked and followed the SOP" and apparently that was 'Not Helpful'.
A chimpanzee could now follow our payroll instructions. It's tedious, but I also follow them myself, in case the payroll bureau has changed anything from one month to the next.Signature removed for peace of mind0 -
Been there, done that ... I now use the Snipping Tool to put pictures into important instruction documents. But I might also respond with something like "I will come and help with that once you've gone through the document and worked out what your questions are."
A chimpanzee could now follow our payroll instructions. It's tedious, but I also follow them myself, in case the payroll bureau has changed anything from one month to the next.
Makes me wonder what was the point in asking me to write the SOPs? - if when someone needs to carry out a task covered by a SOP, I need to walk them through it anyway because I can't refer them to it? What a good use of company time(!)
The level of detail is enough that someone with a brain could follow it, doesn't require arcane knowledge of something that happened 10 years ago or whatever.
Btw, if I had responded with something like "work through it and then come back with any questions" I would have been Talked To by the boss for being unhelpful.0 -
As a massive generalisation... we produce a monthly/quarterly (or as agreed with the customer) "Widget* Report" relating to the performance of that customer's Widgets in their particular market and results of our testing of Their Widget vs Comparable Other Widgets, etc etc and write all of this up into a 'Death by Powerpoint' deliverable. The analysis has "routine" elements (run step A, B and C for Their Widget/Other Widget and write down the resulting X, Y and Z readings from the test equipment) but also interpretation and research etc.
If something were to happen to me the impact would be that we don't have people internally to step up and complete the needed interpretation and research etc for the "Widget Report" in the needed timescales, and financial penalties from clients accordingly. Maybe one missed PowerPoint could be glossed over, but it would be a downward slide from there.
* Widget is a specific tech product, but I don't want to give the detail of specifically what it is, on here.
Edited to add: yeah, a Widget Report isn't going to change the world. But it changes the world for this company, whose entire revenue comes from selling Widget Reports.
You need to manage yourself out of this situation
offload/delegate absolutely everything that others can do so you have fewer things that only you can do
Your focus becomes training others and better planning of the tasks and process, it is a very good use of your time to stop doing the stuff others can do and improving productivity of the group by showing those that get stuck how to do the job(with the documented process) and not do it yourself.
You should get to the point quite quickly where you can go on holiday, the day after a widget report comes out, for 2 weeks you then have the rest of the month to pick up the pieces and get the next one out.0 -
Makes me wonder what was the point in asking me to write the SOPs? - if when someone needs to carry out a task covered by a SOP, I need to walk them through it anyway because I can't refer them to it? What a good use of company time(!)
The level of detail is enough that someone with a brain could follow it, doesn't require arcane knowledge of something that happened 10 years ago or whatever.
Btw, if I had responded with something like "work through it and then come back with any questions" I would have been Talked To by the boss for being unhelpful.
You know, your position makes very little sense. You constantly carp at your colleagues and employers for being so unpleasant to you, and then in the next breath say that you aren't going to go off to the obviously better things that await you because you don't want to desert them.
You claim to have a low sense of self esteem and then announce how critically important you are to the company and how much more employable than everyone else.
If this is a true and accurate representation of any situation then you've been told what to do 100 times. Just leave and get the better job you say you know you can. If you don't want to leave, stop banging on about it. What better answer do you expect to receive?0 -
ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »
You claim to have a low sense of self esteem and then announce how critically important you are to the company and how much more employable than everyone else.
Actually that's really common - people with low self esteem can also have an over-inflated sense of the impact of their own actions. For example if I fell over, it's just that - me falling over, but for someone else, it's the worst thing in the world, so embarrassing, everyone in the street will have been looking at them etc.0 -
I understand that as a concept, but we are under scrutiny and I worry we won't get "another chance" if we screw up once. So I do whatever I can to keep the wheels on...
Yes, many times I've put the company/department's interests ahead of my own and thought that was just part of the job really, but have had comments from a previous boss (before all this started) that I am taking on issues that are 'above my pay grade' (my paraphrasing) and it's their job rather than mine to worry about that, so am I saying they aren't doing their job?? My response: yes: you aren't, but someone has to. (I'm still here and they are not!)
That is something that worries me, as I don't think I'd be able to go.
Are you single ?
My ex husband had your attitude . He lost his marriage, his son and his self respect with that mindset. He realised too late and now bitterly regrets it.
No one ever said on their deathbed "I wish I'd spent more time in the office". If you are as much of an asset as an employee as you say then surely there are many other organisations who would value you as an employee. Why not go work for them instead and have a life as well?I Would Rather Climb A Mountain Than Crawl Into A Hole
MSE Florida wedding .....no problem0 -
getmore4less wrote: »You need to manage yourself out of this situation
offload/delegate absolutely everything that others can do so you have fewer things that only you can do
Your focus becomes training others and better planning of the tasks and process, it is a very good use of your time to stop doing the stuff others can do and improving productivity of the group by showing those that get stuck how to do the job(with the documented process) and not do it yourself.
You should get to the point quite quickly where you can go on holiday, the day after a widget report comes out, for 2 weeks you then have the rest of the month to pick up the pieces and get the next one out.
I have tried this, I'm great at delegating (believe it or not based on what I've written here...!) assuming I have competent people to delegate to. And my definition of 'competent' isn't a perfectionist's view. Just pragmatic -- but the people I have available to offload to, are either incapable or unwilling and I can't figure out which. Many a time, I have delegated things to others and they do understand the principle, but then make stupid mistakes due to lack of attention to detail.ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »You know, your position makes very little sense. You constantly carp at your colleagues and employers for being so unpleasant to you, and then in the next breath say that you aren't going to go off to the obviously better things that await you because you don't want to desert them.
You claim to have a low sense of self esteem and then announce how critically important you are to the company and how much more employable than everyone else.
If this is a true and accurate representation of any situation then you've been told what to do 100 times. Just leave and get the better job you say you know you can. If you don't want to leave, stop banging on about it. What better answer do you expect to receive?
Thanks for the somewhat harsh words ScorpiondeRooftrouser, I can totally understand what you're saying! It is a contradictory attitude! Although (like posted below) there can be a low/high self esteem thing going on. I know I should 'Just Leave' but somehow my guilt overcomes my desire to move on!!
Btw, my assessment of myself as much more employable than the rest, while admittedly subjective, is pretty close to the truth.0 -
Are you single ?
My ex husband had your attitude . He lost his marriage, his son and his self respect with that mindset. He realised too late and now bitterly regrets it.
No one ever said on their deathbed "I wish I'd spent more time in the office". If you are as much of an asset as an employee as you say then surely there are many other organisations who would value you as an employee. Why not go work for them instead and have a life as well?
Yes and no. On paper no, but we have become "detached" of late. Not due to this on the surface of it, but it's definitely true that I put work ahead of personal relationships. Because what allows you to have a house and a family life? Oh yes 'The Company' !! If I lost the job, I'd lose my house and family too, and as such they are 'subordinated' and admittedly I have pointed this out more than a few times when being given grief by my OH about "do you have to go in at this time on Sunday? Really??" etc.0
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