Proving my commitment

stevie_123 · 22 October 2017 at 6:17PM

I'm 12 months into my first job, and my manager's encouraging me to carry out some work in my own time. I know there's some restrictions on the hours that I can work a week due to my age, and strictly speaking he's not asking me to do 'real' work - it's more examples and test cases - but I didn't know if this was unreasonable, a few of the people in my team (albeit reporting to a different manager) seem to think so.

There's talk of extending my position and I think my manager's a little worried that I'm not committed to the position, but is this the best way of proving that I'm of value??

theoretica · 22 October 2017 at 6:35PM

Is what you are being asked to do purely work, or is it studying? Studying in your own time to progress in a career is quite common.

Sarastro · 10 November 2017 at 9:22PM

I think you should clarify what the deal is here. It's great that you want to learn and do more and not entirely unreasonable to do some or even all of that in your own time. However, you need to clarify that this is a genuine development opportunity with some outcome, and not just your manager taking advantage or fobbing you off. When you say it's extra and not real, what do you mean? Is he giving you work that you would do anyway (in which case, he's taking the mickey) or is it different? If it is different to your day job, then it sounds like a development opportunity...in which case...

I would have a conversation to agree the following with your manager:
1. What additional skills or experience you will gain from doing the extra?
2. How much time per week you both think is reasonable?
3. What the end point is and how the additional skills / knowledge you have acquired will benefit you and the organisation?

I suggest you frame it all in a very positive way, but do get some clarity on what the end goal is. You may find yourself in a year's time doing loads of extra work for exactly the same salary. Your employer can't promise you a promotion or pay rise even but, they can say what skills, knowledge and experience they want you to have. These things should link to your annual appraisal as well. If they are not in that, I would be suspect your manager may not be quite as genuine as he appears.

Sarastro · 10 November 2017 at 9:25PM

Re-read your post - you don't have to prove your commitment; you do that by turning up and doing the job they pay you for. They have suggested you could advance in the company - great. So, they now need to help you develop by setting out what additional skills and experience would be useful and how this extra work is going to help you gain them.

TELLIT01 · 10 November 2017 at 9:39PM

Some managers think that to prove your commitment you have to stay in the office until the manager leaves! To me that isn't commitment, it's ****licking.
All too often I did see people staying at their desk until their manager left (I deliberately and pointedly don't say they carried on working). Once the manager had left they would all be gone within about 10 minutes.
Proving commitment to me is doing the job you are employed to do to the best of your ability, and if you find you spare time after that using that time to develop your knowledge and skills. Simply doing 'stuff' in your own time isn't proving commitment.

IAmWales · 10 November 2017 at 9:52PM

Why are these older threads all being bumped? OP hasn't been back since they posted.

TELLIT01 · 11 November 2017 at 9:49AM

IAmWales wrote: »

Why are these older threads all being bumped? OP hasn't been back since they posted.

I hadn't noticed the date of the first post in the topic. That said, it's not that old, only a couple of weeks.

Proving my commitment

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