how to cut back working extra?

74jax

maman wrote: »

It sounds like you are the problem OP rather than the job, your boss or the company.

I'd be the first to jump up and down if I felt you were being exploited but it sounds like you're doing it to yourself.

What I'd suggest is that you talk it through with your manager. Explain that there's far too much to do and you need some help prioritising what the company would prefer done first and what can go to the bottom of the list/fall off the end. Show initiative and suggest what you think is priority and why and see if they agree. Perhaps suggest a trial period where you stick rigidly to your hours (including lunchbreaks) and then review. Be prepared to be accountable for what you have achieved during the trial. Don't work from home on the laptop unless it's INSTEAD of working in the office.

Then all you have to do is stop yourself!! You sound like your own worst enemy.:)

This is very true other than needing help to prioritise. If you were to ask my boss what I do/needs doing he would look blank. :rotfl:

I spend half my time completing his emails/jobs etc as he struggles badly with computers etc but to be honest I love it too.

The problem is me and working more, however today was a good day. First day back and didn't brink anything home, even though I know I could have cleared something if I did.

maman

74jax wrote: »

This is very true other than needing help to prioritise. If you were to ask my boss what I do/needs doing he would look blank. :rotfl:

I spend half my time completing his emails/jobs etc as he struggles badly with computers etc but to be honest I love it too.

The problem is me and working more, however today was a good day. First day back and didn't brink anything home, even though I know I could have cleared something if I did.

:Tgood for you and enjoy your evening!

My idea about asking the boss to help prioritise wasn't so much because you need the help but because he'll then know in advance that you won't be getting through as much as you used to. And having a regular review keeps bringing it to his attention. Then if things fall behind because he's done nothing about it then it's his problem not yours.

74jax

maman wrote: »

:Tgood for you and enjoy your evening!

My idea about asking the boss to help prioritise wasn't so much because you need the help but because he'll then know in advance that you won't be getting through as much as you used to. And having a regular review keeps bringing it to his attention. Then if things fall behind because he's done nothing about it then it's his problem not yours.

Oooo I like your thinking, sorry I missed that first time round, but good idea.

swampduck

Going off the subject here a little - but bear with me. Where I work has over the past three years been making redundancies - while talking with one of my colleagues - I asked if they missed their colleague who used to do a lot of stuff for them and they admitted that when they realised that person was going they panicked over how they were going to manage the work load. But fast forward to now and they said that they were spoilt by having someone help them and although they were still busy - the stuff they were no longer doing was probably a luxury because our employers hadn't suffered too much because this particular job was no longer doing what used to be done. Does that make sense?
My job is also one of those that doesn't get done if I'm not there but if I'm behind when I come back off leave then I'm behind and I'll tell my boss and line manager that and they have to live with it or do it themselves!!
They have their own work to do and won't put themselves out to help me so what goes around comes around.
Being a perfectionist won't make you any better thought of because if you left your job tomorrow then they would find someone else and soon forget about you.
Go easy on yourself - you're only human!

Swampy

Yorkie1

maman wrote: »

It sounds like you are the problem OP rather than the job, your boss or the company.

I'd be the first to jump up and down if I felt you were being exploited but it sounds like you're doing it to yourself.

What I'd suggest is that you talk it through with your manager. Explain that there's far too much to do and you need some help prioritising what the company would prefer done first and what can go to the bottom of the list/fall off the end. Show initiative and suggest what you think is priority and why and see if they agree. Perhaps suggest a trial period where you stick rigidly to your hours (including lunchbreaks) and then review. Be prepared to be accountable for what you have achieved during the trial. Don't work from home on the laptop unless it's INSTEAD of working in the office.

Then all you have to do is stop yourself!! You sound like your own worst enemy.:)

This is a good suggestion.

I have to have these conversations with my manager as I, too, am a perfectionist and there aren't enough hours in the day to achieve what I have on my list. (Though, unlike you, I have flexi time so at least I can take back extra hours I work at the office).

I write down all the things on my to do list, and then arrange a meeting with my manager. I assess what the most important deadlines are (as opposed to urgent because someone else wants it but doesn't need it) and discuss which of my other priorities can be juggled. Either by deciding that they need to be left altogether, or a later deadline negotiated.

That might not be possible in your work, but it's worth a try.

By the way, I'd say that dealing with your boss's admin is probably not an essential part of your job, however much you enjoy doing it.

Part of your boss's responsibility is to skill himself up with the tools to do his job. Assuming we're talking standard office skills (as opposed to specialist technical knowledge which you're employed to have and he isn't) then it is hugely unfair of him to expect you to work extra hours and compromise your own work so that he can carry on not taking responsibility for this aspect of his own ability. This was again part of the conversation I had with my manager when he kept treating me as his PA.