Bored office worker

xapprenticex

See if you can assist other departments that interest you. Its normally the way you gain new skills in the workplace.

I wouldnt bother with reading books and doing courses without your managers blessing, leave that for your lunch breaks.

TELLIT01

No staff should be accessing the internet, for any purpose which is not directly work related, during work hours. That goes double for temps, just for their own job security.
Speak to your manager, I'm sure they'll be delighted to give your more work to fill your hours. If they can't, then is the time to ask if it's OK to use the internet to access training material.

Hedgehog99

Can you "bank" some work ready for your next busy time? Pre-complete the standard "same every time" sections of forms so that you only have to add the new info at the time you are meant to send them off? If possible, if you currently hand-write forms, do an Excel version yourself so you can type in the info / use a template for the standard stuff.

Prepare labels / envelopes for your next busy time?

If there's something you do monthly/quarterly/annually, can you start collating the earliest paperwork now?

Make yourself a list of items you order regularly so it's quick to order next time?

Make back-ups of important files?

Run a virus scan on your computer while you don't need it?

Check that you are familiar with the various fire exits in your building - from your usual office, but also from meeting rooms or the toilets?

Shredding.

theoretica

If your employers are happy with you doing it, are there any learning or training activities you could complete? Advanced user skills on any of the computer programs you use for instance, which would benefit both you and potentially the company too.

ThemeOne

I would keep quiet about it personally. If you mention it to your manager you might end up talking yourself out of a job, plus from the manager's viewpoint you're presenting a problem as well as asking for a solution - two extra jobs for him/her.

I've found most roles can be done in a fraction of the time allocated to them. What you do in the rest of the time depends on the workplace really - some places do restrict personal internet use, but many don't.

I don't know if you think your role could be developed in any way i.e. you maybe could take what you're currently doing a few stages further. The advantage of presenting this to your manager over just saying you don't have enough work, is that you present a solution along with the problem.

[Deleted User]

iammumtoone wrote: »

I think you need to be asking your manager/supervisor the question.

+1. All the way.

As somebody could be desperate for help in the work place, whilst the OP has nothing to do. There is actually nothing more infuriating to sit next to somebody on the Internet for personal use when you are rammed. (Only time I know before access is blocked.)

Other places have been OK with someone cleaning, just about. Again I used to work with someone happy to not answer the phone when it rung and would go on about how it was quiet and so out come the Hoover much to my bafflement.

paddyrg

Training, training, training. Nobody knows all of Excel, most don't even know enough to know that they don't know much about Excel. Become an Excel Goddess, make spreadsheets squeal, become the go to person. Data Tables, pivots, graphs, arrays, array formulas, consolidation, VBA and forms, plenty to get your teeth into. Or PowerPoint, if yours isn't an Excel-ly job - learn about master sheets and templates that mean you can get a presentation looking perfect in half the time, then can change the template in a sneeze when it needs to look different. Word, get into styles and how they build, see how proper use of outline view can structure documents amazingly quickly and again allow you to change a whole document in a heartbeat.

MS Office skills are always in demand, there's heaps of resources in the tools help themselves, you can always show a legitimate need "to make the spreadsheets more robust so we don't get bad data" or whatever. And it'll help in your next role, and the one after

zaax

Can you not take a tablet to work and use that for internet acess etc.

Polarbeary

Can you work from home at all some days? That can be very beneficial in quiet times. Get your work done, always be contactable and present during work hours...but...you get the hint.

I would be wary of asking colleagues if they need help. I tried this once at a very corporate job (banking HQ) and was shouted at and told to get on with my own work. I had little to do (despite asking for more work and training) and spent most of the day browsing work related sites - BBC News and the Guardian. And going for coffee.

katie_saver

Thanks for all your responses. I do use the internet a lot in my current role, to book lots of travel and hotels. I also sometimes get asked to research companies so internet use is pretty well tolerated here. The internet can get a bit boring though if I feel I am just reading for the sake of it.
I don't want to flag up that sometimes I have quiet times because:
A - I don't want to do my self out of a job (as many people have said)
b - When I am busy it is all very time constrained (e.g. client visits, month end reports etc.) and I struggle to get it all done!


Excel learning is a great suggestion - thanks! I must admit my excel skills are not the best and it is definitely a very useful skill to have.
All of your suggestions are very good - apart from helping out in different departments as that would show that I don't have enough to do for a full time position and I really enjoy my job here and want to stay on. I've just applied for a permanent position here that has come up and my manager has been very understanding of this.