Can I possibly work any harder?

speegs

My contract says I must work from 9am to 5.30pm five days a week. However, since starting my job four years ago I have taken on 3 others people work as they have gradually all left the company. I now get into the office at 7am everyday and rarely leave before 8pm. All ideas of a social life no longer exist and now that my bosses have somehow gotten hold of my mobile number I am regularly being called in at weekends.

I think I am working very hard for my employers.

Well here is the kick in the teeth.....

Today my boss said I need to "work hard as well as smart". Does this me he is saying I don't work hard because that is what it sounds like to me.

I am now thinking of changing my mobile number and working to rule!:mad2:

Speegs

A-Vic

Isn't it a kick in the teeth the more you do the more they expect and we get taken for granted.

My advise is defo work to rule that is what am doing at the mo and stick at it otherwise you will get taken for granted.

Good luck

Vic

taskey

at the moment i am constantly saying "not my job" and i hate people who say that

Tracy

CJC

Just going by the title, could this be the book for you?

Jon_1984

I would suggest taping a broom behind you and sweeping the floor as you go about your work???:001_tt2: seriously there is no point working if you have no life to go with it.

blobbyh

speegs wrote: »

Today my boss said I need to "work hard as well as smart".

Hey Speegs, I'm, not defending your boss and I have been reading your blog anonymously, but are you sure in your moment of anger that you've got the words 'hard' and 'smart' the right way around? Or maybe your boss heard that phrase and in his most excellent dumbness transposed them, thus turning it from a pep talk into something quite offensive?

Lizzim

I would tell them how you feel, they may not realise how hard you are working (bosses can be a bit oblivious at times).

Then if they still don't appreciate you, start going home at 5.30, if work doesn't get done they will soon take note

speegs

Hi CJC

I am definitely going to get that book. Thanks for the recommendation.

Thanks

Speegs

speegs

Hi Blobbyh

Sometimes I would agree with you in that my boss may have gotten the phrasing the wrong way around. But I have it in writing and when I queried it he said, and I quote "you need to pull your weight more around here". I asked him if there was something I had missed or done wrong or was there some other work that needed to be done, and also reiterated the fact that I was working all the hours I could do the equivalent of four jobs and he said referred to the situation that occurred (which I have commented upon on my blog) about the order that did not get raised at 6.15am, and that I had deliberately held up the order (for those who do not know the order was actually at about 9.20am the same day). I asked if there were any other problems and my boss said no, my work was brilliant. I therefore think that he really meant it and maybe I need to start at 6am instead of 7am :001_smile:.

All of this happened in my appraisal today so I have at least had the chance to make my feelings and objections to that comment known.

It is amazing because despite all that has been going on recently in my job (following my blog for those who don't know at http://speegsweatsahoodie.blogspot.com/ ) I still love it. I don't know why, but I do and I not going to let stupid comments from my boss push me out of my job. Recently I have been wondering if my boss has been doing this deliberately as maybe I am seen as a threat as I make myself available for work at most times.

I normally take these things on the chin, but this time I told him that as this was an appraisal I wanted objection documented. The funny thing is my CFO also had to sign the paper work from my appraisal and when he read it he called me and asked if there were any problems. I told him everything that had been going on and he defended me saying this was "out of order and out of control". He obviously had no idea what had been going with everybodies jobs being dumped on to me and now wants something done about it. When I left this evening my boss was in with the CFO looking very embarrassed.

I will update you all tomorrow.

Speegs:001_smile:

Sonny_L

Wow, you're an employer's dream doormat.

What are the prospects at this firm? 7am to 8pm is outrageous and I would have thought CCAB study is out of the question with that schedule.

burg

I would generally say that a total work to rule would be over the top. If you like the job then you will want to progress, however this should not mean living at work!

I would say perform above your duties to a level you find suitable within roughly your core hours.

If you say no sometimes they will appreciate it more when you do say yes.

At the moment you run the risk that your boss will think you are happy working all these hours for no extra reward, you may ask for a raise based on this and they simply turn around and say no just stop working the extra.

I think maybe spend more time in impressing on your allocated duties and express to them that there is too much for just you (since you are no doing lots of peoples roles) to complete in your normal day. Explain its not a work to rule but a right to a life!

Best of luck with what you decide

speegs

Burg you are so right. The thing is though, when I have said no in the past or even just told so I could not do it straight away they have gone off moaning about me. It rarely happens that I say "no" now because I am too afraid of the backlash I might receive.

We did not get pay rises this year, not even cost of living. I looked at it this way, I would rather have a job and no pay rise than no job at all. This is also why it is so hard to stand up to the bosses at the moment. If someone highlights an issue they have with the bosses they are basically told to be glad they even have a job.

I have got a meeting with my CFO this morning though. He emailed me to say that he thought the duties had been evenly spread throughout the department and had now idea they had all been dumped on me. He said that this is outrageous and wants to chat with me this morning and then have a team meeting afterwards to sort this out. Some people may argue that he should have realised that there was a problem because I am working stupid hours, but in his defence, he is rarely in the office so he does not always see what is going on.

I will keep you posted.

Speegs

burg

Hopefully this guy will be more on your side.

I used to work in the NHS and one lady had a similar problem there, she worked so hard and knew so much yet was one of the least qualified. But as she always did so much to help everyone just simply expected her to do it.

Just watch you don't make a rod for your own back.

The sad thing is they will not realise how much you do, until you don't do it!

Best of luck

Kezza

Work to Live not live to work :001_smile:

speegs

I had my meeting with the CFO and he was extremely shocked by what I told him. When then had a team meeting, which the CFO attended, and the CFO has said that some people in the department are known to have spare time and they are now to take on some of the extra things I have been doing.

One guy complained that it was not his job to do this extra work and the CFO replied "It was not exactly Speeg's job to do it either, but she did without complaint." The CFO has definitely sided with me on this.

Hopefully things should ease up a bit now.

Speegs:thumbup1:

JodieR

speegs wrote: »

Burg you are so right. The thing is though, when I have said no in the past or even just told so I could not do it straight away they have gone off moaning about me. It rarely happens that I say "no" now because I am too afraid of the backlash I might receive.

I think we've all been there at some point or another - I recon if someone asks you to do something you should reply along the lines of 'I'm doing X for Mr A and Y for Mrs B today, but if you think that this task is more important please will you have a word with Mr A or Mrs B and see if they wouldn't mind waiting a while longer.' That generally sorts out the genuinely urgent jobs from the rubbish, and stops you from looking lazy and unwilling to help!

speegs

So here is my update.

Nothing has improved. My boss has just sent me a ****ty email asking why an entire filing cupboard has not been archived yet. I said "you only asked me at 5.15pm last to start the job, it was going to take at least a couple of hours, and it is almost finished if you want to actually open the doors and take look". He came out with the same old sh*t. You must work harder etc etc blah blah blah.

So I have had it up to here with this stupid little b*stards attitude. What he does not realise is I was in the office at 6.40am today doing this sodding archiving and if he would open his bloody eyes he would see that there are only fourteen more files to move and I have been told my the office manager that these do not need to be moved until the w/c 23 Feb.

I have decided that the next thing he asks me to do I am going to say "would you like fries with that?" and see how he reacts.

blobbyh

Sounds to me like maybe you should be looking at invoking your company's grievance procedure. Not only might this get the situation sorted by taking it to a more formal level but you'll help cover yourself in the event of unfair dismissal by having recorded evidence. Companies ignore employee grievances at their peril in the age of the lawsuit and should be seen to have taken positive action to resolve the situation.

speegs

Actually Blobbyh that is a good idea that I had forgotten about. I have been documenting everything so I think I will report this to HR now. Enough is enough.

Thanks for reminding me about this way of getting it sorted.

Speegs