Quote:
Originally Posted by Reneeme
Thanks Kodaka. Just to clarify, what I mean by last minute requests, are requests where the customer gives me only a short time to do all the things I need to do in order to meet their request. I schedule things, and have to send them things, and sometimes the date they request is reasonable, and other times, in order to meet their date, I have to do things more quickly for that one request (so instead of ordering once or twice a week all at once, I have to go back and do all the steps just for that one), which slows me down overall.
It is not in the culture to ignore these requests, however, my boss would be more OK about it than others.
Also, I do usually leave on time, I just end up working a lot after the kids go to bed. When I do stay late, everyone worries that I am working too much, however, they still want everything done :-O
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I'm not saying ignore the request, just respond with a counterproposal.
Look, clients do this to me all the time. Some of them are just pushing to get as much as they can from me. Not just with time but with fees too. They'll push until I push back. When I do, they are usually pretty quick to accept to my counterproposal. And then there's those who just don't know how long it takes for me to do what they're asking. And again, when I offer a counterproposal they usually accept. They aren't malicious, they just don't know what it takes to do my job.
The same principle applies to your employer. If you never push back, they'll never know that they're giving you too much. Some employers are awful and don't care. But if that were the case here, there would be other signs of disfunction besides just the work load, and it doesn't sound like that's the case. Most employers just aren't aware of how much you are overloaded until you call uncle.
So for those few clients who push but don't acquiesce when you counterpropose--I get these about once a year, they think they're Donald Trump--just take them to management and say you're overloaded and let them sort out how to handle it. That's their job. They might make a call to the client, or they might redistribute the workload, or reprioritize the work. Regardless, you shouldn't just be sitting there mum, taking on a mountain of work you can't handle.
Remember, at some point you will reach your breaking point, and your work will suffer. And once you've made a mistake or dropped the ball on something major, it will be too late to explain that you've been overworked. So be proactive and set reasonable expectations with both your employer and your customers.