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I work with a team of 5 programmers (all salaried), 1 programmer supervisor, and 1 QA person. The department manager told us they need a "volunteer" from our programmer team to do occasional "check desk" work--training fill follow.
This check desk work has nothing to do with our profession, programming / developing codes. The "boss" says he wants one person from each department to help cover the check desk during lunch 12pm to 2pm. So our department manage told the team she want a volunteer for this job.
The check desk duty will have some training, basic phone calls (receptionist) type of work, and coordinating / greeting people who comes to the office to pick up or drop off paper works (checks, and payroll stuff).
My first thought was this is like some sort of demotion because the duty has little to do with improving my professional duties (programming, etc).
I also wonder if this would reflect badly on my annual performance. Sure I can say I put extra duty for the company, but at the same time the less time to finish my projects and assignments.
And then, I also thought that what if I manage to complete all my assigned programming tasks, on top of this check desk duty (it I got volunteered for it), does this mean that I have more free time in my hands? Or would it mean that I am not doing enough programming that I can finished my assigned task with extra time for other things.
On the other hand, this can potentially be an opportunity to improve my non-programming skills: meeting people, clients, customer. Having a closer degree of separation to the boss because the personnel who is training and handling the check desk schedules is one of the personal assistant of the "boss man"--and she is a nice person from the occasional times I interact with her.
Any thoughts on advantage or disadvantage about this uncommon situation at work?
I own the place and answer the phone when our clerical staff are at lunch. Whatever. I'm not above doing what needs to be done, and you as a worker bee are quite replaceable if you are seen as not being a team player.
If it begins to have a negative effect on your other duties, mention it to your boss. You'll get better at time management--mention this at review time. And you'll learn new skills. Use this to your advantage and stop with the what if's before you even know if you'll be the one chosen for the extra duties.
I've done programming in the past and I did my BEST work when I would get away from it and take a break! Do something different.
Also sometimes sleeping, I would get an "Ahh Ha!" moment.
And I can get burned out programming.
So I think it would be a wonderful idea to do something different - take a break.
If you program any sort of user interfaces, you could also use that opportunity to ask people which of several versions is easier to understand/use. Set up a couple of screens and use the people walking by as guinea pigs.
I've relieved reception before; there is not much to it. You need to know your place of business inside and out especially if you are answering the outside phone lines, but lunch hour is usually pretty slow at the desk.
However, I will never give up my lunch to do it! If you are unable to meet the deadlines of your position because you are relieving reception then your boss needs to know that.
Location: ๏̯͡๏﴿ Gwinnett-That's a Civil Matter-County
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12 - 2? That's quite a siesta.
Me, well I only get to try to have lunch when (if) the phone stops ringing for a while. And it usually starts ringing again the second I take the first bite out of my sandwhich.
If possible, if I were you, I'd negotiate eating lunch in the office and handling the receptionist type duties in exchange for being able to go home earlier at the end of the day or maybe getting additional vacation time.
As long as you don't lose your own lunch time, why not try to do it? Anything that helps the company work better and keeps things flowing is good for all.
I had a professional position, salaried (Ph.D.) and I would randomly answer the phone if the person assigned to do that was busy and I was in the vicinity. Made me very popular with them; they would do me little favors without me asking. I did it b/c I can't stand to see something that needs to be done and not do it.
Ha. Once when working as a tech writer, the phone for tech support rang, and no one was there to answer it. I answered it, figuring at least I could take a message, and it turned out to be someone I knew from High school, some 20 years before. He'd built a ham radio in fifth grade *that reached Russia*- this was a big deal then! and was always a genius geek in school. Turns out he was working for the Jet Propulsion Labs and really was a rocket scientist.
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