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So I'm bored and aggravated because this is the 3rd job I've had where I have way too little work and way too much downtime. I know, others wish they had this problem but I find it demotivating and it makes me feel vulnerable since I'm not convinced my position is needed (and one I left in the past was never refilled). And its godd*mn boring!!
At my current job, I usually have at least 50% to 75% downtime on any given day. The little bit of work I am given takes me no more than an hour to complete and while I continue to let people know I am caught up and offer help if they need it, it never brings me more than maybe another 15-30 mins. worth of work. If that. I actually have many days maybe 2 per week where I have NOTHING to do (like today). I try staying busy, working on a screenplay, reading up on marketing industry stuff, chatting on networking boards, etc. but there are only so many things I can think of to do for 8 hours.
Does anyone else have this problem? How much downtime you all have? How do you deal when you have no work?
I feel your pain. We downsized last year and I got moved into a job where they had let someone go (a former boss of mine to make it worse) but if I was lucky I had about 8 hours a week of work to do. In my previous assignment, I had 3 different responsibilities.
I know I should have been thankful that they wanted to keep me, but since March of last year I have had days on end with absolutely nothing to do. It is demoralizing and boring. Like you, I got really tired of trying to make up things to do.
We are finally getting a new project and I'll be in charge. I'm wondering if my old work ethic is still intact because I'm going to be going from 8 hours a day to 10 or 11 easily. Frankly I'm scared!
Sorry you are having to go through it - I never thought having too little to do would be so hard! Hopefully things will pick up and you will either get busy or have a shot at another more challenging job.
I feel your pain. We downsized last year and I got moved into a job where they had let someone go (a former boss of mine to make it worse) but if I was lucky I had about 8 hours a week of work to do. In my previous assignment, I had 3 different responsibilities.
I know I should have been thankful that they wanted to keep me, but since March of last year I have had days on end with absolutely nothing to do. It is demoralizing and boring. Like you, I got really tired of trying to make up things to do.
We are finally getting a new project and I'll be in charge. I'm wondering if my old work ethic is still intact because I'm going to be going from 8 hours a day to 10 or 11 easily. Frankly I'm scared!
Sorry you are having to go through it - I never thought having too little to do would be so hard! Hopefully things will pick up and you will either get busy or have a shot at another more challenging job.
Thanks for your response. I think most people I know stay pretty busy throughout the day and don't know how maddening it can be to sit around for hours, weeks on end. I went 3 entire weeks in Dec. with no more than 15 mins. worth of work. The lack of work is why I left my last job in publishing for my job in banking, which I subsequently lost, ended up unemployed for 9 months then stumpled into this one.
I'm still putting out resumes in the hopes of getting somewhere where I can use my skills and not lose them.
Does anyone else have this problem? How much downtime you all have? How do you deal when you have no work?
Find the busiest person in your organization and ask him for something to do - or just start doing things to support his team.
Just start doing contributive things, even if it is not in your lane - organize data or files or something. What about developing a process improvement? How about coming up with an initiative to help your organization: Prepare a Powerpoint presentation on it and deliver that at the next appropriate staff meeting? Bring this idea up to your boss - ask him if it would be OK to present for ten minutes.
At your next staff meeting have your team spend ten minutes brainstorming ways to reduce mitigate risks. Also, have a brainstorming session on process improvements. Write them all down, rack and stack them, assign action teams to reduce the risks or improve the processes.
Being not busy is not a good thing - your boss is probably observing this. People who aren't busy are expendable. There's a lot of truth to the saying that 20% of the people to 80% of the work. You sound like you're on the 80% of people who do the remaining 20% of work. This is dangerous.
Start looking for another job. This job probably isn't helping your career. Imagine doing this for three more years and then explaining to a future manager what you accomplished in the past three years.
What would you do if you hired house cleaners and one employee in the crew just sat around for three of the four hours?
Find the busiest person in your organization and ask him for something to do - or just start doing things to support his team.
Just start doing contributive things, even if it is not in your lane - organize data or files or something. What about developing a process improvement? How about coming up with an initiative to help your organization: Prepare aa Powerpoint presentation on it and deliver that at the next appropriate staff meeting? Bring this idea up to your boss - ask him if it would be OK to present for ten minutes.
At your next staff meeting have your team spend ten minutes brainstorming ways to reduce mitigate risks. Also, have a brainstorming session on process improvements. Write them all down, rack and stack them, assign action teams to reduce the risks or improve the processes.
Being not busy is not a good thing - your boss is probably observing this. People who aren't busy are expendable. There's a lot of truth to the saying that 20% of the people to 80% of the work. You sound like you're on the 80% of people who do the remaining 20% of work. This is dangerous.
Start looking for another job. This job probably isn't helping your career. Imagine doing this for three more years and then explaining to a future manager what you accomplished in the past three years.
What would you do if you hired house cleaners and one employee in the crew just sat around for three of the four hours?
The bolded part has been my exact concern through this job and a prior one. I don't feel at all needed.
Everyone here is busy but while I continue to update them on when my projects are finished, nothing more comes my way. I am working on a project with a VP but my part is nothing more than meeting with people and recording their notes on a spreadsheet. 15 mins. of work per day. I'd also love to do process improvements but as a contractor I am not allowed access to many applications, the budget, requisitions etc. I am not included on major meetings or really kept in the loop on much.
I think my best bet is another job. It's just that I've been looking for over a year. I may try again to see where I can create some things for myself in the meantime.
I'm a mom with three kids under 13 and a husband who works three jobs and is never home. I never get downtime!
I used to work in an office and once I was done seeing my clients, I was bored. It was awful. I kept thinking of all the things I could be getting done at home. I would reading books, magazines, whatever. We didn't have internet so sometimes I would just stare at the wall. I talked to my co-workers as much as I could get away with without driving them crazy.
I much prefer to be busy all day with a few hours downtime at night to unwind for bed.
Since I am unemployed I voted based on my last job for which I said about even. Somedays/weeks I'd have more work than others and some nothing at all. When people would travel I'd have very little to do.
At the last job I had I basically worked for systems administration and had to make sure things were 'running smoothly' by monitoring a help-line and email inbox for requests. If nothing came in, there was basically no work. Projects were few and far between. My boss knew this and was fine with myself and the two other people who had the same job watching tv, playing on the internet, etc--but I HATED it. I was sooo bored 90% of the time, I just wanted to stab my eyes out--the day went by so slowly. I ended up voluntarily leaving because I moved, however I found out there were eliminating my position after I left--I wasn't surprised.
I had a job that was similar during certain periods of the year for months. There was never any assigned work to do, but I made it a point to find something to do. I made it known that I was useful and wanted to work.
If you are worried about job security - make yourself useful. If you sit there and look like you're bored, someone will notice and not in a good way. There is always something to do, believe me - you just have to find it.
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