# Are long periods of little to nothing to do at work common in Corporate America? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 15, 2008, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796 "2008-11-15T01:24:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796/21 "2008-11-15T13:33:08Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I honestly have no idea what they hired me to do. It wasn’t really your question, and I only bring it up because you said you were bored, but if a fulfilling career isn’t something you need to be happy then you can be glad that this company pays you to do whatever you see fit. Learn something new at work (study HTML online, learn a foreign language), depending on how isolated your office is, catch up on some reading, write something, read something about history or culture online that you wouldn’t otherwise make time for. I occasionally have large swaths of down time at work, which would annoy me otherwise, but they’re basically paying me to study Japanese (when I can pull myself away from the Dope, anyway). Fine with me. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796/22 "2008-11-15T13:57:40Z")
> [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](#): > > It wasn’t really your question, and I only bring it up because you said you were bored, but if a fulfilling career isn’t something you need to be happy then you can be glad that this company pays you to do whatever you see fit. Learn something new at work (study HTML online, learn a foreign language), depending on how isolated your office is, catch up on some reading, write something, read something about history or culture online that you wouldn’t otherwise make time for. I wish I could be happy doing nothing and collecting a large paycheck, but I generally need some sense of fulfillment from my job. Either the work or the people or something else about the position has to be interesting or challenging. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796/23 "2008-11-15T14:04:56Z")
Sometimes yes. Particularly when you are supposed to be a project resource for a project that has been delayed or put on hold. Or when you are in the wait phase of hurry up and wait. But have a one on one with your boss. Identify areas where you can add value. If someone else looks really busy, offer to help out - even if you need to be taught. If your boss doesn’t have ideas, start shopping your time to other people. “I can’t promise my availability will always be there for you, but right now I have some free time and can give you a hand.” ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796/24 "2008-11-15T14:16:18Z")
That is weird. My image of you all working in the USA is that you make insanely long hours with very little job-security, and in very hierarchical circumstances. I’m surprised to hear so many people have, at times, nothing to do. Here in the Netherlands, employing someone is much more expensive, and they can’t be fired easily. But the vibe I get is that people who are employed always have plenty to do. In corporate Holland, if your presence isn’t physically required, and you’re done, you just go home. We also have much more days of vacation then you guys. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796/25 "2008-11-15T15:21:59Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > That is weird. My image of you all working in the USA is that you make insanely long hours with very little job-security, and in very hierarchical circumstances. I’m surprised to hear so many people have, at times, nothing to do. > > Here in the Netherlands, employing someone is much more expensive, and they can’t be fired easily. But the vibe I get is that people who are employed always have plenty to do. In corporate Holland, if your presence isn’t physically required, and you’re done, you just go home. We also have much more days of vacation then you guys. Of course, don’t forget the confirmation bias in this. There’s over 500 views to this thread, and only 20 people have piped up to say they are bored at work. Most of us are quite busy thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796/26 "2008-11-15T15:43:14Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > .. > B. Develop labor-saving macros, mail-merges and other tricks (Yes, I offer to set them up for others, but most of the people don’t like to deviate from the one way they know to do things) > … It has only been relatively recently that I realized how much time many of my co-workers were spending entering information by hand from an Excel worksheet into a specialized program we use at work, running the experiment, then entering by hand the data generated into ANOTHER Excel spreadsheet. This whole data entering process takes roughly an hour or more for each experiment. Yet we have another specialized program that does the exact same thing as the first one, and yet is Excel compatible so you can copy and paste at the beginning, copy and paste at the end and you’re done. Total elapsed time: about 30 seconds. (Or, if you insist on using the first program you are actually allowed to just staple the first Excel worksheet to the results generated, you don’t actually HAVE to enter the information into the specialized program at all!) People are afraid of Excel, and have no interest in figuring out how it could make their jobs easier. And I’m talking about college science graduates, some with advanced degrees. PLus I suspect at least a few people actually love this kind of busy work, it makes them feel they’ve accomplished something. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796/27 "2008-11-15T16:18:57Z")
**Laughing Lagomorph** - I developed a macro fror another team to help them with a monthly report they had to submit. What was taking two people a full day (or so they said) every month, I got down to about 5 minutes, including prepping the initial spreadsheet. This was for one former teammate who two years ago told me she didn’t want to see the way I did reports, because she’d always done them the same way. StG ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796/28 "2008-11-15T17:54:19Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > But have a one on one with your boss. Identify areas where you can add value. If someone else looks really busy, offer to help out - even if you need to be taught. If your boss doesn’t have ideas, start shopping your time to other people. “I can’t promise my availability will always be there for you, but right now I have some free time and can give you a hand.” As a manager it’s kind of unseemly for me to be going around asking subordinates if I can help them with their tasks. Also, the old boss made it impossible to perform any activities out of her rigidly assigned tasks. We have a new VP and he seems nice but he said so himself that he has no idea what kind of work our department does. And his time is split between several other departments so I suspect like any affable empty suit, he will distance himself from our group and focus on what he knows. The new director also seems nice but I suspect she is a little out of her depth. So mostly I play “guy behind the guy” and get her up to speed on who does what, who hates/likes whom, and so on. But, quite frankly I’m not inclined to do more than the minimum to not get hassled until I can find a better gig. I kind of made my mind up that this job was a mistake so like any bad relationship, I would prefer not to invest any more time into it than I have to. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796/29 "2008-11-15T18:07:35Z")
I completely understand! Right now at work I have about 15 minutes worth of work every hour. It will pick up in December and January because that is our busy time of the year, but mostly I sit around and post on the dope. For a week or so I was really afraid that there was stuff to do but I just didn’t know it so I would sneak a peek at my coworker’s computer screens and found out that mostly they have nothing but downtime too. It comes in waves where I work that for a couple of weeks there is nothing and then it gets busy for a bit and then there is nothing to do again. I quite like my company and the people I work with so I am not going to quit over having a lot of down time or anything. I’ll just find my fulfillment in other ways and be glad I get a paycheck when so many other people are not so lucky. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796/30 "2008-11-15T18:22:36Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > Wanted to modify my earlier response: depending on the manager, he or she might really appreciate it if you have your own ideas–“I’m really interested in X, could I cross-train on it”, “I’ve had an idea to do X, could you give me some guidance on how to start a project in that area”. > > What they (we) don’t like is hearing at 9:30 AM: “Well, I’m finished. What do you want me to do next?” Gahhh, you’re creating work for me and demanding attention exclusively on you! Why don’t you think of something and come back and impress me? Your first example is what I meant. Not asking the manager for more work to do, but can you learn this, or cross-train on Y’s job for when she goes on maternity leave, or I’ve noticed X, this is what I came up with to fix it. That sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![RedRosesForMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RedRosesForMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedRosesForMe)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796/31 "2008-11-15T18:25:23Z")
I worked for a non-profit, so it was probably a little different, but I did have a lot of downtime. At certain periods I’d be fairly busy because I was reorganizing the filing system or transitioning to a new inventory system, but all the changes I made made me more efficient so eventually I’d be bored with little to do. I had things I could do, but “saved” them for tomorrow so I wouldn’t be totally bored all week. I think some people are just more efficient than others\*, as I was waaay more efficient than my predecessor. I did a lot of online shopping at that job. \*this does not apply to all jobs, obviously. Some people really are busy. This job, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796/32 "2008-11-15T18:48:42Z")
> [@Captain\_C](#): > > over 500 views to this thread, and only 20 people have piped up to say they are bored at work. Most of us are quite busy thank you. Am I the only one here who _envies_ those 20 bored people? In my job, I eat lunch at my desk and rarely have time to finish a whole sandwich without being interrupted for an answer RIGHT NOW to some problem that just popped up. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796/33 "2008-11-15T19:22:51Z")
On my last real jobs in my old industry, I checked every request for quotes that came into sales and I reviewed every drawing and or specification sheet that came in. Many of our customers were prone to specifying parameters that were incompatible with other specified parameters and/or requirements that simply could not be met. I had to take exception to these errors and that meant I could expect to spend a lot of time on the phone with outraged engineers who kept insisting that their requirements HAD to be met, even though they were impossible. In my spare time, I prepared design sheets for products that we had agreed to build and answered questions from our manufacturing arm. In my spare time, I answered questions from our sales staff, from our reps, and from customers. Due to differences in time zones, I often received calls from reps and sales people at home. I never had more than a couple of minutes of free time. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796/34 "2008-11-15T19:30:58Z")
My current job is the busiest I’ve ever had, but I still get plenty of time to slack off and post rubbish on the SDMB. On behalf of the rest of us, I’m thankful to the 10% of you who are literally busy from 9 to 5 and beyond, because you are the engine of our economy and the fount of our wealth. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796/35 "2008-11-15T19:41:21Z")
I’n my current job I’m so busy I’ve had to stay late every day for the last two weeks, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to let up for months. (I’m salaried, so no overtime.) Yet at the same time the company as a whole is laying off people like crazy because of the poor economy. It’s a bizarre incongruity. Ed ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796/36 "2008-11-15T20:13:44Z")
My current job is understanding failures we get back from the field. Most of the time our quality is so good I have spare time. My unofficial job is to come up with new ideas about looking at them, so I spend some time thinking and then lots of time experimenting and writing code. I also spend time being the face of the company in the industry, running conferences, etc., and now this has become part of my official job. So, I’m good at inventing stuff to do to fill up my free time, some of which is actually useful. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796/37 "2008-11-15T20:51:22Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I honestly have no idea what they hired me to do. The Director who hired me quit as soon as I came on board so I never got any direction from him. … > > Fortunately psycho bitch was forced into retirement so she’ll be gone by Thanksgiving. We have a new Director and a new VP but they have no clue so now I’m basically “managing” them. And, of course, the entire company is going through massive layoffs and restructuring so really no one knows what the hell is going on anymore. … > > So mostly I bide my time, use my position withing the company to make industry contacts at our vendors and wait for the job market to pick up so one of them can hire me. You sound perfectly positioned to take over the entire department. You’ve answered your original question, I think: Yes, in very poorly run Corporations. I initiate at least half my own work; I design projects, work on them as I please. Sometimes no one expresses any interest in them for months, but eventually things get implemented. In fact, I tend to get annoyed by tasks assigned by my bosses; don’t they know I have work to do? ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796/38 "2008-11-15T21:18:49Z")
One word: Poor management 😉 If you have a bunch of employees having to look busy, who don’t know what their job functions are, are constantly hurrying up and waiting, and basically just playing with their plonkers all day long, then as a manager, you have created a confused and poorly working model. A good manager gets his people on the same page and develops synergy. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796/39 "2008-11-15T21:31:06Z")
I’ve always got several times more things to do than time to do them, most of them part of long term goals that never happen soon enough. It’s always a question of which things are going to hurt worse to leave undone. I am sure I wouldn’t have to increase my rate of finding things to do, if I worked 24/7. This certainly been true for all of the last 30 years, and most of the 10 before that. Sometimes this is fun and sometimes it is exhausting but it is never boring. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796/40 "2008-11-15T21:38:54Z")
We have dozens of projects going on at once, with daily deadlines, rather than few large projects due weeks or months out, so I always have something that needs to be done. If anyone here had nothing to do, he’d be trained to do something else, or asked to not come in. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-periods-of-little-to-nothing-to-do-at-work-common-in-corporate-america/472796.md?page=3)