Eat Your Veggies!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

::pluto rants again::

Every job has a certain amount of not-so-fun routine work. Some jobs, if you’re lucky (like me), have some fun, creative work. But you’ve got to do the routine work in order to have the fun. It’s like my mom always said: “You’ve got to eat your vegetables before you can have dessert!”

Continuing the metaphor, for the last little while my boss seems to be of the opinion that there’s nothing I’d rather do than eat vegetables and he keeps giving my dessert to someone else! The last couple of weeks it’s gotten even worse – now I have to eat other people’s vegetables so they can eat dessert! The real killer is that he does this because I’m good at what I do, and the dessert-only people are excused because they can’t do the hard work of preparation (the veggies) they can only do the easy stuff (the dessert) which is only easy because the hard work is done. in effect, I’m doing the drudge work just to make my less-than-competent co-workers look good.

It’s gotten to the point where I really don’t have time to get my own work done, much less all this other stuff for everyone else.

Yesterday, for example, he came by and said (I’m paraphrasing here) “Mary’s too busy to eat her vegetables. Why don’t you eat them for her? She’s busy on her dessert.” I tried to point out that I was busy too, etc., etc., but he wasn’t really asking me to do it, if you know what I mean.

AAARRRGGGHHH!!!

I thought I had dealt with the anger this created in me but when I got home I fought with my wife, yelled at the kids and kicked the dog. (Not really – but I was in a bad mood.) After stewing about it I decided I’d have to have a heart-to-heart with my boss. But he wasn’t here today. About one o’clock I get a phone call. It’s my boss. “I forgot to eat some vegetables before I left yesterday – would you please eat them before the day’s out?”

My Solution(s): (Being a guy I can’t just vent – I have to problem-solve.)

  1. I’m still gonna have that heart-to-heart.
  2. I’m not going to eat anyone else’s vegetables. If it doesn’t get done, they’re gonna look bad, not me.
  3. I’m gonna eat my own darn vegetables AND my own darn dessert
  4. If they don’t like it they can lump it. I’m highly skilled, very good at what I do, and my skills happen to be in great demand at the moment.

Whew! I feel better. Maybe this should have been posted to the pit but I’m such a heck/gosh kinda guy I thought it would be okay here. (Notice I “darned” my veggies and dessert.)

Anyone have any suggstions about other things I might do to correct this situation?

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It sounds like you got the right formula there, pluto. I’ve been in that situation, and I ended up choosing number 4, and now I am appreciated. :slight_smile: But that was only after 1,2, and 3 failed (my bosses were complete morons).

Good luck… dessert is so much better. Although I do like spinach and have eaten someone else’s peas on occasion…

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You have a right to be angry, Pluto. Your boss has fallen into the lazy pattern of “reward hard work with more hard work” rather than dealing with the under-performers.

It’s burning out his best worker, and rewarding the worst. Talk about anti-incentives. Why should you stay? and why should the under-achievers improve?

Your game plan sounds dead-on target to me. Level with the boss. Would he be open to a promotion for you? Sounds like he doesn’t excel at people managment or training. Since the skill level and/or motivation in the group is lacking, would he be open to having you oversee and train–for adequate compensation, of course?

Worth a thought, if it’s something you’d enjoy. It could offer the boss an out, and let you inform others, “I’m here to help you learn, not to do your work for you.”

The workplace is dysfunctional, and either they cure it or they’ll suffer for it. If they don’t want to clean their own cage, then walk. Life is way too short for a sick work environment to poison your life.

All the best, kiddo.

Veb

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I have not eaten vegetables since I was 4 years old. (Thank goodness for vitamin supplements.)