So a few days ago our department had a meeting and we each talked about our frustrations and ideas, etc. You know, typical meeting stuff. I am a full-time employee who shares a few tasks with a part-time employee. The part-time guy has worked here for years, and I joined about eight months ago.
Anyway, I come into work today and he tells me, “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell [our boss] what we do and don’t do from day to day. Because if it sounds like we’re not doing much, she’ll give us all these mundane projects.”
Now a little background. I have somewhat of an anxiety problem. So when he tells me this I feel my face getting bright red and I start sweating. I think he notices and he says things like, “I hope you don’t think this is a big deal,” etc. So I start making lame excuses like “Oh it’s hot in here” while trying to smile and be normal.
The thing is, I know I’m being the more mindful employee, and we often have NOTHING to do, but it’s difficult to report on what I’m doing when so many of our tasks are shared and he doesn’t want me speaking for him. So what the heck am I supposed to do?
Now I’m all paranoid about what I’m saying or not saying and how normal I think my coworker thinks I am. I know it’s irrational to want everyone to like me, but the fact is that I get really bothered by things like this. I could’ve put this in the Pit and called him all sorts of nasty names, but I’m more upset than angry or bitter. I hate being stressed. I think you guys should tell me things to make me feel better. Anyways, thanks for listening.
Don’t beat yourself up about what your cow-orker wants you to do. A part-timer may not have the same goals as a full-timer.
Remember, the only person you have to “obey” is your boss (and then really only around appraisal time.)
Think about what cow-orker said. Is it valid? After 8 months you should have a pretty good idea about what is needed to do your job right.
And don’t let your cow-orker bother you. Or pressure you. You have to do a good job, and you have every right to tell the boss what you’re working on. I think it’s more important to be an effective, efficient employee than not being given mundane projects.
Isn’t doing even a mundane project better than doing nothing? At least you’re doing something to earn your pay. Why worry about what the part-timer does or doesn’t want to do? You work there full time; I see no reason not be honest with your boss. There’s no problem with saying, “I have nothing to do,” or, “I’m not really working on anything right now because there isn’t anything to be working on.” You’re not speaking for him, just yourself.
I’d rather be busy doing mindless busywork than nothing at all, personally. Even if the part-timer wouldn’t.
And don’t worry about what the part-timer thinks about you. What are the chances he even noticed? As the old saying goes, “I’m not much, but I’m all I think about!” We’re all very self-conscious about our own actions, when chances are that most of the rest of the time everybody else is only thinking about themselves, too!
Well, how does your boss feel about daily reports? My boss likes juicy status reports too, but weekly instead of daily.
If your boss likes frequent status reports, but your co-worker doesn’t want you to speak for him, maybe you could modify what you’re doing. For example, send reports weekly instead of daily. Or tell your boss that the two of you will be sending separate reports. (You could decide among the two of you who will report on each of your shared tasks.)
I think you’re doing the right thing keeping your boss informed about what you’re doing. It sounds like you and the PT just have different work styles. Shouldn’t be too difficult to come up with a compromise that everyone’s OK with.
With all due respect to Tiger – it’s a bad idea to say “I have nothing to do,” or, “I’m not really working on anything right now because there isn’t anything to be working on.”
If you need to communicate that idea, say something like “Project X went quickly so I’m wondering if we should think about doing this or that or the other thing” or, if you have a desk job, just fool around with software to learn new tricks and tell the boss that you spend some of your time “refining procedures” and like that. Unless your boss is totally cool. But what are the odds?
Screw your co-worker. He’s not nice. However, he’s right about avoiding pointless projects. You do not want to be in a position where you are responsible for a long list of busy-work projects when a worthwhile assignment comes up.
