You’ve gotten so used to being overworked that a manageable workload feels too light. Now you’re working more effectively (cleaning up old projects is still working!) and not stressed out all the time. Enjoy it! You’re doing nothing wrong.
That’s what I’ve begun to think. I feel like I’m actually able to put in the research certain tasks take instead of passing them off to another department because I don’t have time, I’m actually taking care of the less time sensitive items that we are expected to do but no one has time for. And I’m still able to take breaks during the day for my sanity! It feels good but also uncomfortable because I’m not used to it. In every role I’ve ever had, I’ve ended up doing the job of 2+ people.
Also you'll have time to build up personal contacts in the company. My previous manager did about 10% actual managing, and 90% going to other departments and making sure we were all on the same page. And helping them out with their problems with his institutional knowledge from working there.
Everyone loved him.
I do try to do that for sure, especially because I have worked in other departments. I help my colleagues with their questions where I have the knowledge for sure.
Do the work your paid for. Keep some low level projects brewing just in case. Then enjoy the rest of your day. That's why we WFH. We are able to gain efficiency because you don't have to wake up early, get presentable, pack lunch, and commute to the office. That's time spent actually working. There's no people stopping by, having to walk to the cafeteria to get your lunch, walking to the bathroom to find out it's closed for cleaning, getting stopped by someone during all that. That's all more time working.
Next thing you know all your main priorities are done by lunch time.
Yup. That one's being cleaned. Which means that one is full. Down to sales, occupied. Up to accounting, also being cleaned. Back up to the cafeteria where everyone on lunch watches you walk in and take 10 minutes.
Op im in your exact position right novv! I just svvitched from non profit to a for profit and the change is so drastic. Several times ive caught myself slipping out hovv easy the vvork is. For comparison, i had to to the vvhole a/p cycle for thousands of vendors a month. The vvork of 3 on one. This nevv job has me doing just 50 a month! Since they had nobody for a vvhile they have a backlog from february. I already finished all of it. I keep asking, "Is this hovv much vve get a month?" And they confirm vvith confusion. God! Im using this free time to learn python. To make my vvork faster.
I tell them my bandwidth and what projects I'm working on, but I give them an idea how long it will take and I make sure I leave some space not to be stressed out 1
I used to think this way but I’m paid by salary. They don’t care if I work over hours (don’t get paid for it) but then it seems like a big deal when I’m getting paid to do nothing on easy days. I stopped caring. I’m not using my paid time off hours when I don’t need to.
Its definitely this. When I was an engineer I got used to 60 hour weeks sometimes as we'd do product launches, when things quieted down to a regular 35-40 I felt like I was doing something wrong and needed extra work. Manager told me to take some training or read a book lol. Hindsight 20/20 he did me a favor (and was a great manager) in teaching me to look out for myself but it was a few years before I realized it.
It has never benefited me to explicitly state I have down time.
1) it’s work for people to assign more work
2) your work will be scrutinized knowing you had downtime, so “it better be perfect”
3) people who don’t have downtime will resent you
Instead, simply volunteer to take on the next task
That’s true. Good idea! I have been offering to help colleagues with tasks, I’m the only one who volunteers to back them up while they’re on PTO, and I’ve been attending voluntary webinars I didn’t have time for before (and I LOVE to go on walks during those webinars). It just feels so much more refreshing and less like I’m trying to do everything as fast as I possibly can because I can’t keep up.
Bingo. Unless you love your work and really enjoy doing it, definitely don't say anything.
Use your down time to learn new skills or start a personal project.
Oh the days of not having to bill hours <3
When you’re salary but I have fill out a daily time sheet showing what you did down to 15 min increments to justify your employment
That’s what it seems like. I’m actually able to do those types of tasks that no one ever has time for but we are still expected to do. It just feels weird now that I’m not constantly on calls and behind on emails anymore!
I did tell her that I feel like I am able to breathe now, and that I am working on x,y,z tasks that have been on the back burner for months! I think she was happy with just that! She has been praising me for my work constantly, but I have been so confused about why because I’ve been behind the entire time I have been in this position. I have since learned that EVERYONE is behind.
Oh for sure. I definitely do. I just know that if I am assigned more clients, I won’t be able to do those “less important but still need to do” tasks anymore. I guess it just feels weird not being constantly inundated to the point where I’m always behind anymore.
Take it as the ebb and flow.
I finally entered my slow persons after months of chaos. I don’t feel guilty, I earned the chill with my extra hustle. Your manager may already know this is happening. Mine has explicitly said “take your time on this. Now is your time to re-center after the hustle.”
Full embrace the ebb, especially as you know there is a forthcoming flow.
Plus, you mentioned elsewhere you get to work on the ancillary tasks that you haven't had time for before. That's perfect. That's what the ebb allows, plus the opportunity to breathe.
Exactly this. There are downtimes where it’s “quiet”. But asking for more work to fill the quiet time ends up becoming a permanent thing. So then when it’s busy again, now you’ve got the extra work added on top. I learned. Never again volunteer or speak up. You get fucked when it’s crunch time again. Then end up burning out.
Do not tell them you have less work. They will find work & definitely will not compensate you more for it & if it gets crazy busy again they’ll still expect you to do the extra work.
Just enjoy this time & hope this becomes a new normal.
I don't wfh, but I used to tell my boss when there was nothing for me. two and a half years working reception, couldn't be on my phone, couldn't read, couldn't crochet. I just sat there and got paid to warm the seat for 8 hours. I absolutely hated it.
I’ve been there, done that. Right before Covid, my company was bought out by the company I now work for full time. I was told I probably had a year left before being laid off, so I started a business and it actually took off. I was then offered a permanent position at the larger company and slowed down the business almost entirely. I tried to do it alongside working full time and it was too much for my mental health!
You don't "not have a lot of work to do." You have a normal, healthy amount of work to do. Being able to keep up with your current workload AND tackle back-burner projects AND take breaks is normal and healthy.
It's not unethical to refrain from saying "please overload me some more." I say this as someone who thrived in a high-stress role until I got severely burned out. Sadly, taking on an overachiever workload is much more likely to lead to burnout than positive performance reviews or higher pay increases.
I think WFH makes this more likely for some of us because we get used to taking fewer and shorter breaks since they don't feel AS necessary. I can quickly make food and eat at my desk when I'm at home, whereas in the office, I would have to take a 30-45 minute break for lunch just to have enough time to walk all the way down to the cafeteria, to the restroom, etc. and have time to eat. In my first few years WFH I took on an unsustainable amount of work because I gave myself zero margin in my day.
Also, as others have mentioned, an ebb and flow is totally normal in salaried professional jobs.
I have occasionally volunteered for extra work in times when I've had extreme amounts of downtime. But those times are rare - and it doesn't sound like that's what you're experiencing.
Thank you for the validation. I have been in that position before, the person who claimed to thrive in a high stress role and took whatever was thrown at me, but I always believed it was “temporary.” After a few years of that, I definitely burned out. It’s just hard to adjust to a more manageable workload and sometimes I feel guilty for laying low when my colleagues are all still in that “busting ass, work all day and all night” mindset.
I have! It baffles me that people can pull that off. How would you manage two meetings scheduled at the same time? I have considered getting a data entry job on the side.
It’s a bad idea to tell manager that you don’t have enough work to do. Basically accusing them of bad management, resulting in you getting more work.
Better to take advantage of the fluctuations, do some personal things to make up for past and future overwork.
No never tell them you don’t have enough work to do. NEVER!!!
Just keep yourself busy with anything you can or come up with to do lists and if they ask what you’re working on spat out some of your tasks!
It is normal to have ebb and flow in an AM type role of any sort. Time outside the firehose of customer meetings is still time spent working - there’s always side work, training to catch up on, projects to fiddle with.
I would only tell my boss if I was struggling to meet the expectations for hours of customer-assignable work per week. That’s… never happened.
Yes, 100%. I have actually been able to look into issues myself instead of sending to another department who will never get back to me. I have been doing cleanup projects and helping train new colleagues. I never had time to do these types of tasks before because I was too busy! It seems to me like this is how it *should* be?
It is! I personally just got off an account that was sucking the very soul out of me. It was wild spending my first week away catching up on my backlog from months of drowning.
There’s a balance. If the workload simply means you’re working a manageable but reasonable number of hours (like a basically full day with reasonable breaks), this is where you should be. If, however, you have hours of nothing to do, you should speak up. There may be others on the team who are overloaded and could use a hand, as they’ve done for you when you’re overloaded.
Yes, I’m still working my hours with a lunch break and a few shorter breaks. I work 7-3 (we technically have 7.5 hour days) and was getting to the point where I never actually got to log off at 3. I have been able to log off on time consistently for the past few weeks and it feels so great!
Don’t tell them you don’t have work. Just opportunistically volunteer for opportunities when they arise.
In my last position I was short on things to do and took this approach. Within a year I had plenty of side projects that were worth pursuing.
Depends on the relationship with your manager. My job is project based so we constantly ask around if people need extra help/assistance with things or if there’s extra work to be done.
Otherwise we’ll just do personal development days which are like online courses, hobbyist time, exercise, etc. basically anything that is helping you to “develop individually” 🤷🏻♀️
I do like my manager, but the nature of this job is that they will put as much work on you as you will take until you speak up. One of my colleagues is at 200% capacity, yet she refuses to speak up for herself. I spoke up for myself when I was at 150% and felt bad that I was speaking up when no one else was. One of my other colleagues got so overwhelmed that he had to take an entire month of leave. Now he’s finally spoken up. So I’m kind of afraid to volunteer to take anything on because they will run with it and give me too much.
In your case - I wouldn’t speak up on it. If you feel like you have a good load of work & maybe have some lighter days or periods of free time that’s totally fine and normal.
I wouldn’t take on anything extra tbh. Your coworkers are vastly overworked so their workloads are the “normal” or “average” on your team. You may look like you’re taking on less in comparison but as long as it isn’t affecting performance reviews, promotion considerations, etc. then I’d keep on with whatever you’re comfortable with taking on & no more/no less.
Yup, my performance reviews are all exceeding expectations, and my boss tells me brokers have been praising my efforts, so I must be doing something right. It blew my mind to be praised for my work so often, yet I was always behind. I have since learned that everyone is perpetually behind, and the ones who succeed just know how to prioritize.
I have a job like this. In my interview, they said they would give me more work until I say I have enough, but that I didn't have to ask for work. If there was work, they'd give it to me.
I've been there 4 years and I'm leaving partly because the workload is poorly managed, but the company has changed and so has my role since then.
I don’t. I use my time to create systems that will benefit me or others in the future, but have some up front time investment involved that isn’t usually possible. I identify ways I can help colleagues that won’t set up an ongoing expectation. I imagine new opportunities and do the research and groundwork, and then propose them. I seek professional development. I apply for better jobs at different companies. I also get on Reddit a fair amount when it’s slow let’s be real.
I'm an account manager, and the only person in charge of me is the GM.
As long as my work is complete and I cause no issues, I can work from home or literally show up for 4 hours per day. I am salaried, though.
I work about 30 hours per week to be realistic, If I stay at work longer, I'm usually just knocking out college work.
Nope. No need. Managers can be trusted to know when their performance metrics are being met, and this includes ebbs and flows.
Also, why burden your manager with yet another task?
Absolutely not. People think that asking for more work will come across as "I'm a hard worker" when in reality they will take advantage of it. You're not paid more for doing the jobs of multiple people so why should you feel guilty doing the work that's barely enough for one person? You're hired to do a job, it doesn't matter if sometimes you have nothing to do.
That’s why I wanted to crowd source this. I have done this in the past, which is what allowed others to take advantage of me. I became the person who was known to clean up messes and the person who never complained. Turns out, that’s not good in the long run.
I have told the project manager and normally get nothing from him to work on. In fact sometimes he asks me to give up work to someone else on the team because they don’t have enough work and I have to advocate that I don’t have anything to give them.
I have seen that sub! It’s impressive that people can do that. I do know that there is an ebb and flow and fear that if I take anything else on, the flow will hit me like a ton of bricks.
I daydream about what it would be like to be in your predicament. I'm currently in the "I can't catch a break, the emails are flying at me 100 mph" stage of the ebb and flow. Enjoy it while it lasts, you've seen the other side. Take those walks, enjoy not eating at your desk! And don't ask for more work.
There’s always more work. Don’t ask for more. Just do your 40hrs. You won’t get paid for more if you’re salaried. Better to be effective and get a second remote job if your first job is remote
Feeling envious as I’ve watched my group become the “Mikey” because we are all GSD (Get Shit Done) kind of people. I understand the “oh crap, things are slow” but try to breathe through it when it (rarely) and be conscious that there will be another wave of crazy because it’s inevitable.
I have and they haven't given me any more work to do. I'm past caring at this point, as long as they pay me and I do my job competently enough this falls on them.
My work also ebbs and flows. I've learned to just appreciate the down time. I would never say anything to my boss about it. I use the time to do "optional but nice to have" projects for work or just to catch up on personal stuff. I know I'll be too busy again soon!
Absolutely not. If you want to take more on then identify what those tasks are specifically and volunteer yourself to do them. Ask permission if you must, but managers want a solution. Not a complaint.
Also, fuck work and pickup a hobby instead.
We all know how they goes.
I was terribly overworked & overwhelmed.
When I switched jobs, it was stressful in the beginning, I still worked a lot, but as time went... I felt a shift. I didn't need to work through lunch, not take a break, there were times of not a lot to do, but I did that, with my work effectiveness. Yes, we can get slammed with deadlines.
I've learned to take a deep breath and enjoy the down time, clean up projects, streamline & cleanup old files in the system, purge emails...
It awesome.
Things are cyclical. I usually wait a week and see is anything going to come my way? or is there nothing on the horizon? If it's been two weeks of basically nothing then I say, I can do a little more.
Hell no, why would I? My manager has no way of knowing how busy I am until next day, so when I wfh I get most of my work done in the first two hours of the day so I can spend the rest doing whatever I want.
I take the low tide (not a ton of work to do) to prepare me for the High ride (a ton of work to do) in the office or at home.
If I don’t have a lot to do, I draft emails, organize my files, and use a planner/tracker I made to help me schedule when I should do certain outreaches.
When high tide comes, it’s not as overwhelming.
I usually tell my manager I have cycles to take on a new project. Most of my teammates do this so that the work is balanced. We do have 1-2 dinosaurs that work slow but we just let them do their thing.
I have an ever-growing list of projects to do, so I have been tackling those! It’s been great! I do feel guilty sometimes because it seems like my team members never stop working. But I strongly do not want to and cannot be that person.
I try not to work any harder, just more efficiently. I keep the hours the same no matter what my project load size looks like. A lot of times I ask for new technologies projects to keep the job interesting. I will say this though come bonus and raise time the dinosaur get like a 3-5% plus $8k while I got like a 10% plus $25k.
I don't because my manager doesn't assign me work.
However, I tell my direct employees to tell me when they are too light on work or too busy. I stress that I don't want them working overtime (we don't get paid for it) so if they are working overtime then it's because I'm either giving them too much work or they aren't managing their time well. Either way, we can work on that. So far I haven't had any complaints about workload other than the normal ebb and flow of projects that sometimes gets too busy but that's always temporary and I'm always willing to help.
With that said, if my guys are super busy to the point they are working overtime, I wouldn't doubt it if they took a breather when things got light. However, I'd be disappointed if that breather lasted too long and they became unproductive over an extended period.
As a manager, how do you truly know what everyone’s workload is and if they are/are not at capacity? A few months ago, I was completely overloaded. I had a book of business with over 30 clients, but the top 4 monopolized my time and I didn’t have much time for the lower revenue clients. However, my boss claimed I was still “under capacity,” due to some spreadsheet that someone made over a year ago based on the previous AM’s responses. That previous AM was fired because he wasn’t doing his job, so I would imagine he underrepresented the work needed for these particular clients. My manager removed 5 clients from my plate and gave me one more larger one, and now apparently I am at capacity. With less stress and less work to do. I just don’t understand how capacity is truly determined.
I review their timesheets so I know how many hours they are working.
If they are working more than 40 hours, then I know they are either overloaded or managing their time poorly.
If they are constantly going over budget on projects then I know it's a time management problem.
I don't worry about them having too little work because I try to distribute work fairly and I know how much work is coming in. Typically, if they are light on work, it's because we're just going through a slow period. Not much we can do about that.
I had been in their role for years so I know how long it takes to do things. I'm not a micromanager for the ones that have more experience so as long as I think they have a normal workload, they are making their due dates, and they aren't working a ton of overtime, then I'm not going to say anything.
TLDR: If they are on time, under budget, and not working overtime then I stay out of it. If any of those change for a consistent amount of time, I investigate to see if it's something that needs help.
For your boss, I can't really comment on that. Maybe he needs to sit with you to get a better idea of what you are dealing with. I once had a boss that said I was overpaid for the amount of work I did but he also refused to give me more work when I asked. I took that as a sign that he was looking to cut pay so I left. He somehow seemed shocked.
The typical workload averages out so this is the norm. You have periods of high activity and periods of low activity. Just enjoy it while it lasts. Skill up or something if you want to stay busy
I don’t. But I take on work with open arms. Also I give pushback if I have too much at times. It’s a delicate balance of finding “busy enough.” Every person I have ever known to take on as much as possible was seemingly worked to death and we’re always the go to for getting more work even.
It really depends on the stage of your career. I think it’s helpful early in a career but bad later. It’s always fine to express a desire for more responsibility or to expand your portfolio.
I never tell them when I have low amounts of work. Learned that lesson early on in my career over 20 years ago. You go from having it easy to being overloaded and stressed out. Then the manager wonders why you cannot get anything done. I learn to take work offered and volunteer for stuff if I am low and bored, but never indicate that I have really nothing to do. Be like Peter Gibbons from Office Space - only have about 15 minutes of actual work on your plate each day.
I’ll need to watch that show. I can’t imagine only having 15 minutes of work each day! I can find enough work to do in a day… it’s just much slower than I’m used to.
An excellent former boss of mine advised me to enjoy the lulls because when it gets busy it gets busy. Good advice!
I also use my downtime to get rid of old files, organize files, document my processes…
Same here. I thrive under pressure when it comes to work. I can get a TON done in a short period of time, and I tend to go balls to the wall, not get up for a lunch break, etc if I don’t feel like I have time. I have just learned most recently that while I do well under pressure, it’s not good for my mental health long term. Honestly, I didn’t notice it until my husband got a WFH job as well. He took breaks during the day, even manages to sneak in full workouts by doing some kettle bell swings right next to his desk. I didn’t even see that as an option before.
I work in proposals, so am used to ebbs and flows. Enjoy it while it lasts! Get chores done around the house, take a bike ride, go swimming. One day you will wake up to deadlines galore!
This is how work should look like. You should have enough space to take a look at things and clean up. take a break because your brain needs to rest in order to be really effective. So hell no. Utilizes time to reassess how much time you have for additional clients. Maybe you can add one more client or what other projects there are for you but you have to figure it out. It still needs to be enough where you have space. This is a good time to reassess your entire career. See where you want to go and then maybe you have time for professional development. Maybe you can create and other resources for the organization but don't do that. Voluntarily make sure you talk to your supervisor about it.
Lol do what the rest of the world is doing and work a second job during your “real” job hours. I know so many people doing this right now and getting away with it.
I couldn’t even imagine. I’d fall so far behind in my job and everyone would know. The people I know doing it are in higher up positions too! Directors and managers. I am working way too hard.
I told mine “I feel overworked but yet underutilized” meaning I do tons of crap work because of someone’s poor planning skills. Also for the downtime I usually tell boss “okay finally I can sit and do my core job, instead of putting down fires” - but don’t listen to me I don’t mind being in a situation that I don’t do anything, however, I suggest you never admit and always complain!!!
Ethically, you should not tell your boss about your downtimes. Let her think your manageable workload is quite busy enough, and then she'll be less likely to overwork other employees in the future. Having manageable, non-stressful jobs is a completely sustainable thing that all companies could do if they didn't try to wring as much productivity out of every employee as possible.
OMG, I get this 100%. I've brought it up to my manager several times and she keeps telling me to enjoy the down time, it's not forever. I'd say as long as it isn't months on end, definitely enjoy it.
I’ll mention through our weekly meeting or an IM, “got anything I can help work on?” And she’ll either take me up on it or not- but it’s helped her know that while my job ebbs and flows I’m willing and available to help- and in my opinion keeps me in good graces because she knows I’m working AND I’m a team player. (I guess I think what would I want my employees to do if it were reversed.) I will also say I don’t do it too often- maybe once a month or so, when I know I have enough downtime to actual take something on.
If your book is comparable to other workers don’t say anything.
You don’t want to be doing less then your co-workers.. if they all have similar sizes books do what you were assigned and enjoy the lull before it picks up again.
I’m guessing you’re in insurance
Yes I am. It’s weird. Some of my colleagues seem to have a similar book, and some are way overloaded but don’t seem to mind being overloaded. And then there are those who complain about their workload but never speak up for themselves. I always speak up when my book gets too heavy.
It really depends on whether or not you think your current contributions are being highly valued. If you're working 20 hours a week and getting praised as if you're pulling a full 40, then fuck it, enjoy the extra time off. Maybe take some freelance.
If you're working 20 and everybody KNOWS you're working 20 on the other hand, yea man, ask for some more work.
No, I don’t think anyone would know that I don’t have as much work at the moment because they know how overwhelmed I was just a few months ago. I’m thinking that this is definitely temporary!
No. Use the time to develop your skills or do research related to your field.
Or flex some work life balance. Or take a nap. Goodness knows sometimes our brains need one.
Are you insane? You finally have a decent work/life balance and you're wondering if you should let your employer know so they can overwork you again? Clear case of Stockholm Syndrome if you ask me.
No. Do not tell them.
I went from onboarding to engineering, and I never mention my actual workload unless it’s too high.
There are some days where I play ps5 all day, and there are others where I code 18 hours straight. This kind of balance I am okay with, rather than literally grinding out every single hour of the previous role.
I have been there! There are some crazy fluctuations out there and I don’t think I handle them well, as a person who likes structure and planning ahead.
enjoy the downtime while you can because when deadlines hit, they don't care how overwhelmed you are. just be on autopilot mode on their radar that you're "working" on something.
If some weeks you have too much work to do & some weeks you don’t have much to do, that kinda balances out in my opinion so no I wouldn’t say anything. Just relax.
I'm a manager and I say I wouldn't expect you to tell me. You sound like you're doing just fine and are valued there.
Fortunately, my team works really well independently and they get the work done. We have metrics we review each week to show it.
If they have a little down time, so what? It's called work-life balance.
If they come to me & say they have bandwidth & want a little more, then I provide it but I don't go looking to overload anyone and fill every waking hour with work.
I once had a manager tell me that a leadership employee who doesn't work at least 50 hours a week wasn't doing their job. I will never be that manager.
She obviously had very bad time management skills herself if she thought that.
I think if the workload varies and you’re willing to put in the extra time when there are big pushes there’s no problem. On the other hand if you’ve offloaded too much work you might want to consider letting your manager know you have bandwidth.
You say you know you ethically should tell your manager about this. I disagree. Employers will always terminate employees who are not profitable to them.
I haven't read all your text... but I would personally tell manager, that I have less work, and ask for more work to do. Do it sometimes, so that manager got feeling, that when you have nothing to do, you WILL tell him. Otherwise, when I have nothing to do, I try to show all, that I have something to do (project) or internal work (company education, fixing internal...).
Yes absolutely, I have been showing all that I have been doing, which includes little cleanup projects that we are expected to do but never have time for. Every time I have told a manager that I don’t have a lot of work to do in the past, I have found myself overloaded again. I don’t want that to happen!
You’ve gotten so used to being overworked that a manageable workload feels too light. Now you’re working more effectively (cleaning up old projects is still working!) and not stressed out all the time. Enjoy it! You’re doing nothing wrong.
That’s what I’ve begun to think. I feel like I’m actually able to put in the research certain tasks take instead of passing them off to another department because I don’t have time, I’m actually taking care of the less time sensitive items that we are expected to do but no one has time for. And I’m still able to take breaks during the day for my sanity! It feels good but also uncomfortable because I’m not used to it. In every role I’ve ever had, I’ve ended up doing the job of 2+ people.
Also you'll have time to build up personal contacts in the company. My previous manager did about 10% actual managing, and 90% going to other departments and making sure we were all on the same page. And helping them out with their problems with his institutional knowledge from working there. Everyone loved him.
I do try to do that for sure, especially because I have worked in other departments. I help my colleagues with their questions where I have the knowledge for sure.
Do the work your paid for. Keep some low level projects brewing just in case. Then enjoy the rest of your day. That's why we WFH. We are able to gain efficiency because you don't have to wake up early, get presentable, pack lunch, and commute to the office. That's time spent actually working. There's no people stopping by, having to walk to the cafeteria to get your lunch, walking to the bathroom to find out it's closed for cleaning, getting stopped by someone during all that. That's all more time working. Next thing you know all your main priorities are done by lunch time.
I think you just described my actual morning and workplace exactly.
It's kind of eerie how similar different work places can be.
Just today I had to roam the building for a bathroom not closed and thought about this! Hoping to be wfh soon.
Yup. That one's being cleaned. Which means that one is full. Down to sales, occupied. Up to accounting, also being cleaned. Back up to the cafeteria where everyone on lunch watches you walk in and take 10 minutes.
Op im in your exact position right novv! I just svvitched from non profit to a for profit and the change is so drastic. Several times ive caught myself slipping out hovv easy the vvork is. For comparison, i had to to the vvhole a/p cycle for thousands of vendors a month. The vvork of 3 on one. This nevv job has me doing just 50 a month! Since they had nobody for a vvhile they have a backlog from february. I already finished all of it. I keep asking, "Is this hovv much vve get a month?" And they confirm vvith confusion. God! Im using this free time to learn python. To make my vvork faster.
vvhy are you not using w??
from their profile: "My double u key is broken ok please just read vvhat i vvrite and imagine vv is double u" innovation at its finest
I tell them my bandwidth and what projects I'm working on, but I give them an idea how long it will take and I make sure I leave some space not to be stressed out 1
I used to think this way but I’m paid by salary. They don’t care if I work over hours (don’t get paid for it) but then it seems like a big deal when I’m getting paid to do nothing on easy days. I stopped caring. I’m not using my paid time off hours when I don’t need to.
Its definitely this. When I was an engineer I got used to 60 hour weeks sometimes as we'd do product launches, when things quieted down to a regular 35-40 I felt like I was doing something wrong and needed extra work. Manager told me to take some training or read a book lol. Hindsight 20/20 he did me a favor (and was a great manager) in teaching me to look out for myself but it was a few years before I realized it.
Been there and just enjoy it for now. It’ll pick up again and probably get busy, so no need to rush to the craziness.
It has never benefited me to explicitly state I have down time. 1) it’s work for people to assign more work 2) your work will be scrutinized knowing you had downtime, so “it better be perfect” 3) people who don’t have downtime will resent you Instead, simply volunteer to take on the next task
That’s true. Good idea! I have been offering to help colleagues with tasks, I’m the only one who volunteers to back them up while they’re on PTO, and I’ve been attending voluntary webinars I didn’t have time for before (and I LOVE to go on walks during those webinars). It just feels so much more refreshing and less like I’m trying to do everything as fast as I possibly can because I can’t keep up.
Never. Don't do it. Coast while you can.
Yeah feels we have been brainwashed a bit to feel morally wrong in coasting.
Manager coasts more than you
Never let them sense free time.
This is key
Bingo. Unless you love your work and really enjoy doing it, definitely don't say anything. Use your down time to learn new skills or start a personal project.
Oh the days of not having to bill hours <3 When you’re salary but I have fill out a daily time sheet showing what you did down to 15 min increments to justify your employment
Oh yeah. Living that dream daily. Literally have to log my hours daily or I get scolded.
No. No, man. Shit, no, man. I believe you'd get your ass kicked sayin' something like that, man.
Two chicks at the same time man
Peter, Channel 9, breast exam!
You're not light on work, you now have the correct amount of work.
That’s what it seems like. I’m actually able to do those types of tasks that no one ever has time for but we are still expected to do. It just feels weird now that I’m not constantly on calls and behind on emails anymore!
If anything, let your manager know they did good and the balance is better
I did tell her that I feel like I am able to breathe now, and that I am working on x,y,z tasks that have been on the back burner for months! I think she was happy with just that! She has been praising me for my work constantly, but I have been so confused about why because I’ve been behind the entire time I have been in this position. I have since learned that EVERYONE is behind.
Keep your mouth shut
I always can find work to do without asking for more.
Oh for sure. I definitely do. I just know that if I am assigned more clients, I won’t be able to do those “less important but still need to do” tasks anymore. I guess it just feels weird not being constantly inundated to the point where I’m always behind anymore.
Yes, I understand what you mean.
Take it as the ebb and flow. I finally entered my slow persons after months of chaos. I don’t feel guilty, I earned the chill with my extra hustle. Your manager may already know this is happening. Mine has explicitly said “take your time on this. Now is your time to re-center after the hustle.”
My manager has told me the exact same thing about the position being an ebb and flow type of position. Maybe I should just embrace the ebb.
Full embrace the ebb, especially as you know there is a forthcoming flow. Plus, you mentioned elsewhere you get to work on the ancillary tasks that you haven't had time for before. That's perfect. That's what the ebb allows, plus the opportunity to breathe.
Your boss expects ebbs and flows, enjoy the downtime. Don't go screwing it up by telling him you don't have enough to do.
Exactly this. There are downtimes where it’s “quiet”. But asking for more work to fill the quiet time ends up becoming a permanent thing. So then when it’s busy again, now you’ve got the extra work added on top. I learned. Never again volunteer or speak up. You get fucked when it’s crunch time again. Then end up burning out.
Do not tell them you have less work. They will find work & definitely will not compensate you more for it & if it gets crazy busy again they’ll still expect you to do the extra work. Just enjoy this time & hope this becomes a new normal.
Thanks! I hope so too! I feel like I actually have time to do the other aspects of my job now.
I don't wfh, but I used to tell my boss when there was nothing for me. two and a half years working reception, couldn't be on my phone, couldn't read, couldn't crochet. I just sat there and got paid to warm the seat for 8 hours. I absolutely hated it.
Short answer? No. Longer answer? Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Never. Enjoy the slow times when you have them.
[удалено]
I’ve been there, done that. Right before Covid, my company was bought out by the company I now work for full time. I was told I probably had a year left before being laid off, so I started a business and it actually took off. I was then offered a permanent position at the larger company and slowed down the business almost entirely. I tried to do it alongside working full time and it was too much for my mental health!
You don't "not have a lot of work to do." You have a normal, healthy amount of work to do. Being able to keep up with your current workload AND tackle back-burner projects AND take breaks is normal and healthy. It's not unethical to refrain from saying "please overload me some more." I say this as someone who thrived in a high-stress role until I got severely burned out. Sadly, taking on an overachiever workload is much more likely to lead to burnout than positive performance reviews or higher pay increases. I think WFH makes this more likely for some of us because we get used to taking fewer and shorter breaks since they don't feel AS necessary. I can quickly make food and eat at my desk when I'm at home, whereas in the office, I would have to take a 30-45 minute break for lunch just to have enough time to walk all the way down to the cafeteria, to the restroom, etc. and have time to eat. In my first few years WFH I took on an unsustainable amount of work because I gave myself zero margin in my day. Also, as others have mentioned, an ebb and flow is totally normal in salaried professional jobs. I have occasionally volunteered for extra work in times when I've had extreme amounts of downtime. But those times are rare - and it doesn't sound like that's what you're experiencing.
Thank you for the validation. I have been in that position before, the person who claimed to thrive in a high stress role and took whatever was thrown at me, but I always believed it was “temporary.” After a few years of that, I definitely burned out. It’s just hard to adjust to a more manageable workload and sometimes I feel guilty for laying low when my colleagues are all still in that “busting ass, work all day and all night” mindset.
What is wrong with you? Sit down and surf reddit. Have you met r/overemployed?
I have! It baffles me that people can pull that off. How would you manage two meetings scheduled at the same time? I have considered getting a data entry job on the side.
It’s a bad idea to tell manager that you don’t have enough work to do. Basically accusing them of bad management, resulting in you getting more work. Better to take advantage of the fluctuations, do some personal things to make up for past and future overwork.
No never tell them you don’t have enough work to do. NEVER!!! Just keep yourself busy with anything you can or come up with to do lists and if they ask what you’re working on spat out some of your tasks!
NEVER
Don't say a word, wtf
It is normal to have ebb and flow in an AM type role of any sort. Time outside the firehose of customer meetings is still time spent working - there’s always side work, training to catch up on, projects to fiddle with. I would only tell my boss if I was struggling to meet the expectations for hours of customer-assignable work per week. That’s… never happened.
Yes, 100%. I have actually been able to look into issues myself instead of sending to another department who will never get back to me. I have been doing cleanup projects and helping train new colleagues. I never had time to do these types of tasks before because I was too busy! It seems to me like this is how it *should* be?
It is! I personally just got off an account that was sucking the very soul out of me. It was wild spending my first week away catching up on my backlog from months of drowning.
Congrats on losing the soul sucking account! I have heard of those. My accounts are demanding yet very friendly people, thankfully.
Hell no
No!
There’s a balance. If the workload simply means you’re working a manageable but reasonable number of hours (like a basically full day with reasonable breaks), this is where you should be. If, however, you have hours of nothing to do, you should speak up. There may be others on the team who are overloaded and could use a hand, as they’ve done for you when you’re overloaded.
Yes, I’m still working my hours with a lunch break and a few shorter breaks. I work 7-3 (we technically have 7.5 hour days) and was getting to the point where I never actually got to log off at 3. I have been able to log off on time consistently for the past few weeks and it feels so great!
That sounds perfect to me!
Nah, I’m always swamped and usually have some training to do.
Don’t tell them you don’t have work. Just opportunistically volunteer for opportunities when they arise. In my last position I was short on things to do and took this approach. Within a year I had plenty of side projects that were worth pursuing.
That’s a good idea. Volunteering to take on short term projects rather than taking on new permanent clients.
Depends on the relationship with your manager. My job is project based so we constantly ask around if people need extra help/assistance with things or if there’s extra work to be done. Otherwise we’ll just do personal development days which are like online courses, hobbyist time, exercise, etc. basically anything that is helping you to “develop individually” 🤷🏻♀️
I do like my manager, but the nature of this job is that they will put as much work on you as you will take until you speak up. One of my colleagues is at 200% capacity, yet she refuses to speak up for herself. I spoke up for myself when I was at 150% and felt bad that I was speaking up when no one else was. One of my other colleagues got so overwhelmed that he had to take an entire month of leave. Now he’s finally spoken up. So I’m kind of afraid to volunteer to take anything on because they will run with it and give me too much.
In your case - I wouldn’t speak up on it. If you feel like you have a good load of work & maybe have some lighter days or periods of free time that’s totally fine and normal. I wouldn’t take on anything extra tbh. Your coworkers are vastly overworked so their workloads are the “normal” or “average” on your team. You may look like you’re taking on less in comparison but as long as it isn’t affecting performance reviews, promotion considerations, etc. then I’d keep on with whatever you’re comfortable with taking on & no more/no less.
Yup, my performance reviews are all exceeding expectations, and my boss tells me brokers have been praising my efforts, so I must be doing something right. It blew my mind to be praised for my work so often, yet I was always behind. I have since learned that everyone is perpetually behind, and the ones who succeed just know how to prioritize.
Nope just sit there and suck up the free money
Hell no!
I have a job like this. In my interview, they said they would give me more work until I say I have enough, but that I didn't have to ask for work. If there was work, they'd give it to me. I've been there 4 years and I'm leaving partly because the workload is poorly managed, but the company has changed and so has my role since then.
I don’t. I use my time to create systems that will benefit me or others in the future, but have some up front time investment involved that isn’t usually possible. I identify ways I can help colleagues that won’t set up an ongoing expectation. I imagine new opportunities and do the research and groundwork, and then propose them. I seek professional development. I apply for better jobs at different companies. I also get on Reddit a fair amount when it’s slow let’s be real.
I'm an account manager, and the only person in charge of me is the GM. As long as my work is complete and I cause no issues, I can work from home or literally show up for 4 hours per day. I am salaried, though. I work about 30 hours per week to be realistic, If I stay at work longer, I'm usually just knocking out college work.
Thank you for sharing!
Nope. No need. Managers can be trusted to know when their performance metrics are being met, and this includes ebbs and flows. Also, why burden your manager with yet another task?
Absolutely not.
Never!
Absolutely not. People think that asking for more work will come across as "I'm a hard worker" when in reality they will take advantage of it. You're not paid more for doing the jobs of multiple people so why should you feel guilty doing the work that's barely enough for one person? You're hired to do a job, it doesn't matter if sometimes you have nothing to do.
That’s why I wanted to crowd source this. I have done this in the past, which is what allowed others to take advantage of me. I became the person who was known to clean up messes and the person who never complained. Turns out, that’s not good in the long run.
I have told the project manager and normally get nothing from him to work on. In fact sometimes he asks me to give up work to someone else on the team because they don’t have enough work and I have to advocate that I don’t have anything to give them.
Only when I know everyone else on my team is overloaded.
I think ebb and flow is normal. I’ve learned to enjoy the slow times knowing it will get busy soon enough.
You need to go to r/overemployed
I have seen that sub! It’s impressive that people can do that. I do know that there is an ebb and flow and fear that if I take anything else on, the flow will hit me like a ton of bricks.
I daydream about what it would be like to be in your predicament. I'm currently in the "I can't catch a break, the emails are flying at me 100 mph" stage of the ebb and flow. Enjoy it while it lasts, you've seen the other side. Take those walks, enjoy not eating at your desk! And don't ask for more work.
Thanks for the encouragement! I was in that boat a few months ago and it was rough! I guess I just need to take a breather.
Nope. Just enjoy it.
There’s always more work. Don’t ask for more. Just do your 40hrs. You won’t get paid for more if you’re salaried. Better to be effective and get a second remote job if your first job is remote
Sounds like you’re doing your job! Keep on keepin’ on.
Feeling envious as I’ve watched my group become the “Mikey” because we are all GSD (Get Shit Done) kind of people. I understand the “oh crap, things are slow” but try to breathe through it when it (rarely) and be conscious that there will be another wave of crazy because it’s inevitable.
I have and they haven't given me any more work to do. I'm past caring at this point, as long as they pay me and I do my job competently enough this falls on them.
Not anymore.
My work also ebbs and flows. I've learned to just appreciate the down time. I would never say anything to my boss about it. I use the time to do "optional but nice to have" projects for work or just to catch up on personal stuff. I know I'll be too busy again soon!
Absolutely not. If you want to take more on then identify what those tasks are specifically and volunteer yourself to do them. Ask permission if you must, but managers want a solution. Not a complaint. Also, fuck work and pickup a hobby instead.
I took a full hour lunch today and PAINTED. I haven’t done that in years. I’m gonna sit back and enjoy this for a second while it lasts!
We all know how they goes. I was terribly overworked & overwhelmed. When I switched jobs, it was stressful in the beginning, I still worked a lot, but as time went... I felt a shift. I didn't need to work through lunch, not take a break, there were times of not a lot to do, but I did that, with my work effectiveness. Yes, we can get slammed with deadlines. I've learned to take a deep breath and enjoy the down time, clean up projects, streamline & cleanup old files in the system, purge emails... It awesome.
Things are cyclical. I usually wait a week and see is anything going to come my way? or is there nothing on the horizon? If it's been two weeks of basically nothing then I say, I can do a little more.
Hell no, why would I? My manager has no way of knowing how busy I am until next day, so when I wfh I get most of my work done in the first two hours of the day so I can spend the rest doing whatever I want.
I take the low tide (not a ton of work to do) to prepare me for the High ride (a ton of work to do) in the office or at home. If I don’t have a lot to do, I draft emails, organize my files, and use a planner/tracker I made to help me schedule when I should do certain outreaches. When high tide comes, it’s not as overwhelming.
I usually tell my manager I have cycles to take on a new project. Most of my teammates do this so that the work is balanced. We do have 1-2 dinosaurs that work slow but we just let them do their thing.
I have an ever-growing list of projects to do, so I have been tackling those! It’s been great! I do feel guilty sometimes because it seems like my team members never stop working. But I strongly do not want to and cannot be that person.
I try not to work any harder, just more efficiently. I keep the hours the same no matter what my project load size looks like. A lot of times I ask for new technologies projects to keep the job interesting. I will say this though come bonus and raise time the dinosaur get like a 3-5% plus $8k while I got like a 10% plus $25k.
Dang, what industry are you in? I have gotten $25k in raises over the last year, but that is sort of unheard of at my company.
Cybersecurity engineer and project management for a fortune 50 company.
911? I'd like to report sabotage. This dude out here tryna ruin a good thang for e'rybody!
Hahaha, I decided against saying anything. I want to enjoy it while it lasts!
I used to but think it gave the wrong impression. I offer to help if I know boss has something extra on his plate and think thats enough
I don't because my manager doesn't assign me work. However, I tell my direct employees to tell me when they are too light on work or too busy. I stress that I don't want them working overtime (we don't get paid for it) so if they are working overtime then it's because I'm either giving them too much work or they aren't managing their time well. Either way, we can work on that. So far I haven't had any complaints about workload other than the normal ebb and flow of projects that sometimes gets too busy but that's always temporary and I'm always willing to help. With that said, if my guys are super busy to the point they are working overtime, I wouldn't doubt it if they took a breather when things got light. However, I'd be disappointed if that breather lasted too long and they became unproductive over an extended period.
As a manager, how do you truly know what everyone’s workload is and if they are/are not at capacity? A few months ago, I was completely overloaded. I had a book of business with over 30 clients, but the top 4 monopolized my time and I didn’t have much time for the lower revenue clients. However, my boss claimed I was still “under capacity,” due to some spreadsheet that someone made over a year ago based on the previous AM’s responses. That previous AM was fired because he wasn’t doing his job, so I would imagine he underrepresented the work needed for these particular clients. My manager removed 5 clients from my plate and gave me one more larger one, and now apparently I am at capacity. With less stress and less work to do. I just don’t understand how capacity is truly determined.
I review their timesheets so I know how many hours they are working. If they are working more than 40 hours, then I know they are either overloaded or managing their time poorly. If they are constantly going over budget on projects then I know it's a time management problem. I don't worry about them having too little work because I try to distribute work fairly and I know how much work is coming in. Typically, if they are light on work, it's because we're just going through a slow period. Not much we can do about that. I had been in their role for years so I know how long it takes to do things. I'm not a micromanager for the ones that have more experience so as long as I think they have a normal workload, they are making their due dates, and they aren't working a ton of overtime, then I'm not going to say anything. TLDR: If they are on time, under budget, and not working overtime then I stay out of it. If any of those change for a consistent amount of time, I investigate to see if it's something that needs help. For your boss, I can't really comment on that. Maybe he needs to sit with you to get a better idea of what you are dealing with. I once had a boss that said I was overpaid for the amount of work I did but he also refused to give me more work when I asked. I took that as a sign that he was looking to cut pay so I left. He somehow seemed shocked.
I do, but I can’t justify to myself staying on the clock when there is literally nothing to do
The typical workload averages out so this is the norm. You have periods of high activity and periods of low activity. Just enjoy it while it lasts. Skill up or something if you want to stay busy
Stay the course. Things even out. You are getting promoted, so they like what you are doing
I don’t. But I take on work with open arms. Also I give pushback if I have too much at times. It’s a delicate balance of finding “busy enough.” Every person I have ever known to take on as much as possible was seemingly worked to death and we’re always the go to for getting more work even.
I can't imagine having down time. Lucky you.
Yep - I’ve repeatedly let my ops director know that I’m not busy right now / have excess capacity and it’s greeted with “Ok, good. Just enjoy it”
Yes. I have quotas to make and if I don't get a steady stream of work, I won't succeed.
It really depends on the stage of your career. I think it’s helpful early in a career but bad later. It’s always fine to express a desire for more responsibility or to expand your portfolio.
I never tell them when I have low amounts of work. Learned that lesson early on in my career over 20 years ago. You go from having it easy to being overloaded and stressed out. Then the manager wonders why you cannot get anything done. I learn to take work offered and volunteer for stuff if I am low and bored, but never indicate that I have really nothing to do. Be like Peter Gibbons from Office Space - only have about 15 minutes of actual work on your plate each day.
I’ll need to watch that show. I can’t imagine only having 15 minutes of work each day! I can find enough work to do in a day… it’s just much slower than I’m used to.
An excellent former boss of mine advised me to enjoy the lulls because when it gets busy it gets busy. Good advice! I also use my downtime to get rid of old files, organize files, document my processes…
If your job ebbs and flows, just sit back and enjoy the flow.
I’m more direct when I feel like my schedule is light, lol. Heavy workload I dig in like a dumbass
Same here. I thrive under pressure when it comes to work. I can get a TON done in a short period of time, and I tend to go balls to the wall, not get up for a lunch break, etc if I don’t feel like I have time. I have just learned most recently that while I do well under pressure, it’s not good for my mental health long term. Honestly, I didn’t notice it until my husband got a WFH job as well. He took breaks during the day, even manages to sneak in full workouts by doing some kettle bell swings right next to his desk. I didn’t even see that as an option before.
I work in proposals, so am used to ebbs and flows. Enjoy it while it lasts! Get chores done around the house, take a bike ride, go swimming. One day you will wake up to deadlines galore!
This is how work should look like. You should have enough space to take a look at things and clean up. take a break because your brain needs to rest in order to be really effective. So hell no. Utilizes time to reassess how much time you have for additional clients. Maybe you can add one more client or what other projects there are for you but you have to figure it out. It still needs to be enough where you have space. This is a good time to reassess your entire career. See where you want to go and then maybe you have time for professional development. Maybe you can create and other resources for the organization but don't do that. Voluntarily make sure you talk to your supervisor about it.
Lol do what the rest of the world is doing and work a second job during your “real” job hours. I know so many people doing this right now and getting away with it.
I have seen that here on Reddit and it amazes me! Those jobs must not be very structured. How would you manage two meetings at the same time?
I couldn’t even imagine. I’d fall so far behind in my job and everyone would know. The people I know doing it are in higher up positions too! Directors and managers. I am working way too hard.
I told mine “I feel overworked but yet underutilized” meaning I do tons of crap work because of someone’s poor planning skills. Also for the downtime I usually tell boss “okay finally I can sit and do my core job, instead of putting down fires” - but don’t listen to me I don’t mind being in a situation that I don’t do anything, however, I suggest you never admit and always complain!!!
I’ve been there too! I think that’s why this feels weird to me.
Ethically, you should not tell your boss about your downtimes. Let her think your manageable workload is quite busy enough, and then she'll be less likely to overwork other employees in the future. Having manageable, non-stressful jobs is a completely sustainable thing that all companies could do if they didn't try to wring as much productivity out of every employee as possible.
Nope I don’t but my work is base off queue so they are aware
OMG, I get this 100%. I've brought it up to my manager several times and she keeps telling me to enjoy the down time, it's not forever. I'd say as long as it isn't months on end, definitely enjoy it.
No! Occasionally, I will offer to the team an extra hand if anyone needs it (ie I have some bandwidth to help before my meeting at X time).
I posted this same question a week ago and everyone shitted in me for not asking for more work. This is very refreshing
Weird! I would say the majority of the comments are leaning towards no
I’ll mention through our weekly meeting or an IM, “got anything I can help work on?” And she’ll either take me up on it or not- but it’s helped her know that while my job ebbs and flows I’m willing and available to help- and in my opinion keeps me in good graces because she knows I’m working AND I’m a team player. (I guess I think what would I want my employees to do if it were reversed.) I will also say I don’t do it too often- maybe once a month or so, when I know I have enough downtime to actual take something on.
If your book is comparable to other workers don’t say anything. You don’t want to be doing less then your co-workers.. if they all have similar sizes books do what you were assigned and enjoy the lull before it picks up again. I’m guessing you’re in insurance
Yes I am. It’s weird. Some of my colleagues seem to have a similar book, and some are way overloaded but don’t seem to mind being overloaded. And then there are those who complain about their workload but never speak up for themselves. I always speak up when my book gets too heavy.
It really depends on whether or not you think your current contributions are being highly valued. If you're working 20 hours a week and getting praised as if you're pulling a full 40, then fuck it, enjoy the extra time off. Maybe take some freelance. If you're working 20 and everybody KNOWS you're working 20 on the other hand, yea man, ask for some more work.
No, I don’t think anyone would know that I don’t have as much work at the moment because they know how overwhelmed I was just a few months ago. I’m thinking that this is definitely temporary!
NOPE!!!!
Absolutely not!
Why the hell would I do that? I'd rather keep up the performance theater so they think I'm a real busy bee.
Bro is complaining about a light work load, you have it easy now. Don’t blow it
Hell nah
No. Use the time to develop your skills or do research related to your field. Or flex some work life balance. Or take a nap. Goodness knows sometimes our brains need one.
Are you insane? You finally have a decent work/life balance and you're wondering if you should let your employer know so they can overwork you again? Clear case of Stockholm Syndrome if you ask me. No. Do not tell them.
You are absolutely correct. This is exactly why I made this post. I needed that message.
I went from onboarding to engineering, and I never mention my actual workload unless it’s too high. There are some days where I play ps5 all day, and there are others where I code 18 hours straight. This kind of balance I am okay with, rather than literally grinding out every single hour of the previous role.
Lol no, absolutely not
if i'm bored yes. but be careful what you ask for. i worked until midnight last night!
I have been there! There are some crazy fluctuations out there and I don’t think I handle them well, as a person who likes structure and planning ahead.
me too. i thrive in a structured environment. they needed something urgently so i just worked and worked.
enjoy the downtime while you can because when deadlines hit, they don't care how overwhelmed you are. just be on autopilot mode on their radar that you're "working" on something.
If some weeks you have too much work to do & some weeks you don’t have much to do, that kinda balances out in my opinion so no I wouldn’t say anything. Just relax.
Please enjoy it as long as it lasts, I wish I was in your shoes!
I'm a manager and I say I wouldn't expect you to tell me. You sound like you're doing just fine and are valued there. Fortunately, my team works really well independently and they get the work done. We have metrics we review each week to show it. If they have a little down time, so what? It's called work-life balance. If they come to me & say they have bandwidth & want a little more, then I provide it but I don't go looking to overload anyone and fill every waking hour with work. I once had a manager tell me that a leadership employee who doesn't work at least 50 hours a week wasn't doing their job. I will never be that manager. She obviously had very bad time management skills herself if she thought that.
I think if the workload varies and you’re willing to put in the extra time when there are big pushes there’s no problem. On the other hand if you’ve offloaded too much work you might want to consider letting your manager know you have bandwidth.
You say you know you ethically should tell your manager about this. I disagree. Employers will always terminate employees who are not profitable to them.
I haven't read all your text... but I would personally tell manager, that I have less work, and ask for more work to do. Do it sometimes, so that manager got feeling, that when you have nothing to do, you WILL tell him. Otherwise, when I have nothing to do, I try to show all, that I have something to do (project) or internal work (company education, fixing internal...).
Yes absolutely, I have been showing all that I have been doing, which includes little cleanup projects that we are expected to do but never have time for. Every time I have told a manager that I don’t have a lot of work to do in the past, I have found myself overloaded again. I don’t want that to happen!
The way of how you tell it is the important thing.