Overworking On Purpose?

[Governor Megachris%Participant 3584]

I am SATURATED with more work than I’ve ever had to do at one time.
Trying to please 5 departments at once by having to distribute teacher evaluation results. There are well over 50 teachers in those departments to distribute these evaluations to.

I’m now also taking major change forms (you’d be surprised how many International students want to change their majors to whatever their friends are doing).

Then, I’m doing my usual creating files and denial letters. HUNDREDS of each though, now. More than ever before in the 2 years I’ve been here.

On top of that, I have to pull files of the incoming students that sign in to see someone (which throws off my concentration). That happens almost every few minutes. It’s such a pain.

Now I’m being told by my department lead that because I haven’t printed out the transcripts for over 200 files for the advisors, I’m “performing too slowly due to distractions while on ‘other websites.'” (The advisors can easily print these transcripts out as well, especially on their down-time…which is often lately because they’re not seeing the students. In fact, I’M the one dealing with most of the incoming traffic.)

She is supposed to give me my annual employee evaluation, which I KNOW will talk about my “distractions” and overall forgetfulness.

I’m honestly going as fast as I can on this! Every time I complete working on the files and letters, MORE come in! Not just a few, but nearly 20 of them!

How am I supposed to juggle all of this by myself?? Why do I feel like they’re purposefully trying to overwork me so they can fire me later for not working “hard enough?”

[EekParticipant 1162]

OK step 1 take a short break ASAP and unwind. Getting wound up will only make things worse

Step 2, start thinking. Because in general work smarter not harder is how I approach everything at work. Get in early and plow through the bigger piles of stuff before the day gets busy. I work on the big stuff I can’t get interrupted on before 9 AM, afterwards if I know people will be bugging me I work on things that can stand interruptions.

Step 3, cheat (within moral, legal, and ethical limits). By this I mean use tools, and other resources more widely available these days to amplify your effectiveness. If you have to do 200+ copies of some form, use a template or something you can automatically fill in minimal info on and cut your time needed to process each drastically. Share some details on the tools or systems you work with and I bet you get a lot more suggestions.

[MENGINEERParticipant 583]

Working in a blue-collar job is the understanding that work will never end. In the big picture that is what keeps you employed. If your employer wants to find reasons to fire you, they will find any reason suitable for them.

Unless you are actively being replaced by someone in your craft, I wouldn’t worry about being laid off unless it upper white-collar positions..

I work 50hr weeks for last 2-3 years. My buddy does 60-62hr. Are you paid by the hour? State or Union Job?

[Governor Megachris%Participant 3584]

All forms (.doc files) are already available to be printed out. I get those prepped WAY ahead of time. Getting in early isn’t an option, though I wish it was. I’m the only one in my office besides the other administrative worker that HAS to clock in and out, and staying late or coming in early is considered a “HUGE problem” to the higher ups.

[NioZenParticipant 856]

I’ve faced this problem before – I started documenting everything that I did in a day, just on a notepad, nothing time intensive.

Wrote up a week’s worth, and waited for my boss to give me more to do. When he did, I emailed the whole thing over and asked him where he thought I might able to fit the work in and which tasks I should ignore to do the new stuff. When he saw how much I was actually doing, stuff got delegated pretty quickly.

Would’ve been a shame to have to seek legal advice, and since he knew I was documening stuff I’m pretty sure that he thought I was gathering evidence. Was suffering a lot of stress at the time and the company was in no state to stare down legal action. I was well respected and was the only one who knew how to repair a lot of our custom IT solutions too. Leverage is a winner.

“performing too slowly due to distractions while on ‘other websites.’”

If this is a HR issue and they have a problem with the quality of your work or your attitude, they should submit the issue to HR with evidence.

Most of this can be avoided if you spend 30 min going through the problems with your immediate manager. If nothing else, you’ll have evidence of your trying to resolve the issue.

We only dream this bondage. Wake up and let it go. - Vivekananda

[RennieParticipant]

I feel your pain. I work in a restaurant (of a major chain) for an ungrateful manager, who’s never happy. You get overloaded with doing dishes, pots and pans and food preparation at the same time while trying to do it as fast as possible to keep up with the flow and at the end of the shift you get told “you aren’t performing properly…” and also blamed for something that is the result of inadequate training.

I don’t know where they get off expecting heroic measures for minimum wage, but it p~~~es me off something fierce to be told that after busting my ass for three hours straight.

I think I’m going to start doing things in quantity and not quality from now on. Since that’s what they appear to want.

[RoyDalParticipant]

I am with @eek on this one.

NioZen wrote:

I’ve faced this problem before – I started documenting everything that I did in a day, just on a notepad, nothing time intensive.

I faced a similar problem too. I put down every one-tenth hour bloc of time I spent on everything on a spreadsheet and kept paper copies out of reach of my corporate masters. It really did come in handy a few times.

Edit. @Megachris%, I know from previous posts you have thought over problems about where you are working at this time. An internal transfer or an outright move would appear to be in your best interest … food for thought.

Society asks MGTOWs: Why are you not making more tax-slaves?

[UntamedParticipant]

Sounds like you got more than a few monkeys on your back. I got bad flashbacks reading your post, MC. How the he’ll can you handle it without blowing your top? Office work, man! Put my ass up on a skyscraper rather than pushing papers with t~~~s. Don’t get me wrong, you’re doing a valuable service, but your workplace environment is enough to give me nightmares. Your red pills must be of good quality.

Don't let them Blame, Shame or Tame you!
Give 'em NOTHING, not even an answer!
#GenderSegragationNow!

[Governor Megachris%Participant 3584]

Rennie wrote:

at the end of the shift you get told “you aren’t performing properly…” and also blamed for something that is the result of inadequate training.

THIS! It drives me NUTS when I seem to be working my hardest, and then they bring some new method along from OUT OF NOWHERE.

Regarding the denial letters I make for students (as most know now, I work at a university), they have a new “overlooking” method. Not because we’re getting the letters wrong, but they want to know WHY we’re denying so many students. Thing is, we already provide that information in the letters…but the other departments want MORE information…so much so, that it’s at the point that we have to manually enter more information into each automatically merged letter! It takes about 1-2 minutes longer to do this. Doesn’t sound like much, but when there are 30-40 letters like this that need to be made a day, it stacks up! Then, they get onto me for forgetting to do that extra step sometimes. Sorry that I’m used to a method that I’ve been using for the past 2 years now!

RoyDal wrote:

I know from previous posts you have thought over problems about where you are working at this time. An internal transfer or an outright move would appear to be in your best interest … food for thought.

Oh trust me, I’ve been attempting to do either for a while now. Internally, I’ve only had about 3 interviews in the past 6 months I’ve been trying to transfer to another department. They end up hiring women/minorities. Being a white male in this workplace is seemingly more and more scarce.

As for external, I’ve been trying to find anything of comparable pay and benefits (or just pay alone would be fine, provided I can still go to the doctor when I need to and whatnot). I’ve had literally 15+ interviews in the past 6 months, more than I’ve ever had before. I obviously have potential to get something better (I don’t think they’d waste their time interviewing me if I didn’t), but there’s something I must be lacking. My guess is it’s either a) I’m a dude or b) I’m not as educated as the others they interview. I started here on $11.11 an hour, now up to $12.47. The dean’s side of my office seem to like me quite a bit. One of them is a willing job reference for me, for goodness’ sake! Too bad they’re of the “same department” and a “higher authority” than my own lead, but SHE is the determining factor on if I keep my job.

Then again, I’m also told that since I have a state job, it would take a literal act of Congress to get me FIRED from a job in here. That’s one of the reasons I stay, is the security. I keep a lookout constantly for any other state positions though, just in case something happens to come up.

[Governor Megachris%Participant 3584]

Untamed wrote:

Sounds like you got more than a few monkeys on your back. I got bad flashbacks reading your post, MC. How the he’ll can you handle it without blowing your top? Office work, man! Put my ass up on a skyscraper rather than pushing papers with t~~~s. Don’t get me wrong, you’re doing a valuable service, but your workplace environment is enough to give me nightmares. Your red pills must be of good quality.

HAHA! My red pills are of GREAT quality! This site and some YouTubers are my source of sanity. I’m totally content with working in an office. I can type all day, configure data, etc. and it feels like I’m accomplishing some serious work…BUT working around micromanaging and persnickety ladies makes it REALLY tough. Thank goodness we hired two men (besides the dean and associate dean) to the department here, and they’re really cool…but it’s hard to get past the micromanagement.

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