A Serious Job Issue--advice?

[Rachel]

Hello SL friends,

I hope some of you can offer some advice.

I'm 5 years from earliest feasible retirement--not a great time to be looking for a new job, as there tends to be a lot of age discrimination in my field.

I have been in my current job 8 years and I like it.

Here is the "issue." My employer has a very big ongoing project (I'll call it the X Project) that he wants done, but for which he doesn't seem to want to hire any staff. People in some other departments are getting inconvenienced because the work in the X Project isn't going forward. Someone in one of those departments is putting pressure on me to do the work of the X Project "until someone is hired" (which might be never).

I am frankly already doing the work of 2 people and I have neither the interest nor the qualifications to do the work for the X Project. It would be a huge technical learning curve and even then I don't know how I would fit it into my current responsibilities, which are highly mission-critical, direct-customer focussed, and visible both within and outside the organization. If I take on the X Project there is no way I can do the customer service work I am currently doing--and I haven't been able to get anyone "above" me to say I should do less of that.

The supervisors in this situation know about the problem, but they are being AVOIDANT. They won't meet to discuss how to resolve this issue, they won't answer emails. I see it is a major area of dysfunction in the organization. I do NOT want to be in the middle of this disfunction and I also do not want to end up scape-goated.

Can someone offer some advice? I wish I could give more details, sorry.

[catherine]

You said "someone" is thinking you should be the volunteer for this project. How widespread in the corporation is this thinking? Is this "someone" your manager or someone who has authority over you? If not, I'd dismiss it and keep plugging away at your current responsibilities. If you believe that this "someone" is simply articulating what your managers may be thinking, I'd try to get some clarity, despite the dysfunction, even in an email.

Can you take the approach of, "Project X is such a worthwhile cause--I'll spearhead a team of people to work on it" and then just be the person to set it in motion?

I certainly wouldn't get too defensive in the face of hearsay. If your manager specifically tells you that you have been "elected" to take this on, I'd be prepared to suggest to him/her ways to get it done that would minimize your involvement.

[ToomuchStuff]

If that someone in "those departments" aka not your manager, is not a boss to you or someone you HAVE to deal with, then you might try avoiding them, document it so your boss, HR and the like will know your being pressured to perform duties that are out of yoru responsibilities AND capabilities (use the words not qualified). Documenting it may make them have to face the issue and not avoid it (hostile workplace), and should help protect you.

[awakenedsoul]

I think your post here is perfect. You are already doing the work of two people. I agree with the suggestion to document. It's too bad so many workplaces are doing this now. I teach a class once a week at our local senior center. They have tried to rope me into a lot of free extra work. I let them know that I charge $75.00 an hour for privates and consultations. I've had to set a lot of boundaries with them. I was shocked at some of their requests. ("We're building a new dance studio and want to have your input on a dream studio.") They also tried to pressure me into social activities, but I declined. I always think of that Suze Orman quote, "When you undervalue what you do, the world will undervalue who you are."

[Gardenarian]

I'm always at a loss when people have job problems like this. I guess I'm very fortunate that my workplace is very open and friendly - no behind the scenes shenanigans going on (at least within the library itself.

From my point of view, I would simply go to my boss and lay the facts out just as you have done here. I would say "I'm doing A,B, and C, as well as EDFG, which are not in my job description. If you would like me to do Project X, someone else will need to take over A-G, and I will need training and additional compensation." It sounds like Project X might help to guarantee your next five years with the company, but it's certainly not worth it if you are completely uninterested.

Best of luck.

[Rachel]

You folks are wonderful. These are very helpful observations. Project X is a highly political, potentially explosive area. I wish I could post more details, but anything that would identify the particular workplace and situation would put me in jeopardy and could possibly embarrass my employer. I will definitely document this--I always print out and save any emails that touch on Project X anyway. Fortunately, the "someone" is not senior to me---a nice person who doesn't understand the political elements of Project X. These nice but naive people can sometimes create such havoc without even meaning to do so! I will think about everything that has been suggested and am sure I can develop these thoughts into a strategy.

[Miss Cellane]

To the person from the other department who is pressuring you--"Gee, that sounds like a project I'd like to work on. Please take this up with my boss/supervisor. S/He's got me so buried in other work, s/he will have to decide which of my responsibilities to give to someone else, to free up enough of my time to work on this. I'll let her/him know to expect to hear from you."

To your direct supervisor: "Here's a list of my current responsibilities. As you can see, there's more here than can be done in a 40 hour week. Please prioritize them for me. Oh, and Jane from Department X wants me to work on Project Y. I told her to get in touch with you to approve that. Of course, if I take on Project Y, half of this list will have to go to someone else."

Then, having made this Someone Else's problem, go to your desk and do your assigned work until told otherwise. Oh, and email both the person from the other department and your boss with a follow-up of each conversation, so you have a "paper trail." The emails should read: "This is to confirm our discussion of 7/7/14, where you informed me you would like me to work on Project Y. As agreed, you will consult with X, my supervisor, who will inform me of any new duties/responsibilities in my work load. If this is not your recollection of our meeting, please respond with a clarification."

[razz]

Nice but naïve people create problems by making comments that show their naivety but they think it makes them sound important and knowledgeable. I would simply say to that person, "When my boss asks me to do this position, I will deal with it. How was your weekend or the last movie or something totally irrelevant?". Don't give that person any power or influence in your employment decision-making.

Do not discuss this with anyone else because it would make you look unwise because you did not understand the naivety of that one individual and the importance of the project. I know that I am going against the stream here, but until your boss or someone in a similar level talks to you directly, nothing has happened.
When you are directly contacted, then the comments of others above will be valuable.

[iris lilies]

Nice but naïve people create problems by making comments that show their naivety but they think it makes them sound important and knowledgeable. I would simply say to that person, "When my boss asks me to do this position, I will deal with it. How was your weekend or the last movie or something totally irrelevant?". Don't give that person any power or influence in your employment decision-making.

Do not discuss this with anyone else because it would make you look unwise because you did not understand the naivety of that one individual and the importance of the project. I know that I am going against the stream here, but until your boss or someone in a similar level talks to you directly, nothing has happened.
When you are directly contacted, then the comments of others above will be valuable.

I agree completely and was thinking the same thing. Just because someone says it's an important project that you should work on doesn't mean that you should work on it or should even communicate with anyone about working on it. When it becomes your direct responsibility as assigned by your boss or bosses, that's when you start documenting and asking about priorities in your job.

[sweetana3]

I have always found there are many people who think nothing of volunteering otheres without asking or wheedling others to take jobs they themselves do not want. Happened to me at a small volunteer group. She nominated another woman without asking and tried to volunteer me without asking to take a vice president position. I had already been asked and refused.

[jrb3]

Here is the "issue." My employer has a very big ongoing project (I'll call it the X Project) that he wants done, but for which he doesn't seem to want to hire any staff. People in some other departments are getting inconvenienced because the work in the X Project isn't going forward. Someone in one of those departments is putting pressure on me to do the work of the X Project "until someone is hired" (which might be never).

I am frankly already doing the work of 2 people and I have neither the interest nor the qualifications to do the work for the X Project. It would be a huge technical learning curve and even then I don't know how I would fit it into my current responsibilities, which are highly mission-critical, direct-customer focussed, and visible both within and outside the organization. If I take on the X Project there is no way I can do the customer service work I am currently doing--and I haven't been able to get anyone "above" me to say I should do less of that.

The supervisors in this situation know about the problem, but they are being AVOIDANT. They won't meet to discuss how to resolve this issue, they won't answer emails. I see it is a major area of dysfunction in the organization. I do NOT want to be in the middle of this disfunction and I also do not want to end up scape-goated.


In other words, doing Project X is outside your competencies and role and interest and pay-grade, is in no way relevant to you or your part of the organization, and would actively prevent you and your part of the organization from doing its works or achieving its goals. Sounds like the radioactive political toxic waste you should be trying to forget exists. After all, notice, that's exactly what the supervisors are doing!

Also notice that the others are merely inconvenienced. If it were anywhere close to mission-critical (that is, lack of it threatens the organization's survival), you would most assuredly be seeing much more progress on the project, or at least much more turnover in the supervisors (and on up the line) who are blocking it.

Anyone pressuring you about it can be met with "well, that's far outside my area and what my boss's boss and boss require of me, have you tried talking with whomever <hiring manager> should have hired by now". Any argument from them means they're clueless about why organizations have a division-of-labor and management. If the pressure comes from someone nominally outranking you, hand it up the chain to your boss where it belongs -- "hey X is trying to volunteer me for irrelevant work I can't do which would prevent me from completing my work for you, is there someone I (we) can do to handle this".