my strange and too simple work situation

[pinkytoe]

I work at a state university so bureaucratic wheels often move slowly and inefficiently. My immediate boss moved on one year ago and they have yet to replace that person even after repeated attempts. The search has been posponed again until next fall. There is an interim director but that person is often absent (sick) and ineffectual when she is here so nothing much transpires. A new boss might take us in totally different directions so it is not a good idea to start new projects. My other co-workers and various consultants are uninspired now and we are all tired of this status quo situation. I now have a wonderful office, complete autonomy other than showing up, decent salary, full benefits, a full pension (if I stick this out for a little over two more years) but truthfully, I am going bonkers with so little to do for eight hours a day and the thought of a few more years of just hanging out is driving me nuts. I need a pep talk please and perhaps some advice on how to use this time constructively.

[Jilly]

Do you have anything to lose by starting a new project? You have been there a long time and know what is needed. Were I in your position, I would do just that. In fact, that is what I do, which occurs to me now that I am writing this. I would go bonkers if I did not have anything meaningful to do at my main volunteer gig. I am always creating new projects regarding services.

It helps that I have truly wonderful and committed people at the helm here, who support any ideas I have presented to them.

Just do what you know is needed, and forget about what a new boss would like. Creating a couple of projects would certainly inform that new person...if you ever have one...how resourceful and creative and dedicated you are to your job. Just saying.

[flowerseverywhere]

I was in a similar situation once. We relocated to a new office and there were 20 of us they left behind while they finished renovations. The short term situation lasted almost a year. We had little work, and kept asking what we could do. A group of us started to take our allotted 2 15 minute breaks and full 45 minute lunch and started an exercise group. we did stretches and toe touches etc. each morning and afternoon and walked the full 45 minutes each lunch. It was amazing how we became so much more fit and flexible even with this short simple (free) routine. It really helped with the monotony. We also became creative in looking at some of the things we were doing in the office and going with solutions to some of the problems everyone griped about to the monthly staff meetings. Also, some of us made a special effort to be cheerful and not complain. As you can imagine, when we finally did move the bosses said wait a minute, we were doing fine without this group so they laid off 20 people. They got rid of the complainers and troublemakers first. So I would advise looking for some projects that will make the job more interesting for you and also make you stand out from the crowd a little. It would not take much for a new person to take over, look around and say we can do more with fewer people. In this budget conscious time it would be smart to stand out in a positive way.

[SteveinMN]

A new boss might take us in totally different directions so it is not a good idea to start new projects.
I cannot agree with this one. In fact, I think a secure job with a largely-absent supervisor is the best situation in which to start your own skunkworks (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skunkworks_project). So long as you don't make a commitment to others that you cannot keep, the worst that could happen is that the new Mr. or Ms. Bigg comes in and stops the project. It's not like working on new stuff is postponing or taking away from existing projects. And you might get something truly useful out of it.

I agree with flowerseverywhere -- you are in a good position from the standpoint of trying different things or tackling new areas of learning -- but you also run the risk of not being able to show that you are contributing to the "bottom line". And, eventually -- even at a state university -- there will be an accounting of positions and programs which don't seem to be returning anything on their investment. They're talking about that in the University of Minnesota system as fees go up up up well beyond the cost of living. You don't want to be thought of as "excess" if you have only a couple of years left to retire.

[pinkytoe]

Believe me, I have thought of all of these things but just can't fire up the cannons. (Burn out perhaps?) There are a lot of back stories to explain the situation but suffice to say I am utterly uninspired by this place and the people I currently work with. I can't move forward with most things without the interim supervisor's approval (that's how this place works) and she is never here. I think she is in the same space mentally as we have all been through the wringer the past few years. Like other places, ours will be moving to shared services, oursourcing etc and many will lose their jobs in the next few years. I will keep trying to adjust my attitude knobs and use the down time this summer to regroup my efforts.

[AmeliaJane]

I totally get the feeling of burnout that would make it difficult to engage in work-related projects...what about using this time to do something totally different with your brain (degree of overlap with what you're getting paid to do is at your discretion). For instance, study a foreign language online--there is no job at which better language skills wouldn't be useful--listen to TED Talks, take a course if tuition is one of your perks, volunteer for one of your university's community projects. The universities that I have been around constantly have speakers of one kind or another in all the different departments and don't really care who shows up. What do you have in mind for when this full pension kicks in? Perhaps there are things that you could be doing to get ready that would not be incompatible with what your paid job is now.

[lhamo]

I would start researching/networking my way into at least a lateral move if not a promotion into a better position. This sounds like a layoff waiting to happen. And I hate to be cynical, but with less than two years to go until your pension kicks in you may well be high on the list of targets to cut. You need to make yourself indispensable somewhere in your university. Or be working toward a very solid backup plan.

Are there faculty members you know who you could help with course development, grant proposals, grant report writing, etc.? Doing some things of that nature on a more or less pro bono basis might help you get your foot in the door as an inside candidate for another position. Are there major university initiatives you could get involved with in some way -- maybe sitting on a committee to begin with, then taking on more visible roles?

If none of that is feasible and you really are so burned out you just can't find it in you to deal with the system, then I would do whatever I could to build a useful/marketable skill set for when the department cuts eventually happen. This seriously sounds like a sword of Damocles situation and if your state budgets are anything like WA state's the fact that a whole department of people basically have nothing to do isn't going to escape scrutiny for long.

[pinkytoe]

I am an artist and gardener by inclination so hard to correlate the two as far as activities I can do at work. Those are two things I will do when I retire. One thing I forgot to mention is that my little organization is completely sponsored by endowed funds (millions) so not subject to the usual state cutbacks. That makes it even weirder, right? During the regular semester, I do spend a lot of time going to classes and lectures. I really do need to buckle down though and learn some new skills (including brushing up on my Spanish and accounting) so thanks all for giving me some ideas and direction. Perhaps a vacation is needed to gain some new perspective.

[frugalone]

I hear you...and I sympathize.
I'm in a situation that sounds similar. Very little work, and my suggested projects get rejected. There are no projects that I can "invent" for myself, either. I just found out yesterday that we used to have something like 2x the staff in this library, years ago. I'm basically being paid to be a placeholder, but I'm not naive enough to think that if they maneuvered/squeezed things a bit, my job could be eliminated. I've gone through it enough times to realize that no one is indispensable.

Just wanted to tell you, you are not alone. Hang in there!
I hope your retirement comes quickly and painlessly. I am too young yet for mine. :(

[Lainey]

pinkytoe, agree that a vacation may be able to give you a fresh look at things.

Also, any chance you can hire some work-study students for some type of projects? I know you're in need of work yourself, but in my experience younger people with their energy and technological skills can really bring a lot of ideas. That plus your group's work experience could = some very interesting work days and maybe kickstart the whole place.