Monday Morning Vents

Re: Monday Morning Vents

• ss265 member

  June 2014

  cecilyandgautam said:

  I'm sick, again, and pregnant. That should be enough. I'm also stressed about work because there are blurred lines between what's in my portfolio vs some one else's. I've brought this up and requested clarification from my supervisor but she just hasn't had time or the bandwidth to think through what she wants the answer to be, and I guess she just wants me to suck it up since I'm heading out in a month anyway. It's just difficult for me to plan for a smooth transition when I'm not able to anticipate what's going to get dumped on me at any given moment. AND this was a major problem about a year ago with a different coworker, so I'm starting to see a pattern within the office. 

  @cecilyandgautum, could you discuss with your co-worker directly on what is yours and what is hers and then ask your supervisor to approve? Do you think your supervisor expects you to work while you are on ML?
  

  

  
  

  
  

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• cecilyandgautam member

  June 2014

  @ss265, I'm not worried about being expected to work while on ML, though I'm sure my coworker wouldn't hesitate to ask me to do things for him. I recently completed a short term assignment in a different office and the coworker did ping me a few times asking if I was available to do XYZ for him. I replied to the first few requests saying no, I'm not available and then ignored furthered inquiries. I would just flat out ignore any requests he sends while on ML - he's not above me or in a position to assign me tasks, so if I were to work while on ML, it would need to come from the boss. 

  
  

  I have tried to seek clarity from him on what he thinks the arrangement is but basically he wants it to be ad hoc - he has a lot on his plate, so he's right to feel overwhelmed, and I have been asked to back stop him but what that means is unclear. When I backstop others, it means I cover for them when they're out sick or on vacation. With this guy, he seems to think it means that anytime he feels overwhelmed, he can unload a series of tasks onto me. Since he does have too much to handle alone, I think there needs to be a long term solution - a piece of his portfolio needs to be carved out and permanently assigned to some one else. That some one could be me, but I need to know what piece is mine and not be at his beck and call. I have my own pressing assignments to tend to and can't just catch whatever he feels like dropping in any given moment. I need to be able to plan, and honestly, he should be planning too. 

  

  
  

  
  

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• ss265 member

  June 2014

  cecilyandgautam said:

  @ss265, I'm not worried about being expected to work while on ML, though I'm sure my coworker wouldn't hesitate to ask me to do things for him. I recently completed a short term assignment in a different office and the coworker did ping me a few times asking if I was available to do XYZ for him. I replied to the first few requests saying no, I'm not available and then ignored furthered inquiries. I would just flat out ignore any requests he sends while on ML - he's not above me or in a position to assign me tasks, so if I were to work while on ML, it would need to come from the boss. 

  
  

  I have tried to seek clarity from him on what he thinks the arrangement is but basically he wants it to be ad hoc - he has a lot on his plate, so he's right to feel overwhelmed, and I have been asked to back stop him but what that means is unclear. When I backstop others, it means I cover for them when they're out sick or on vacation. With this guy, he seems to think it means that anytime he feels overwhelmed, he can unload a series of tasks onto me. Since he does have too much to handle alone, I think there needs to be a long term solution - a piece of his portfolio needs to be carved out and permanently assigned to some one else. That some one could be me, but I need to know what piece is mine and not be at his beck and call. I have my own pressing assignments to tend to and can't just catch whatever he feels like dropping in any given moment. I need to be able to plan, and honestly, he should be planning too. 

  @cecilyandgautum, this sounds like a terrible situation to be in. I would be majorly pissed, ML or not. Could you schedule a meeting with your supervisor, the co-worker and his supervisor to discuss? Not sure if that would fly with your company culture. It sounds like your work assignments are influx, likely because you just transferred back to your main office. Luckily, you only have to deal with it for a few short weeks.
  

  

  
  

  
  

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• cecilyandgautam member

  June 2014

  I have requested a meeting with the boss on this and brought it up a few times already when I had a moment alone with her due to a different meeting - boss doesn't really want to dedicate time or energy to sorting it out and is aware that it's in flux but she's out on travel for now. So, no solution on the immediate horizon. Thankfully, I have major major events I'm preparing and staffing in the coming weeks so I can with complete legitimacy say no, it's not possible for me to take that on for you without compromising my other work. For now, that will have to do. 

  

  
  

  
  

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• MommaP12 member

  June 2014

  no matter what time I get up in the morning, it's chaos getting out the door.  I don't understand how no matter how much I prep the night before (outfits laid out, etc.) or not, it's the same.  

  
  

  I applied for a new job at a company I would kill to get into despite being in this job only 6 months.  I have a former colleague/Facebook friend that works there who gave my resume to the hiring manager.  I had my phone screen on Thursday and I am praying I get a call to come in and interview in the next week.  It's all I can think about which is a little crazy since I haven't been here long.  I know I'd be much happier in the type of company that is versus here so I'm praying.

  

  
  

  
  

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• MommyAtty member

  June 2014

  My ML ends so I'm back at work on Wednesday, and DS decided last night to wake up EVERY FREAKING HOUR. So now I'm completely panicked that I'm not going to be able to handle my job due to extreme sleep deprivation. DD started sleeping thru the night at 6 weeks, so I'm hoping in the next few weeks he gets over this insanity and becomes a good sleeper. He hasn't been terrible up to now. Just up at midnight, 3:00, and 6:00, and he had started dropping the midnight waking. Please, God, let him sleep!!

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• Curls218 member

  June 2014

  MommaP12 said:

  no matter what time I get up in the morning, it's chaos getting out the door.  I don't understand how no matter how much I prep the night before (outfits laid out, etc.) or not, it's the same.  

  
  

  
  

  Same here!  I somehow once overslept by 45 min and was able to get out the door ontime.  I get up 30 min early and somehow almost miss my train.
  

  

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• MommyAtty member

  June 2014

  @PrivacyWanted‌ - DH has started taking some of the night stuff, mainly bc I about lost it on him. But I'm a light sleeper, so I still wake up. I'm considering the night nanny if it doesn't get better soon! I feel like there's a magic key that we just haven't stumbled upon yet. (But today I'm making sure he stays awake more and eats more so he doesn't permanently confuse day and night!)

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• cecilyandgautam member

  June 2014

  I just got pinged to cover yet another thing that falls under coworker's responsibility and would detract from my immediate deliverables. He wrote an email to me, boss, and deputy boss volunteering me to take something over for him. Deputy replied before I even saw it saying my focus is elsewhere, he'll find some one else to do it. 

  
  

  I am so fed up with the BS. Shouldn't you ask me first before telling our boss that I should do it for you? Grrrrr. I went to deputy and said it really doesn't make sense for me to chase after these random pop up tasks, at least not while I have major deliverables in the next 48 hours - he agreed thankfully. I also wrote annoying coworker back saying that I'm not the best go-to candidate to cover random tasks as they come up. Hopefully that will put a stop to it. Lucky for him, he's not physically in the office today or he would have heard a lot more from me. Seriously, is this ever a good way to do things? 

  

  
  

  
  

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• ss265 member

  June 2014

  cecilyandgautam said:

  I just got pinged to cover yet another thing that falls under coworker's responsibility and would detract from my immediate deliverables. He wrote an email to me, boss, and deputy boss volunteering me to take something over for him. Deputy replied before I even saw it saying my focus is elsewhere, he'll find some one else to do it. 

  
  

  I am so fed up with the BS. Shouldn't you ask me first before telling our boss that I should do it for you? Grrrrr. I went to deputy and said it really doesn't make sense for me to chase after these random pop up tasks, at least not while I have major deliverables in the next 48 hours - he agreed thankfully. I also wrote annoying coworker back saying that I'm not the best go-to candidate to cover random tasks as they come up. Hopefully that will put a stop to it. Lucky for him, he's not physically in the office today or he would have heard a lot more from me. Seriously, is this ever a good way to do things? 

  That totally blows! At least the deputy stood up for you. Here's hoping that he finds someone else to unload extra tasks on while you are out on ML and will stop bugging you even after you return.
  

  

  
  

  
  

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