To do almost nothing at work

[TooInvested]

I finished uni a couple of years ago and am going back in September to do a further course relevant to the industry I want to work in. I have done an admin temp job for a year and a bit and just started a new one. In both, but especially the one I’ve just started, there seems to be almost nothing for me to do-the first role was office based so I helped other colleagues and managed to find just about enough stuff to do to fill the time, but I did spend quite a lot of time pretending to look busy. I told my boss regularly I could do with more work and he would give me a task that would take maybe 30 mins. I didn’t want to mention I wasn’t busy too much though so I didn’t lose the job. When I started wfh due to covid I did less and less and spent a lot of time watching tv with my laptop.
The job I’ve just started is a mix of office and home work and I honestly don’t know why they’ve hired me. I was in the office for the last 2 weeks and was fairly busy but I’m fairly sure I completed the task they hired me to do which was supposed to take at least 3 months. It seems my job now is just to email 3 people occasionally to remind them to do part of their job/fill in some forms that I can’t fill in. I’ve been working from home this week and have done embarrassingly little-but there seems to be almost nothing for me to do. I’ve messaged my manager and another colleague saying “I’m doing this at the moment and nearly done is there anything else you’d like me to do” and they either haven’t replied or have told me to do something that they must know takes about 10 mins. I have to go into the office for the rest of the week and I have no clue what I’ll do-I’m saving a small task I could do today so I can do it there slowly and look busy. I’m sat in my garden in the lovely sun now and feel quite guilty-but also isn’t it my manager’s responsibility to give me work to do (especially if I specifically ask for more work) and to check I’m being productive? I’m not interested in this industry and I doubt I’ll need a reference from them and am leaving in August-I wouldn’t mind that much if the contract was cut short as I’m just here for some extra money. So is it unreasonable to avoid mentioning to them how little I have to do and coast along till August? I would actually prefer to be busier but I’m worried if I keep pointing out that there’s not much to do they’ll just get rid of me.
Since I’ve found both temp office jobs I’ve done to have a very light workload-I was wondering-is it normal for office juniors/admin people to have very little to do and is there actually tons of people in offices everywhere all pretending to be busy? (Genuine question and no offence meant to any people who do work in admin and have busy roles). At my last company, there seemed to be far too many admin people all not doing a great deal.

[Laaaaa]

Enjoy it!!

[StrongerOrWeaker]

I had a job like that once. Offered on repeated occasions to do more. Manager never took me up on it. In the end I asked her if it was ok for me to read a book as I had nothing to do and she said yes. The rest of the team had very little to do too - they seemed to spend a lot of time discussing the latest developments in Corrie so it wasn't just me. Bizarre job (council).

[Bamoon]

You have asked if there is anything else they want you to do, if they haven't responded then meh, enjoy it.

[Cuppaand2biscuits]

My sister has had a few office jobs like this, literally sat browsing the Internet all day after completing the few hours work she had to do.
It pays the bills and so long as you have done what's asked of you then I'd keep quiet.
Like you say it's only a short term plan so can't see there being any repercussions.
Enjoy your summer.

[FourTeaFallOut]

There are plenty of jobs like this around. I did work like this when I was in my early twenties and it served a purpose but ultimately it was unrewarding and stressful to maintain the appearance of being busy when there wasn't actually much to do.

[LadyLolaRuben]

Sometimes they know they won't have much work for the post holder but, they want them in place to keep the funding for the role or it may be taken out their budget. You do what you're asked, you've told them you need more work. Theres nothing else you can do but enjoy the downtime

[laurenlodge]

I'd use the time to do some sort of online course or training or something for some of the time - language or computer skills or something. Would be brilliant to be getting paid for that!

[RIPworkingmums]

For the short term, I would just go with it. You’ve told them repeatedly you need more work so what else can you do? I can imagine this would get incredibly boring long term though (my job can be a bit like this, my workload is largely driven by sales so if they are not productive then I don’t have a huge amount to do). Enjoy the lovely weather!

[BeenHereForAges]

I've had jobs like this. I'd agree with everyone who says just to enjoy it in the short term.
Longterm it can be quite demoralizing and makes the day drag.

[highlighteryellow]

I had a temp job like this. It's good at first although the novelty wears off quickly.

I remember my only task one day was to complete a spreadsheet. I closed it without saving it on purpose so that I could do it again exactly the same and fill a bit more time

I think YANBU if you're doing everything they ask and telling them you have capacity to do more. Don't feel guilty, just enjoy it if you can (probably easier when WFH!)

[TooInvested]

It definitely makes the days drag when I’m in the office-it’s much better at home! I think they prefer me to go in the office but most of the team are doing a mix of office and home so I’m going to see how much wfh I can get away with.
It’ll just be a bit awkward if they ask me what I’ve done for the last 3 days and I have to say I’ve just done a few simple tasks-but after all they didn’t ask me to do anything else.

It’s bizarre that these jobs exist. This company was hit quite hard by covid, yet they are still recruiting and paying unnecessary people. I will try and make the most of it and hope they don’t ask me too many questions about what I’m doing.

[EndoplasmicReticulum]

I had an office job like this, started as a temp after uni. Most of my co workers just seemed to waste time, and this was before the internet was really worth wasting time on. I just got really bored though, time passes quicker when you're busy.

[shouldistop]

I wouldn't worry. Try to save some work for your office days so they don't drag.

[worrybutterfly]

I did a job like this for almost 2 years. I maybe had a few days each month where I
genuinely had a full days work.

Not admin, private sector in a career that I studied for 5years to do and had 3 years experience in. Reasonable salary.

I always raised it when I was out of work. My manager would just give me 4 hour task and then tell me to make it last the week. She was really lovely but liked to lie to upper management about how busy and stressed the team was. We were always winning 'over and above' awards for our hard work. But because of all her exaggerating the team (and I imagine her pay) just kept increasing. Meaning less and less work for each person.

The desks had no privacy, the building got no reception, we couldn't use work WiFi, couldn't work from home, and got sent arsey messages if we chatted for more than 5 minutes. It was complete torture! I had to spent the time aimlessly clicking around software.

Pretending to be busy all day every day is so much worse than actually being really busy. But if there is end in sight for you then just continue as you are.

[user1497787065]

Are you in the public or
Private sector?

[burritofan]

Enjoy it! Maybe do a personal project so the days don’t drag? I wrote a novel or two at jobs like that. At some point in your working life you get given more to do and it’s horrible, live the high life now tbh!

[swimlyn]

My first ever job was like this.

I was taken aside and told to slow down as it was embarrassing the old lags who'd been there for years...

[CynsterBitch]

I had a promotion a couple of months back and Found that i was correct in thinking my manager did very little. I have things that need doing daily/weekly etc, but there is nowhere near enough things to keep me busy all week long. We are still working from home, so now i fill my days doing all my work before lunch and then After lunch i do housework, prep dinner, chill in my hammock or watch tv. My team are really good at what they do so i don’t Even Get extra bits to do to help them out.
In a couple of weeks time i’m in the office for a week and i’m already planning what can be postponed to make me look busy while i’m there.

[bluebell34567]

@laurenlodge

I'd use the time to do some sort of online course or training or something for some of the time - language or computer skills or something. Would be brilliant to be getting paid for that!

good advice.

[MarisPiper92]

Don't worry about it - chances are loads of people are doing the same. I'm a PA in a large private company and usually have about 2hrs work to do each day.

I used to feel guilty about this because all the other PAs constantly mention how busy they are. I now suspect this is something they feel they have to say - we have exactly the same job, so hard to see how they're so much busier.

My managers are very happy with me, and I know I'm doing everything they ask, so I use the time for other things (reading, writing, life admin, online courses etc).

[BetterThanKleenex]

My husband's job is the same- has been for about 6 years. He works in cyber security and manages a team but they all work so well he does about an hour of work a day on average. There's only really one day a week and one week every 6 weeks where he does work for 4-5 hours.

Enjoy it for now, and if you're interested in furthering your career there or would just like something more to do, you could trial some more responsibility. If you're working that efficiently I'm sure they would be willing to pass some more to you. Good luck with your next course!

[Cadent]

@StrongerOrWeaker

I had a job like that once. Offered on repeated occasions to do more. Manager never took me up on it. In the end I asked her if it was ok for me to read a book as I had nothing to do and she said yes. The rest of the team had very little to do too - they seemed to spend a lot of time discussing the latest developments in Corrie so it wasn't just me. Bizarre job (council).

Not your fault but that’s disgusting. Wages paid through our taxes for people who do nothing.

[AFewScrewsLucy]

My job has been like this for about 8-10 years... I've asked for more, independently taken on more, found little projects... still not enough. Yet my manager seems to think we need at least two more members of staff. I've done lots of online courses, planned and booked entire holidays, planned and organised a house extension, watched many many hours of TV/Movies, read lots of books - do all my "life admin" at work, browse for recipes. do my shopping/research for presents, organise Scouting activities, all on company time ... it's great that i don't have to do this shit at home. I don't feel guilty because, when i have tasks I complete them promptly and well... and I've highlighted it so many times (formally and informally) to Managers, Business Manager, HR etc no-one seems to give a shit

[TooInvested]

It’s private sector

I suspected it’s quite common! At my last job someone went on maternity leave and her cover temp always complained that she had nothing to do and ended up doing 3 people’s jobs and still not being busy. Imagine how much higher unemployment would be if tasks were redistributed so that everyone working genuinely had 8 hours work a day!

[TooInvested]

@BetterThanKleenex

My husband's job is the same- has been for about 6 years. He works in cyber security and manages a team but they all work so well he does about an hour of work a day on average. There's only really one day a week and one week every 6 weeks where he does work for 4-5 hours.

Enjoy it for now, and if you're interested in furthering your career there or would just like something more to do, you could trial some more responsibility. If you're working that efficiently I'm sure they would be willing to pass some more to you. Good luck with your next course!

It’s quite sad in a way that this kind of job exists yet it can be hard to negotiate flexible working and there is this expectation that everyone should be in work 9-5 every day even if the job, whilst needed, doesn’t take that long.
It would be great if companies said we need someone with x experience so we’ll pay them a good salary but the role will only take a couple of hours a day. Instead of having people still only working a couple of hours a day but hanging around/pretending to look busy.