I’ve really messed up at work

If you say so. Because everything you have posted seeking advice (so presumably mostly true otherwise what’s the point) suggest you sort of float around picking up the odd bit of work. Problem is - no one seemingly wants to give you any!

Anyway all good.
Day 1 big boss “fuming ”
Day 2 big boss “ignoring”
Day 3 big boss apologising profusely

Sure

“People”?

Nope just the odd very rude OP

And everyone lives happily ever after

Although you still seem to have no actual job role and pick up dribs and drabs from multiple departments!

I wrote it because I knew you could not resist responding to deny!

Been
Gone
Likely sacked on the basis of how the OP has come across on this thread

Sounds like you have something of a non-job. No real ownership for anything but instead pick up scraps from different departments.

From your OP "I’ve recently been given what is essentially control of the smallest department." So how is that different from what we've been asking? How can you be "in control" without being the head?

As I said in a pp, terminology can mean different things to different people. However whenever we have asked for some clarification all we are getting is "you lot don't understand". Well HELP us understand. What do you mean by "control"? You say you're a managerial grade, which grade? If you are in control of what you are calling a department are there any other staff there at all or is it a solo type function?

I just can’t see this OP remotely being a pleasant colleague. No wonder pushed around from one department to another.

Wow OP, not only are you being obtuse, but you’re also being pretty snippy and arrogant here. Neither wonder the ‘big’ manager seems to have an issue with you.

Out of interest, what would you call it if you were in control of a department? Surely that’s a ‘head, lead, supervisor, manager’? 🤔

i agree with this and OP you are being obtuse and a tad snappy too.
Generally people are trying to be helpful OP!

I don't think you've cocked up, but work has by not effectively monitoring what needs doing.

I have been in the position of not having enough work and asking for more - in both cases it was a newly-created role where they'd overestimated how much work there was. Both times there was red tape that made it difficult for me to do much extra, but no one was angry at me for raising it and I can't imagine why anyone would be.

If that’s how you communicate at work, I’m not surprised people are not appreciative of your efforts.

I am 100% sure you delivered your observations not in a way that’s helpful but in way that’s critical of your colleagues who are not as efficient and / or of your management chain, or both.

so far you are a person who spent a year floating across the departments. You are not a manager or lead of a particular department or sub-department either. So it’s likely not any strategic contributions to how things are run, because you don’t have visibility of any of that and haven’t spent much time in any of the teams.

You also don’t seem capable to understand that proposing changes needs “selling” to your manager and your stakeholders.

You're not, but this applies to a lot of PS jobs.

I've learned in my job that my team want me to be THERE and available so I can respond to an email or message instantly but they don't actually have enough work to fill my days.

Mostly because no-one else responds to my emails so my job is mostly sending daily chasers.

They really don't want to hear that I'm not getting enough work because then they'd need to share me with someone else or not have me, and that would mean doing lots of small, annoying jobs themselves.

My manager (who I don't actually work alongside, her job is "manager" of people across several teams) is therefore finding lots of busy work to try to occupy us but none of it is rewarding.

At some point I'll be getting another staff member under me and in the short term that will actually give me something to do as I'll be training her.

After that, I will be able to find more interesting things to do and actually contribute more as currently I can't get stuck in to deeper work as I won't get so many regular interruptions with admin tasks.

I still doubt I'll have anything approaching full time hours and everyone knows it but no-one says it- that's the rule. Instead, everyone talks a lot about how busy they are.

So when is this meeting with the boss, @ohbuggera ?

So your job role is to float across multiple departments picking up work

right

What does “essentially control” mean?

I think that’s the mix up.

Can you elaborate on you apparently being a floating employee who goes from department to department picking up work?

Meet with the manager.

Noone else but they know why they're upset. It's possible they've budgeted the role, that the plan is to expand the role, etc. You won't know. Until they share in an open conversation what they're willing to share.

You've done the right thing and told your manager. They've told theirs. Now it's time to do the 121. Hopefully, the manager is a true leader (first impressions don't support this...) and will discuss, and work with.

I'd have loved to have you on my team.

@ohbuggera You've said you head up a department. I've asked already, as have others, what sort of grade you're at & the size/scope of this "department", as the majority of departments have a team which would make you a team head?

I'm currently in a similar situation. I'm on the techy side, moved jobs recently from a private company to a consultancy who have a contract with the civil service, so I'm effectively working for the civil service at the moment. My last job was fast-paced, and really fun because of it, I love being busy and feeling needed. The consultancy offered me a lot more money though, hence the move. OMG, the work is so slow and dull, and so basic! I have all these coding skills etc. - completely under-utilised. And the government is spending a fortune on contractors to do this work.

The thing that gives me the rage, is that I used to be a teacher working 60 hours a week, and always under pressure to do more. It's all government money, so why is there money in the civil service for people to sit around doing nothing, and no money for extra teachers, admin staff etc in schools? If only these under-worked people could pop into a school for a day a week and do some admin, or even train them to do some teaching if they have the qualifications - problem solved! 😀