I’m an ‘overworker’ and have 3 FT jobs - AMA

[SallyGs]

Ive had a few people now mention on the careers topic to do an AMA so am taking the plunge.

An overworker is someone who holds multiple full time roles at the same time. Started in the US and became big during COVID - for obvious reasons as it’s pretty much impossible to do with non remote work.

I currently have 3 full time jobs, at my peak I had 5 during 2020. And am working towards buying a rental property with my additional income.

So for anyone who has wondered about it or are interested in trying it themselves - AMA

To be fair it would depend who it was, some of my team I care a lot more about keeping than others.

If I found out one of those members was, I’d encourage them to submit a request to alter their contract and work with HR to support them.

If one of my team that I didn’t care too much about, I’d just let HR know and go from there.

Most of my team work less than their contracted hours, so that’s not a concern from that perspective (as my snr director does the same!)

This kind of response

"It makes me chuckle you think it’s a case of finding more work. I create my work. You don’t just tend to give people tasks in my role. I defined my job, I have business objectives and that’s it.

Sorry this is so alien to you"

is patronising and arrogant. Of course there will be plenty of people who don't have any experience or knowledge of the kind of role that you perform. Given that you are stating that you do a "full time" job in 1 to 2 hours a day, people who work many different types of 8 hour days will find it hard to understand how that's possible. Because for those jobs it wouldn't be.

This idea seems to be only feasible for those already employed at a senior level where the work is about delegating and coordinating rather than carrying out tasks yourself.

Can you outline what tasks you do on an average day across the jobs?

Why do you are about that?

So you would not allow them to do what you are doing?

You would report them to HR (if you didnt like them)

Jeez - the hypocrisy is massive

Eh if you post a stupid reply expect a patronising response.

Good question. I bet if a member of her team starts doing the same she’ll be up shit creek. She is a senior leader who is standing idly on the backs of those working their socks off below her.

Comes into do a bit of directing drawing on her knowledge and experience. Doesn’t muck in and get her hands dirty. Claims the bonus for her teams hard earned efforts. I’ve been there done that in a junior role, with a partner getting us to work hard and they got a massive bonus while we got a piddly 5-7%

What she should be doing is working closely with those below her, mentoring, sharing knowledge and helping them to move up so she’s not the only “expert” and the company is not relying on her. Training up the next gen.

But she has a reputation for not allowing meetings to be booked - she sounds like a really shit manager who provides bugger all support and development for her staff. I feel really sorry for her team.

If they weren’t a member of the team I cared too much about losing? Yes.

As otherwise that puts me at risk for ignoring it. It’s why I’d never tell my Snr director as I’d not want to put them in that position either.

Most businesses have unofficial rules though so this would just fall into that unless it was made really obvious. For example at work most of the SLT don’t work Fridays in summer, it’s not contractual but is an observed norm

Then just be glad you’re not being paid well to be on it.

If you’ve not got a question there are other posts you can entertain with your replies

Most businesses have unofficial rules though so this would just fall into that unless it was made really obvious. For example at work most of the SLT don’t work Fridays in summer, it’s not contractual but is an observed norm

Are you now saying that having a second job is unofficially sanctioned?

I’m also struggling to understand how you, as a senior person with a stake in the business in the form of a bonus that will be dependent on profit share, can be comfortable with most people being paid to work more hours than their jobs demand? Surely this is a mark of a bloated and inefficient organisation?

Nope. I am replying that if a member of my team was doing the same and it wasn’t obvious then I’d ignore it. Just like many such things are ignored across the business.

If it was brought to my attention formally then I’d need to do something, and have detailed what that would be in my reply to the original question.

Also my bonus isn’t dependant on profit share…

My bosses know my workload, pff.

Some on here will never get it, sad and stuck in their ways

And before you jump on it, I do understand that the KPIs for many jobs are measured in output, not directly correlated to number of hours worked. I also understand that the world works in quite an old-fashioned way in that jobs tend to come as only part time or full time based on a 7 hour work day. You can’t employ someone with a senior professional skills on a pay by the hour basis so it’s impossible to just buy the hours form them that you need (though not impossible, hence why some roles outsourced to agencies). However it is possible to arrange things so that you understand what time is needed to do the job well and find ways to fill your employee’s time appropriately, be it by widening the role or making redundancies and combining roles.

Of course your bonus is dependent on profit! Don’t you understand how bonuses work? There is no money to pay them if there are no profits, and the bonus pool reduces in proportion to the profits.

You ask about morality yet conveniently didn't respond to my previous post.

As I said, I'm not interested in the companies in this situation. They seem happy with your output.

Do you think it immoral to take up to further roles in your industry that would go to more junior staff, possibly just starting out as you once were?

When you were trying to get a foot in the industry would it not have concerned you that a senior employee was hoovering up roles you could have taken?

This is where it seems to come unstuck morally.

Oh sweet summer child. Do you not comprehend NR based bonus structures. My bonus personally is not dependant on profit. That’s a basic fact.

Also, not relevant for me personally but many businesses aren’t profitable and still issue bonuses. How do you think start ups attract top talent?

You do know there are hundreds of comments here. I missed one. Get over it.

And no, frankly it doesn’t bother me. Although ask me that years ago when I was 18 I’d probably say otherwise!

If my primary widened my remit they’d need to pay me more. So either way they still benefit from the current model

@JeysusH You make a good point.

For me, OP, your assertion that this is a win-win does not ring true, but even if it were true, it doesn't make any difference. Lying and dishonesty are wrong in themselves.

But no one cares about that except a few on here. This is why I’m a bit baffled. It doesn’t have any impact on you; so why care about perceived dishonesty?

Not sure if it’s an alien concept but I tend to only really care about shit that impacts my life.

Usually by share options.

Don’t burst their bubble. People don’t want to believe they could be sat making more money

That's not 'overworking' it's fraud

Not usually at all. Just one Quick Look on LinkedIn just now, out of the 20 snr roles for startups I’ve seen from scrolling 17 offer standard bonuses despite being in their first year of trading. This is in addition to stock options. Not instead of.