Best response when you are about to be dump with lots of stuff at work?

UserLibra78 · 2022-04-06T18:11:36+00:00

One of my colleague who works on the same project as me has just gone on long term sick. There is nobody willing to take on part of his workload. I got a feeling that my manager is going to ask me to absorb that particular element, on top of my already overstretched capacity. Anybody got a witty response to let her know where to go?

itssupposedtobespring · 06/04/2022 19:14

You'll never win anything with witty responses.

Get it in writing.

'due to projects 1, 2, and 3, which I am already working on with agreed completion dates of , the earliest I can begin working on 4, 5 and 6, would be __'.

workwoes123 · 06/04/2022 19:20

Agree that being witty is a great way not to be taken seriously.

I had a colleague who, whenever she was asked to take on more work on top of her existing workload asked "...and what do you want me to drop, to accommodate this Very Important Project? Since all my working hours are already accounted for?". I never quite had the balls to do that.

Original poster

UserLibra78 · 06/04/2022 19:22

@itssupposedtobespring

You'll never win anything with witty responses.

Get it in writing.

'due to projects 1, 2, and 3, which I am already working on with agreed completion dates of , the earliest I can begin working on 4, 5 and 6, would be __'.

Thanks. Unfortunately his element of the project will affect my progress directly (same project), so for her, in a way it makes sense for me to take on the element. However this guy (a second person) was hired purely to perform this particular element.

It really is not my remit.

OP posts:

Shortpoet · 06/04/2022 19:25

You can only take on the extra work if the time line is doubled. If that’s not acceptable they will have to either bring someone in, share the extra around so the burden on any one person isn’t too much, or drop something else.

SweetSakura · 06/04/2022 19:27

I just took it on each time when this happened. Then made a case for a junior(s) to support me. Pretty sure this is why I climbed the career ladder very rapidly.

Original poster

UserLibra78 · 06/04/2022 19:36

@SweetSakura

I just took it on each time when this happened. Then made a case for a junior(s) to support me. Pretty sure this is why I climbed the career ladder very rapidly.

This element belongs to the junior. Apparently all the rest of the juniors have decided, in terms of the workload, they all reached capacity as well so my manager has decided to dump this on me, the project lead

OP posts:

Original poster

UserLibra78 · 06/04/2022 19:40

Am I a pushover if I just accept the workload?
Sometimes I do fear that people are taking advantage of my easygoing nature but at the same time I do realise I can get a bit sensitive at times. Just want to know what you guys think

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Bunce1 · 06/04/2022 19:41

I’m currently working on abc and in order to work on 123 it will take in excess of xx hours. I can facilitate this with either
overtime
Getting more staff onto the project
Working for TOIL
Which way sounds best to you to achieve this?

Crinkle77 · 06/04/2022 19:42

Nobody's willing? Isn't it up to managers to delegate?

girlmom21 · 06/04/2022 19:43

Tell her it's outside of your remit and if she wishes for you to take in additional responsibility you'll need a salary review to reflect that, and she'll need to extend the project delivery date

Original poster

UserLibra78 · 06/04/2022 20:08

@Bunce1

I’m currently working on abc and in order to work on 123 it will take in excess of xx hours. I can facilitate this with either overtime Getting more staff onto the project Working for TOIL Which way sounds best to you to achieve this?

Is up to her to delegate but like me, we are significantly younger than the rest of the juniors (old-timers) so they have no qualms about rejecting further work.

She will have to either take it on herself or push it back on me. I guess I will have to take this for the team

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girlmom21 · 06/04/2022 20:13

She will have to either take it on herself or push it back on me. I guess I will have to take this for the team

There is no team. Nobody will thank you for it. In a team there would be an equal division of the work.

Let your manager take it on.

WildBlueAndDitzy · 06/04/2022 20:20

Why are you two senior ones negotiating with the juniors then? TELL them it's being delegated to them all jointly. No discussion, no excuses. Then make the case to the manager for hiring another junior if necessary. People go off long term sick leave or maternity leave all the time and not all companies employ temps to cover that person's work it's quite often split across the rest of the team. You need to request further training at your review, assertiveness and how to lead a team/delegate, because you're not currently managing either if you're allowing juniors to "pull rank" on you! They're beneath you, they're the ones who suck it up!

Patchbatch · 06/04/2022 20:23

@workwoes123

Agree that being witty is a great way not to be taken seriously.

I had a colleague who, whenever she was asked to take on more work on top of her existing workload asked "...and what do you want me to drop, to accommodate this Very Important Project? Since all my working hours are already accounted for?". I never quite had the balls to do that.

Yes something along those lines is best, I'd avoid being witty but it is important to say if you're at capacity and can't take anymore on without it affecting your current work or forcing you to do additional hours.

WildBlueAndDitzy · 06/04/2022 20:25

Also if those juniors have been there ages and haven't moved on elsewhere or progressed within the company then I'm willing to bet they're doing the bare minimum to get paid and that's why they're happy to stay so long in a junior job for the same company. They've got no career ambitions so they're ok with pissing you off, they're most likely taking advantage of you and your manager being a soft touch. Or they've just got attitude about taking instructions from someone younger than themselves, in which case they need to get over it sharpish.

JamMakingWannaBe · 06/04/2022 20:28

Agree with PP.

"I'm willing to do XYZ, but that means I won't be able to do ABC. Which would you like me to do, because I can't do both?"

Even as a very green 20 year old I said this to my then manager who then backed down on giving me extra work.

Original poster

UserLibra78 · 06/04/2022 20:39

@WildBlueAndDitzy

Also if those juniors have been there ages and haven't moved on elsewhere or progressed within the company then I'm willing to bet they're doing the bare minimum to get paid and that's why they're happy to stay so long in a junior job for the same company. They've got no career ambitions so they're ok with pissing you off, they're most likely taking advantage of you and your manager being a soft touch. Or they've just got attitude about taking instructions from someone younger than themselves, in which case they need to get over it sharpish.

Exactly this.

I am pretty new to this team so at the moment I am still trying to not thread on anybody’s toe by asking them to do their freaking job.

My manager on the other hand is a complete soft touch like me. She has no plan to recruit anymore replacement. It is a double edged sword as she is very flexible in terms of holiday requests but when it comes to being assertive, she crumbles. I have no support of my manager to delegate tasks to my delegates.

I am thinking of using this opportunity to ask her to fund my external training to the cost of £2000, sort of quid pro quo for me agreeing to take on this task till the guy comes back (not sure when though).

OP posts:

Kite22 · 06/04/2022 20:52

Like others, put it in an e-mail that this chap was taken on specifically just to do this task and, as obviously no-one has the capacity to absorb a full time person's workload, are they going to employ a temp, or do they prefer that the work takes twice as long.

(Will be different in different jobs as to how much it is feasible to start 'running behind' with work).