How do I pull back at work?

[JobzWorth]

I used to have a well paid, stressful job which I gave up when I had DC. I was a SAHM for a while, and now I work P/T. My PT job is what I would describe as low skilled, and handy as it’s literally very close to my DC’s school, making drop offs and pickups after clubs etc. a piece of cake.

The job I have should be low stress, go in, do the job, go home and no one bothers me. Except it’s not. The pay is meant to be reflective of this.

So, basically they have got me, and a few other, mainly women, doing 4 peoples jobs. They have got us doing our own job, covering others off sick, on holiday, unfilled vacancies, going to others departments, training new people and leaving us to run the place whilst managers do very little.

I’m normally a very resilient person but the other day I just got really overwhelmed and stressed out and said no this is not on, I’m not taking on any more work.

I know that sounds jobs worth, but I’m basically doing a managers job with no extra pay, and no recognition.

So, what I’m looking for is a way to say to my company, “hey look. You are asking me to do way above the rate that you are paying me, and in addition, it’s causing me stress to the point I want to call in sick. I want to do the job you are paying me to do, and I do it really well, but I don’t want anymore responsibility unless I’m recognised for it in my salary”.

If it’s making me sick, this is not good. Next year I plan on looking for something as as my DC are getting older and need me less. I could leave, but it’s handy for me. I just want to do the job I’m paid for, and that’s it.

Can you ask for a job description?

I’ve looked at the JD. It’s very broad. It basically says you can be sent anywhere to do anything. The tasks I do are covered by my JD. It’s more a case of my own job and picking up the slack for 4 others.

I had a job like this, but then I got wise and realised that they would never pay a fair wage. So I started working to rule, no overtime, no going off late and slow all tasks down so they are manageable. If your managers try and shive you along just nod and smile then just keep plodding along. They soon stopped asking and left me alone.

This!

Is there any way of getting hold of a manager role JD and then go through it picking out all the management bits you’re expected to do (training, covering other departments, covering sickness/AL etc) then refusing to do those parts of the job? Or, if you feel unable to do that, can you put forward a case for official promotion (and therefore a commensurate pay rise) based on already doing a managers job?

Is it a small company relying on manager level to function or is there a senior manager you can go and speak to? Is there an HR department you can go to for a chat about defining the role more specifically to each level of responsibility and the salary for that level of responsibility?

Lastly, and perhaps most difficult for yourself, I would start looking for a new job elsewhere - could it be the number of vacancies is down to the reputation of the company for using the lowest paid staff to cover so many roles under 1 JD?

keep asking them to prioritise the tasks - do the most important things first and leave the things that haven’t been done when you finish your working hours. If they say “everything is equally important”, you send them an email saying “I’m going to prioritise X, Y and Z, then do as much as I can before I finish my working hours”.

This.

"I'm at capacity now, so I suggest I prioritise working on X now, and then do what I can on Y with any remaining time I have available this afternoon. Does that sound sensible?"

Or "I'm at capacity now for this week, so what would you like me to prioritise?"

I've started now just saying that I don't have capacity to take on anything else, or when asked to do things, ask what is the priority or what out of XYZ can be dropped to make room for the additional things.

I’ve started this recently, it’s only taken me 15 years into my working life to be able to say no, I’ve finally got there 😂

OP - one thing I would advise is to think really carefully about why you took the role in the first place. If you wanted a managerial role with better pay, presumably you’d have stayed in your old career. Just be prepared that if you raise this as an issue you may be offered more hours/a promotion etc. This is what happened to me and I almost accepted but then I realised it wouldn’t actually have suited me and what I’m looking for right now.

So, what I’m looking for is a way to say to my company, “hey look. You are asking me to do way above the rate that you are paying me, and in addition, it’s causing me stress to the point I want to call in sick. I want to do the job you are paying me to do, and I do it really well, but I don’t want anymore responsibility unless I’m recognised for it in my salary”.

You say this, and you follow up in writing. I would also suggest you tell your colleagues what you are doing as they are massively taking the piss. They probably won’t change it for you, and you will have to leave, but hopefully it will be the beginning of change.

Start looking for a decent job that uses your skills.

If this is the culture of this business, it will be hard or impossible to change it.

Low paid does not always equal low stress. In my experience some companies use low paid admin roles (assuming admin) like this, overloaded with work, in the knowledge that it will be easy to replace them when they burn out after a year and leave.

But whilst you are there, you need to learn to say no and set boundaries to protect your health.

I could have written your post OP & have come to realise this is the culture in my organisation & it's not going to change so the change has to come from me.
Come in/ leave in time, take your allotted breaks & do what you can in between.
Start planning an exit strategy to work towards before you make yourself ill

Well ultimately don’t stress about getting things done, surely that’s a mangers job to over see. Take your time with your role, do things right and to the best of your ability but don’t stress. If something doesn’t get done, not your problem. Don’t go above and beyond for low pay. If they want a more senior role then they can pay for it.

Honestly I reckon you'll need to change jobs to get what you want/need. This lot sound like it's the way they operate. When you're worn out/exhausted/burnt out because of their business model then you'll be chucked in the scrap heap anyway. I'd get out whilst you can

Sounds as if these managers have basically delegated their job into you and your colleagues. They are getting paid to do nothing. Can't you all arrange to go sick at the same time ? Invent a tummy bug. It will be interesting to see if these managers step up to the plate and can do there job .

Or do what a colleague used to do, act simple , pretend you don't know things . Probably a bit late for you now though .

I had this. Min wage admin job, a new manager came in and piled more tasks onto us with no pay rise. Multiple staff left, and when Covid hit and we were furloughed, I handed in my notice. They continue to have a high turnover of staff, so I doubt they'll change. I work from home now, on my online business, couldn't be happier.

A lot of good advice. No overtime, ask for a priority list, kick obvious managerial tasks upwards.
If the position in itself is stressful (care?) with low budgets and high turnover, look elsewhere, it’s not getting better.