Anyone else not actually that busy at work?

ButteredRadishes · 2025-05-10T09:38:59+00:00

I work part time and probably half if it is spent not doing any actual work... Just mindless internet browsing, looking for holidays, searching Facebook marketplace, doing life admin. Etc. I complete all my tasks and more, so I don't feel guilty.

YourLuckyPlumJoker · 10/05/2025 11:10

I'm not and I WFH so am aware i'm living the dream but like you, I do everything i'm expected to do and I do have a lot of responsibility so even though i'm usually not busy, when there is a crisis, it could potentially have huge consequences and it'll be me they'll come for if anything goes wrong.

And I previously did years in the trenches as it were.

FuckoffeeBeforeCoffee · 10/05/2025 11:14

I wasn’t particularly busy for years. Life was good.

The tide has turned, and now I’m so busy I’m struggling to cope.

Pedallleur · 10/05/2025 12:51

I'm not and make a point of not being. In my last year and the managers are rubbish imo. Don't want to be proactive, look at job closures rather than what the job entails. They would say roasting a chicken is the same as pouring a glass of milk. Many of you have prob lived this dream

HeartyOchreHelper · 10/05/2025 12:54

I changed career about 6 months ago from a job where I could do 12+ hours a day easily and still not be done (really complex stuff too), to a job where I sit twiddling my thumbs all day. Some days I can stretch it out to 7 hours but some days I honestly do 3 hours of work a day, it’s not mentally challenging either.

I’m not sure which is worse tbh!

Radionowhere · 10/05/2025 12:59

I wish. Been very busy lately, managing underperforming lazy staff out of their jobs.
Not saying that's you OP but there's a lot of it about, which is fine until others have to pick up the slack.
Personally I need a degree of busy or I get bored and demotivated.

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 10/05/2025 13:14

Yes at work. I keep having work taken off me by my manager despite my protests. So I started helping others with their load…. Got caught and given a rollicking by my manager. So I’m now ‘busy’ attempting to either look busy doing nothing or hiding so l don’t get questioned by my colleagues as to why I have so little work.

Oldraver · 10/05/2025 13:18

Were I work had had a huge downturn in orders and we are quite frequently trying to stretch work out. We do some work for another department which has just kept us ticking over, and financially viable as we can charge our time

But we spend lots of time just being slow

PomegranateVase · 10/05/2025 13:20

I am sick and tired of being so busy - like a hamster in a wheel, and it is getting worse! There are so many stupid demands placed on me and others at work and so many examples of having to reinvent the wheel. So, so bored of it now. I can never clear a to do list, and so many tasks get added every day that I have to prioritise over the already items that were high demands.

MoominMai · 10/05/2025 13:30

@ButteredRadishes your username though! Did you deliberately create that after the bizarre thread about a mum getting outraged about the nursery ‘lying’ to her about what her DC had eaten that day and it didn’t include radishes but the mum was adamant she’d had not just radishes - but buttered radishes! 😅

YourLuckyPlumJoker · 10/05/2025 13:41

PomegranateVase · 10/05/2025 13:20

I am sick and tired of being so busy - like a hamster in a wheel, and it is getting worse! There are so many stupid demands placed on me and others at work and so many examples of having to reinvent the wheel. So, so bored of it now. I can never clear a to do list, and so many tasks get added every day that I have to prioritise over the already items that were high demands.

So maybe an 'anyone else not busy at work?' thread wasn't the one for you? :)

PomegranateVase · 10/05/2025 13:48

@YourLuckyPlumJoker

I thought I’d add my thoughts in for balance, just as I do when my friends start talking to me about not having much to do!

SantanaBinLorry · 10/05/2025 13:52

I regularly do 5.5/6hrs of actual work in an 8hr day. I work solo and no one cares, as long as I turn up, deliver the service and leave on time 🤷
After years of working ny butt off I'm more than happy with this and hope this job sees me through to retirement!

Wildywondrous · 10/05/2025 14:02

My dh claims to be busy but I know he spends a lot of time scrolling through social media and it's never a problem if he needs to make personal calls that can be half an hour long and can always finish early without any issues if I need him to.

I'd find it quite boring, I'm busy at work but I work alone so I have the TV on or listen to books and podcasts so my days go quickly.

Original poster

ButteredRadishes · 10/05/2025 14:30

MoominMai · 10/05/2025 13:30

@ButteredRadishes your username though! Did you deliberately create that after the bizarre thread about a mum getting outraged about the nursery ‘lying’ to her about what her DC had eaten that day and it didn’t include radishes but the mum was adamant she’d had not just radishes - but buttered radishes! 😅

Yes, I did 🤣 🤣 🤣

OP posts:

Original poster

ButteredRadishes · 10/05/2025 14:32

I have a colleague who is very busy. But I watched her typing in 100+ addresses from a spreadsheet into a word document to print out labels.... Apparently she doesn't know mail merges exist...

She took about 3 hours to do a 10 minute job.

So i always wonder if a lot of these very busy people are actually inefficient... 🤷‍♀️

OP posts:

sunshinedaises · 10/05/2025 14:35

Yes I am exactly the same as you. All my jobs get done so I spend time on mumsnet, life admin etc. I only work 2 days a week!

Surelythistime · 10/05/2025 14:36

Same OP!!

YourLuckyPlumJoker · 10/05/2025 14:37

ButteredRadishes · 10/05/2025 14:32

I have a colleague who is very busy. But I watched her typing in 100+ addresses from a spreadsheet into a word document to print out labels.... Apparently she doesn't know mail merges exist...

She took about 3 hours to do a 10 minute job.

So i always wonder if a lot of these very busy people are actually inefficient... 🤷‍♀️

Edited

That's a prime example of the inefficiency that drives me nuts and could easily be avoided with better training and management.

I work in the public sector and i'm not busy for lots of reasons but one is that I don't engage in pointless and often IMO, potentially dangerous crap like C and Pasting into a persons file every single email I receive or make about them.

Other people do, and then complain that they're so busy. Stop doing shit you don't have to do and you'll be much less busy..

ClassicalQueen · 10/05/2025 14:38

I wish, I’m a teacher and I’ve never been as busy! However my first job in finance was like this, keying a few invoices and credit notes and the rest of the time I spent online shopping!

Swirlythingy2025 · 10/05/2025 14:53

once i was helping on reception and it was fairly quiet and the department manager came out but didnt seem impressed because it was quiet and they were rushed off their feet. but its puzzling because they are the department manager surley they were ment to be busy managing different teams etc, and how could i help it if reception was quiet ?

Original poster

ButteredRadishes · 10/05/2025 15:45

YourLuckyPlumJoker · 10/05/2025 14:37

That's a prime example of the inefficiency that drives me nuts and could easily be avoided with better training and management.

I work in the public sector and i'm not busy for lots of reasons but one is that I don't engage in pointless and often IMO, potentially dangerous crap like C and Pasting into a persons file every single email I receive or make about them.

Other people do, and then complain that they're so busy. Stop doing shit you don't have to do and you'll be much less busy..

Show quote history

Same person once did a generic letter to 50 people, it had to be individual.

They typed the letter for Persona A, printed it.
Replaced names with Person B.... Printed it
C...D...e...

Then goto envelopes out and hand wrote the addresses copying from the screen onto address labels 🤣🤣🤣

OP posts:

Crinkle77 · 10/05/2025 17:15

Swirlythingy2025 · 10/05/2025 14:53

once i was helping on reception and it was fairly quiet and the department manager came out but didnt seem impressed because it was quiet and they were rushed off their feet. but its puzzling because they are the department manager surley they were ment to be busy managing different teams etc, and how could i help it if reception was quiet ?

I used to hate this when managers would happen to come out at a quiet time and say ooh isn't it quiet. Yet they had missed the rush that had been happening earlier on.

Swirlythingy2025 · 12/05/2025 09:02

Crinkle77 · 10/05/2025 17:15

I used to hate this when managers would happen to come out at a quiet time and say ooh isn't it quiet. Yet they had missed the rush that had been happening earlier on.

Show quote history

thats the other factor, some days it was retriving voice mail messages, or already on one call, then another call waiting etc.

GameOfJones · 12/05/2025 09:12

I have one of those sorts of jobs where the workload can be really variable. So I can have a quiet period for a long time but when something lands on my desk it can very quickly become extremely busy and stressful. So I tend to try to enjoy the quieter periods because I know it won't stay that way.

I can't spend my time online shopping though. IT monitor our machines like at most companies so if you're looking for holidays at 3pm on a random Tuesday then IT at least, know about it!

CatherineofIslington · 12/05/2025 09:19

My workload is also variable. Currently I am on the bed with my cat, but other weeks I am super busy. I usually to do as little work as I can get away with and lounge around a lot on my wfh days.