Is everyone else pretending they’re drowning in work?

[Shareadog]

I’ve worked in office jobs for about 25 years, and I’ve always wondered: do people in self-directed, knowledge-based roles actually spend 37-40 hours a week actively working?

I almost never have, the only exceptions have been during major pitches. However, I’ve consistently received strong reviews and positive feedback. I was promoted last year.

In my current, fairly senior role, I’m regularly praised for both the quality and speed of my work and I definitely don’t avoid taking on extra work or projects. Maybe I’ve just been unusually lucky with manageable workloads, but after this many years that seems unlikely.

I’m not off doing anything exciting—I’m available and responsive—but there are decent stretches when I just don’t have much to do.

Everyone else around me constantly complains they’re drowning, overworked etc.

Am I the weird one, or is everyone else stretching the truth about how busy they are in these type of senior roles?

It may not be your personal case, but it is the case of many many others with the same attitude.

You do not need to lie to anyone if they ask how you are, at least you are hiding something. You lie, so you are hiding something. It is simple. And do not try to complicate it.

Oh yes the professionally busy. They are irritating. I think it depends how old you are how long you’ve been in your job. I’m more getting paid for my skills than output now I’d say so I can add value by being there and giving advice rather than doing. But I’ve put some long hours in over the past 20 years so I don’t feel guilty. And I’m not doing gods work. I could get made redundant tomorrow and nothing catastrophic would happen at work, I think when we realise that it does make you think why am I killing myself.

Yes. Drowning. And not due to lack of being organised /prioritising. Drowning even when prioritising. It's a highly technical job and there are just far fewer of us that the work load requires (public sector)

We tend to be immune from redundancy rounds though because everyone can see how stretched we are

I don't work hard...no need as I've automated probably 70% of my role.

Do I care or feel guilty that I'm not"working hard"? No. I'm paid for my knowledge and experience, not per piece produced 🤷

Totally agree OP! I work at a fast pace but never in several jobs have felt overworked. In my experience a lot of people do a lot of time wasting, asking questions, clarifying but I just crack on.

Drowning most days and just staying afloat. Civil service.

I have a knowledge based role, of a subject people hate. They're so happy to have me to rely on that they don't care if I'm not always busy. I'm adding AI qualifications because everyone wants someone else to tell them how to do it right.

I've and a caseload this year which has been a slog, but I'm looking forward to be back to very little afterwards.

But I've worked in systems improvement before, and have never come across a process I couldn't trim the fat on - usually time and money both.

I’ve never drowned in work or felt that stretched. Got promoted faster than anyone else throughout my 20s and 30s. Now mid forties, my last salary was 145k. I’m self employed now and still not drowning.

My job is very much expertise based so maybe that’s why?

My last job, everybody else seemed to always have loads to do and trying to keep up, but I did my job well in about 50% of my hours and I could never understand what they used to do… i am pretty efficient, but used to wonder if others were just saying they were busy…?

Oh god, I know the type, ‘just another question.’ Just crack on with it. Stop turning yourself inside out.

I’m constantly being complimented on how fast I’ve completed tasks - which don't seem particularly fast to me.

This is the thing. I’d say I’m currently ‘working’ less than 50% of my hours. In a senior highly paid role. Where everyone else (with the same role) is apparently being worked to death. And I don’t get it!!!

My role is very fast paced and there is always something that needs to be done.

There will never be a time when we don’t have anything to do.

I have a list of ‘to-dos’ and as soon as I cross 1 thing off, I seem to add 3 more things to it.

But I love it!
I love to problem solve, I love to be busy.

We have a training day once a month and if there is no actual training then I try to book AL and have a long weekend because the days are so much slower and I hate them.
(Although we have started going to the pub midday which is helping).

Yep same. Also work in marketing..! The only time I've ever been truly busy during every moment at work is when working in customer-facing roles ie retail/hospitality/benefits advisor! I have busy periods now every now and again but by the end of most weeks I've ticked all my tasks off. I'm not complaining :)

I have two parts to my role. When one is quiet the other is busy and vice versa.

If I've ever found myself less that fully occupied, which I can count on the fingers of one hand in my career so far, I find work that I know needs to be done that nobody else is dealing with. I've never needed to pretend I'm busy, that seems a bit pointless.

If we just could have more people like this!!!!

I get fed up that my manager is clear much less busy than I am (me technical with in demand skills so getting pulled into projects all over while they are line managing a handful of reliable staff on 30 minutes a fortnight and attending a lot of training and conferences to fill up their time. Paid more, producing much less. It gets to me sometimes.

Haha same here. Plus at times I have 3/4 meetings at the same time in my calendar.

Looks like organisations can figure out where cuts can be made then

I may be desperately busy but on the plus side I know my absence if very much felt and swiftly if I am not there, so my role isn't one impacted by redundancy rounds

I've always felt the same. In every job, over nearly 40 years, I've felt I needed a lot more to do, but always had excellent appraisals and been praised for my work rate.

I took over from a guy that was doing the job full time, I do PT hours and have no fucking clue what he was doing most of the time as even before I automated taks, I was never even if busy.

Every job I've ever had has had periods when I'm absolutely flat-out, and other times when there's more slack. During those less frantic times there's always something to do, it's just a lot less pressured.

I'm a PA in the NHS. In theory I support three people and am supposed to do diary management, disciplinaries, minuting, recruitment support, venue bookings - all very doable. I'm full time.

In practice I also support all the service managers in my bit of the Directorate, because they don't have enough admin due to cost cutting, and the admin they do have don't have the required skills or knowledge. So that makes 9 people in total. In addition to that, I do work for our HR partners, because they don't have admin either. I work for Contracting, because same story. I do data analysis because it needs doing, I have the skills and our Information team don't have enough staff. Yes, I'm drowning. Fortunately the people I work with are lovely, I enjoy the work and I'm pretty resilient. No, you can't have my job. I'm keeping it.

Um I not sure I want a low paid high stress job where you’re drowning over my high paid, low stress job!

Wow

Are you managing people? Because that can be down to how good and experienced your staff are. I manage two excellent admin members of staff, very experienced, very knowledgeable. It makes my life so much easier. I provide them with support when needed but both me and them are all happy if I let them get on with their work. If they were to leave, and I had to train in new staff, my job would quickly become overwhelming.