To want to go home early as no work?

[Polarbearflavour]

New ish job. No IT yet as they are useless. Nothing to do.

I’m just sitting alone in my office playing on my phone. Most other people have already left. AIBU to go home and study for my (work related) qualification?

I am SO bored. Been here over 4 hours just doing nothing. I’ve read any related files and folders that I can find. Should I just sit here until around 4pm doing nothing so that I can say that I was at my desk all day?

I’m basically like James Bond but female. Imagine a young, female James Bond working on a dilapidated military base in the middle of nowhere. Doing a kind of boring job. And that’s me!

Puppy yes, I did think about that as I typed it!
But I figured OP would be ok with her line manager knowing her personal email address (assuming OP has a smartphone with her).

MirriVan - join the Civil Service! A non job can be yours!

The trouble is that if you leave it gives a 'couldn't care less' impression. It's a new job so you need to look enthusiastic - could you help anyone else with a task?

I had a job like this though, years ago. I never really had enough to do but it was important to look professionally occupied. I could only clean my typewriter or the stationery cupboard so many times.

In the end I gave my notice in to save losing my mind with boredom. I hope this isn't the case for you.

I would go home as it’s the civil service. Don’t tell anyone. If it comes up say you did your 37.5 hours. On Monday, bring your books & own laptop in to study.

Oh fabulous OP. I might write a new novel based on your predicament, where something terribly exciting happens due to your decision to stay and not go home.

Maybe a zombie apocalypse type thing....

I'd say it's not worth the risk. Can you study/look up relevant info to your course, using your phone?

Don’t worry, as soon as you have IT access you will get given plenty to do, a fair bit outside of your actual job role but you’ll be expected to do it. They probably assume you have some sort of initiative to find something to do, even if it’s familiarising yourself with the site, or asking someone during the week (I was in a similar position and did this until I was put onto flexi).

PuppyMonkey - amazing!

I’m actually pretty lazy and unambitious. If nobody was here I would be gone! Or if I knew that it wouldn’t be commented on.

Can't you call your manager and let them know you are going home to do your on line course as you have nothing to do in the office and you can't access the course as you have no IT access yet?

Im also a new starter to civil service specifically MOJ. All of their IT systems have been down all week so now they’re working im just watching my line manager catch up on emails 🙃

Puggles123 - Er, if my previous Civil Service is anything to go by this will be another non job. My last role had nothing to do most of the day but I wasn’t on flexi so just went home early for several months. Nobody ever said anything. Or I worked from home. I got through a dozen Netflix box sets.

Can you email your manager and say you are at a standstill without IT, that the person you are shadowing isn’t there so you have no guidance and is there anything he/she has that you can be getting on with? They’ll probably just tell you to go home and then you can do so with a clear conscience.

On a broader level, maybe you should be asking yourself is there actually a job for you to do at all? You have a job title and an office but if there appears to be no actual work beyond ‘busy work’ associated with either it’s not going to get better is it?

I get it, it’s really demoralising to have nothing to do. I spend maybe 4 hours a day in intense activity which I love, but it’s not a block of four hours, it’s spread out through the day so I can’t just go home. The hours in between I have to just fill, answer phones, emails, file, hope someone is off and I can cover some of their work for them. It does get me down sometimes especially when I’m reduced to going to other departments and offering to put numerous little things in numerous little bags because ‘you guys look rushed off your feet - I’ll put what I’m —not— doing to one side if you like?”

I've had jobs like that. It's completely demoralising. I'd let your manager know that lack of IT is stopping you from doing anything constructive and tell them you're going home.

I think you'd have to be interested I being at work to find this demoralising. I don't think the OP is remotely interested. I don't know how people with such a lack of work ethic and initiative actually get middle management roles at all.

It’s lovely for the first day or so but gets horrendous very quickly!

My first ‘proper’ job was with a major bank and due to various technical issues (there’s) I had no log on for SIX WEEKS!

I was bored to tears after about 3 days.

If you can go home and it won’t be frowned upon then definitely do it.

Right then ilovesooty - what exactly would you be doing in my situation?

At the end of the day, it’s just a job.

loststars me too! Its running again though

@wizzywig I have no logon or laptop or anything so it’s good it’s up but I still have nothing to do 😂 I hate feeling like a spare part! X

I would ask my boss if I could go home and get on with some studying. Next week I'd bring in my laptop and get on with my own work.

I don’t have a laptop at home because I’m old school. Just my trusty PC.

This is going to be another crap job isn’t it? Already feeling zero motivation.

When I had a job like this I deep cleaned the office. You’re a public servant, being paid using money from the public purse. If you are in a job that basically doesn’t exist then you go as big as you can to tell someone that public money is being flushed down the toilet and that there is no need for someone to be doing the role at all.

You don’t just watch fucking Netflix and let the taxpayer continue to find your lifestyle.