Work Based Problem

[Maliousious]

I produce a daily report sent out every morning to senior managers. I liaise occasionally with my direct manager and a very senior manager regarding this report, changes they want made etc.

Four weeks ago I emailed them both with some work I had been doing on a “side report”. It basically goes into more detail on the full report, gives a more in depth explanation etc. I was intending for it to be sent out weekly as an add on to the daily report.

I had no response from either of them. I took this to mean it wasn’t worthwhile to carry on/wasn’t what they wanted etc.

The side report needs data adding everyday to be worthwhile. Last night at 8pm I had a harassed email from direct manager asking for it to be sent ASAP as she needs it for a board meeting.

The work involved in getting it up to date for the last 4 weeks is not negligible.

AIBU to take the lack of any response/feedback from them to mean “don’t carry on with this”

I’m going to need to tell her I abandoned the report or smash it out as fast as I can today (which I suspect will be too late for the meeting anyway)

I would tell them you assumed they didn't want it as you never heard anything

(also, the fucking cheek of it!)

Can't you do both? Email to say as I'd had no response I thought it wasn't needed/useful, I will work as fast as I can today to get it up to speed and will continue with it daily from here on. What time is it needed but? Are there certain elements that you'd like before others if I can't get it caught up before the meeting?

Is there no way of pulling the data from systems rather than you manually entering it?

*needed for

I would abandon it - if they gave no feedback - or more importantly no agreement to go ahead with it - that is their lookout. I would reply 'Sorry, as I got absolutely no response, positive or negative to this I assumed it was not appreciated/wanted. It takes a significant amount of work and I am unable to do that retrospectively. Is this something that you would like going forward?'

Well you could have emailed to follow up your original email.

I work in a place where people think their job is done by sending an email - there are too many emails flying around and things get missed - when they also need to have a chat too.

So I’d probably follow up with a quick call and see what you can do for them.

I was intending for it to be sent out weekly as an add on to the daily report

this sentence is your get-out, because why didn't they ask where it was over the past 3 weeks??

They may have read the email that you were going to do it. As opposed to reading it that you were asking if it should be done....

This is why emails only rarely work.

Phone calls v v rarely get answered depending on where you are in the hierarchy. Our company motto should be “put it in an email” because it’s the response you get to everything.

The data is pulled from elsewhere but I had planned to look at that data on a client specific basis which involves going into each client and looking for root causes for certain things. On a daily basis not a huge task, four weeks worth is another matter.

@Iggly, I specifically asked for feedback/go ahead in the email I sent them. Tumbleweed.

I would respond explaining what you have here and offering to get as much data as you reasonably can today.

Have just checked managers schedule. Board meeting is at 10. So she won’t be getting the report in time anyway

In an ideal world, I would probably just have mentioned it in passing to my manager and see what she said after you’d initially sent it, but verbally, not via email. I’m finding the level of email traffic at our place, with everyone working from home, to be absolutely ridiculous. We have daily dial ins as a management team and I make sure that anything important that I’ve sent via email is followed up there so it doesn’t get missed.

Whether you are unreasonable partly depends on what you said when you first sent it through. Did you specifically ask for feedback on whether they wanted you to carry on producing it? Or did you just say here’s an additional report? They could have taken it to mean - here’s something I will
produce for you on a regular basis (a statement rather than a question). Again, email can sometimes leave room for ambiguity so worth following up verbally. However, they should have clarified their expectations with you, so they’re at fault too.

On the fence!

I would abandon it - if they gave no feedback - or more importantly no agreement to go ahead with it - that is their lookout. I would reply 'Sorry, as I got absolutely no response, positive or negative to this I assumed it was not appreciated/wanted. It takes a significant amount of work and I am unable to do that retrospectively. Is this something that you would like going forward?'
I would do this

I'd say exactly what you've said here. You had understood the report wasn't required due to the lack of response, x hours are required to bring it up to date, you can do it this morning, would that be useful/in time.

Sometimes people ask for "nice to have" info that they may ever use without fully understanding how much work is involved.

I think it really depends on how you worded your original email, was there any ambiguity? In your place I would have followed up the ignored email just to be sure. Lots of people seem to miss the ends of emails.

What Iggly says. However given where you are, explain that you have not maintained it as there was no interest from management. However if your manager still requires it, you tell her you can get it to her by x o'clock but it impacts xyz task due to having to collect the data. Ask her if it takes priority over xyz.
If xyz is for another manager and she still wants the report,make sure you tell the other manager so they are aware of the impact and cc the initial manager in.

Again, from your point of view you may have asked for feedback, but they may have skimmed the email, saw the bit about the report and read it as a done deal.

That’s why I would have followed up if I were you!

But that’s too late now, lesson learned. Just have a word anyway - don’t be passive about this, try and take responsibility and do what you can to help even if they don’t get it for the 10am.

I think it's unreasonable of them as they should have followed up in time - I would have done it last night if I'm honest - probably controversial but I would have done it to not have to have the conversation you are going to have. I dislike any negativity associated with me even if it's not my fault.

I repeat they are completely at fault here though and you definitely shouldn't have to work till midnight on it but I'm just saying what I would have done.

You need a face to face or at least a phone discussion about this report. One thing that strikes me about your post is that if you're already producing a daily report, then also working on this weekly report means you almost spend more time reporting than you do actually producing work. Reports are only useful if they add value; reporting for the sake of it is pointless. If they want the weekly report, can you cut down on the daily ones?

I think you were wrong make the assumption that you could stop sending the report without checking, and it sounds like you have a lot of work to catch up on.

I think as long as your initial email was clear on asking for feedback before continuing then just explain you will carry on with it from now on but will be unable to rush through the last couple of weeks for her by 10am.

My guess if that she is unprepared for this meeting and was about to take full credit for your work.

‘Hi - I wasn’t given the go ahead to continue producing the weekly report so I stopped doing them as no further requests were forthcoming’