To do almost nothing at work

[TooInvested]

I finished uni a couple of years ago and am going back in September to do a further course relevant to the industry I want to work in. I have done an admin temp job for a year and a bit and just started a new one. In both, but especially the one I’ve just started, there seems to be almost nothing for me to do-the first role was office based so I helped other colleagues and managed to find just about enough stuff to do to fill the time, but I did spend quite a lot of time pretending to look busy. I told my boss regularly I could do with more work and he would give me a task that would take maybe 30 mins. I didn’t want to mention I wasn’t busy too much though so I didn’t lose the job. When I started wfh due to covid I did less and less and spent a lot of time watching tv with my laptop.
The job I’ve just started is a mix of office and home work and I honestly don’t know why they’ve hired me. I was in the office for the last 2 weeks and was fairly busy but I’m fairly sure I completed the task they hired me to do which was supposed to take at least 3 months. It seems my job now is just to email 3 people occasionally to remind them to do part of their job/fill in some forms that I can’t fill in. I’ve been working from home this week and have done embarrassingly little-but there seems to be almost nothing for me to do. I’ve messaged my manager and another colleague saying “I’m doing this at the moment and nearly done is there anything else you’d like me to do” and they either haven’t replied or have told me to do something that they must know takes about 10 mins. I have to go into the office for the rest of the week and I have no clue what I’ll do-I’m saving a small task I could do today so I can do it there slowly and look busy. I’m sat in my garden in the lovely sun now and feel quite guilty-but also isn’t it my manager’s responsibility to give me work to do (especially if I specifically ask for more work) and to check I’m being productive? I’m not interested in this industry and I doubt I’ll need a reference from them and am leaving in August-I wouldn’t mind that much if the contract was cut short as I’m just here for some extra money. So is it unreasonable to avoid mentioning to them how little I have to do and coast along till August? I would actually prefer to be busier but I’m worried if I keep pointing out that there’s not much to do they’ll just get rid of me.
Since I’ve found both temp office jobs I’ve done to have a very light workload-I was wondering-is it normal for office juniors/admin people to have very little to do and is there actually tons of people in offices everywhere all pretending to be busy? (Genuine question and no offence meant to any people who do work in admin and have busy roles). At my last company, there seemed to be far too many admin people all not doing a great deal.

I have had this
Finance
City
Paid £50k 10 years ago

I did very little. Soul destroying

Courses, CPD, building your LinkedIn profile, updating your CV, applying for jobs and attending interviews in case there’s something better, arranging your weekends and evenings, corresponding with chums and/or family, researching and developing your favourite hobby, working through best book lists, podcasts, home/garden improvement ideas, tinder.
You won’t have time for actual work.

Same as a PP. Worked for local council on a 22.5 hour per week contract. Job could be completed in 4/5 hours.
The whole office were experts at looking busy. I couldn't believe how taxpayers money is totally pissed away.

Oh god I’d absolutely love this - I always get the irrational rage when I have to listen to people talk about their (very light) workload while my team is absolutely snowed under and missing regulatory deadlines because of the volume of work.

What kinds of jobs are these? I could think of so many ways to fill my time while looking busy - sorting out family budget via spreadsheets, copying long convoluted MN threads into a word document to read with a frown and “format” (ditto Reddit and a good long plotty fanfic).

If all else fails I could start a blog, build up a following and make some cash on the side. Also post wanky stuff on LinkedIn, search out courses etc.

@Dyrne

Oh god I’d absolutely love this - I always get the irrational rage when I have to listen to people talk about their (very light) workload while my team is absolutely snowed under and missing regulatory deadlines because of the volume of work.

What kinds of jobs are these? I could think of so many ways to fill my time while looking busy - sorting out family budget via spreadsheets, copying long convoluted MN threads into a word document to read with a frown and “format” (ditto Reddit and a good long plotty fanfic).

If all else fails I could start a blog, build up a following and make some cash on the side. Also post wanky stuff on LinkedIn, search out courses etc.

Time goes so so slowly

I much prefer my current job. Busy, but manageable.

-* If all else fails I could start a blog, build up a following and make some cash on the side.*

Just like that

This was my first couple of office job and the depressing thing is that I am constantly busy now with not much more pay as redundancies have been made or staff have left and not been replaced. I would enjoy it while you can.

I also had a job like this stuck it out for 9 months and left couldn't have stuck it anymore it was driving me insane! I'm amazed at people who can spend 9-5 every day twiddling their thumbs for years! I don't think some managers realise that they either have too many staff for the amount of work or that some people are "too" efficient i.e everyone else is not putting in any effort in/the work isn't challenging at all so takes no time!

I temped in my 20s snd had many assignments like this. Was sooo bored!
I’ve had permanent jobs which have been quiet too, the day really drags.

I had a job like this. In a team of 3 people l and the two other ladies I worked with had gotten used to sitting playing solitaire all day, planning their home deco projects, and spending a LOT of time clucking and bitching about colleagues from other departments. Their whole attitude was negative about the company, figuring they were underpaid so why should they work any harder. They were my superiors and weren't that nice to me - if I suggested an improvement it got shot down, and any tasks that made their way to my desk were the crappest of crap.

The thing is I was in my 20s and had joined the company to build a career. The company was big, international and from the outside looked like it should have had loads of opportunities.

I played a long game of two years. I was quite silent, didn't join in any office gossip but also didn't ruffle any of these two mother hens feathers. Took on the few crappy tasks without complaints and quickly learned to not push for more work from them. But in all the free time i spent days and days reading up on any company material. Wherever it came from, I read it, learning everything there was to know about the company. I spoke to anybody I could outside of my small team and was super friendly and helpful. If anyone mentioned they needed help with something in passing I would casually offer to take a look "if I had time" (as long as I knew how to do it). I just learned everything I could.

Through one of my contacts in another team I found out about another role and interviewed for it. They were super impressed with my knowledge of the business and I got promoted two levels up in another department, ranking over the hens. They couldn't believe it - after all they had treated me like I was useless probably because they thought I was and never bothered to find out otherwise at risk of having to share the few interesting tasks they had.

They absolutely hate me today and go out of their way to make my job difficult if they can. But my current boss and team value me. I work very hard and I love my job.

A few months of quiet time at work are great and as a temp over summer it's perfect, what more could you want. Even some people are happy with this long term and find it a good way to manage a job and home life. But if you are not happy then be careful. You might be turning into one of the hens and it's not a good look.

@Dyrne

Oh god I’d absolutely love this - I always get the irrational rage when I have to listen to people talk about their (very light) workload while my team is absolutely snowed under and missing regulatory deadlines because of the volume of work.

What kinds of jobs are these? I could think of so many ways to fill my time while looking busy - sorting out family budget via spreadsheets, copying long convoluted MN threads into a word document to read with a frown and “format” (ditto Reddit and a good long plotty fanfic).

If all else fails I could start a blog, build up a following and make some cash on the side. Also post wanky stuff on LinkedIn, search out courses etc.

In reality it doesn't work like that. When your job is very quiet, you kind of slow down yourself, sometimes become quite demotivated. You would end up not being bothered to do any of those things. Also, even a quiet job might not give you the headspace to do something really creative. I've known people do work for their clubs/association, arrange their complicated domestic lives, etc. but writing a novel (like a pp above) is not that common. It sounds like you've never actually had a quiet job!

It is infuriating that teams in a lot of organisations, I think, have masses of overworked people, and then a few underemployed people going around asking for work, but everyone just assumes everyone is super busy and never uses the extra capacity of the underworked people who are feeling really miserable and bored.

Don't look this gift horse in the mouth.

I had a job once (being vague as it's outing to whoever knows me) in which I had to go in at 10pm just to be on standby in case one of the other two did not come to work (i.e. sick, or taken a day's leave). If they both came in, I went home at midnight but was paid till 6am. Oh, and I got night rate which was time-and-a-quarter.

About once in 30 days one of them did not come in, and I had to do their job, which usually finished by 4am, then I went home.

I managed to study for a degree whilst I had this job.

@Gwenhwyfar but surely you could say that about the posters that say they’d “Rather be too busy than too quiet”. Being “too busy” is soul destroying as well - that feeling of never being quite good enough, lying awake at night thinking about all of the outstanding things you have left to do, that oppressive cloud of tasks hanging over your head, limiting career progression because you become known as that person that always takes ages to do anything… that’s demotivating as well because you can end up feeling not good enough for anything or anyone so end up stuck.

Sounds like what we need to do is create a network of contacts where we can funnel work from the overworked to the people sitting around twiddling their thumbs. Everyone’s a winner

I have no idea why companies give so little work to temps - but when I used to temp (years ago) I was often bored. I used to ask for more work, but felt I couldn't badger too much. I once worked at a pharma company in the office and did nothing for 3 whole weeks - literally nothing. I tried to be there with good grace and was amazed when they paid me! I was even more shocked when I was later asked back as apparently I'd done so well before! I think it's slightly easier now to while away time - I'd just stay online to see any emails or messages that do ping in but do a course or too or read a book online. Good luck and don't feel guilty - it's their problem not yours.

I've had a couple of temp jobs like this, although many years ago. I found the day went so slowly and would prefer to be comfortably busy. One such job even had a two week handover (for a six week cover)! I think in that one the person I covered was just pretty lazy, but went on about how busy she was. I agree, it's bizarre! I also asked. I'd stick it out for now as you're leaving in august anyway and try to wfh (enjoy the sunshine) whilst you can!

Seriously, enjoy this gift life has handed you!! You have asked for work.i once had a job like that and it was an incredible time lol

I agree that doing it from home is great-it’s just the 3 days in the office that will probably drag. It’s sad to think how many people have missed seeing kids grow up/spending time with friends/family/doing anything useful just to do a commute and spend hours sat there doing nothing. What a waste of time and the company’s money-but its better than no job!

This is great sometimes as long as no one can see your screen so you can get all your life admin done, plan weekends away, internet shop, manage home renovations, message friends and write emails to distant relatives etc 😂

Not so good if you have to pretend to be work busy, or if it happens for too long. Then you start to feel like it’s all a bit pointless and be very demotivated.

In one of my old jobs I had a couple of quiet weeks a year when I would do sweet FA (after v busy periods) so I plonk myself in a corner of the office where no one could see my screen and sort my life out 😂

Take best advantage of this opportunity.

Yes, this thread has people who've had the same experience but these jobs are not common and you may never get this situation again!

I second what other people have said - learn a language, take some courses on Future Learn or upskill yourself in something that will be really useful in the future (Excel for example!)

I'm an administrator but busy all day ever day, always something to do, mostly processing trades and making payments, we also are short of people so also doing extra tasks to help cover

"but these jobs are not common"

You're wrong there!

Just be glad you’re working from home and you can hide away (seriously, enjoy it) I’m working in a rehab unit and it’s so quiet right now. There’s about 3 times as many staff as patients and there’s barely anything to do yet I still have to look busy all day. I hate it. There’s lots boredom trips to the loo! I even snuck off to the disabled loos for a sleep the other week as I was so bored and tired.

I wish I had a job like this 🤣 I'm a children's social worker and never get a bloody minute!

@Gwenhwyfar

"I do also find in lots of jobs that older or less tech savvy staff have not realised how much more quickly some tasks can be done when they are automated or if you use technology more effectively."

Or they're doing it the slow way on purpose

In my case, it's because they barely know how to use a computer.

One woman would have to do some mailing each year. Sending around 500 template letters. Just had to change name and a I'd number basically, and then put it into an envelope for posting.

She would get the list of people, I'd and addresses.

Print it off. Collect print out from down the corridor.

Open up her template letter.

Type in the name and ID of the first person on her printed list.

Print the letter.
Collect the letter from the corridor.

Fold it and put it into an envelope.

Write the name and address in the envelope.

Put a stamp on it.

Placed it in a posting tray.

Cross name off list.

And then proceed to modify the template for the second person and so on This would naturally take her FUCKING DAYS.

I got involved, because she managed to delete the template letter. I asked her why she just didn't use a mail merge.
She looked at me like I'd grown an extra head.

So I suggested she at least copy and paste the name and ID into the document....

She didn't know how to copy from one document to another....

SHES A FUCKING OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR.

So, I left her to it. I spoke to her line manager saying she was beyond useless and could do with some training. Manager didn't believe me that she couldn't do a mail merge.

so, she carried on like that for years.

This was one of many admin tasks that took days rather than minutes.