to ask if anyone else is half-arsing their job?

[Spacemannn]

I work full time with two pre-schoolers (due to my part-time working request being declined). I get paid well (although not mumsnet well) for a mid-senior job, with no line management, but the bulk of my salary goes on childcare.

Since having my second child, I just cba anymore. I used to be such a perfectionist and always go above and beyond, but I just don't care as much anymore. I work hybrid, and on my WFH days I'm trying to squeeze in as many chores/life admin as poss in between tasks.

Is anyone else like this? Does it matter? I switch between feeling guilty, and then feeling like as long as I'm getting the work done and doing an ok job, that's fine? I still get paid the same whether I put in 70% effort or 100% effort. There are no promotion opportunities on the horizon, and I don't think I'd want the extra responsibility at the moment anyway.

Any tips for working smarter not harder? I'm organised, responsive and quick, so I don't think it's a case of me not adding value to the company...

I think there are lots faffing generally.

I finish my work and still have time to do extra work chat and life admin. Whilst they barely complete what they should do. They say how busy they are.

It is because they are bluffing pretending they are busy.

So no i dont feel guilty coz

they'd replace you in a heartbeat and forget about you within a week if you left.

I dont want promotion.
Can do much more and get promotion etc but dont want it.
Got enough to live on and like my balance.

Employers are stupid to refuse part time work. Part time working mothers do as much in 3 days as others do in 5, but it costs the employer much less.

Most get paid full time for part time work.

Tbh OP most workplaces that are even half decent know that no one works at 100% capacity all of the time

Part time working mothers do as much in 3 days as others do in 5...

Without fail.

Of course they do. 😂

Wfh has cut out a lot of dead office time. Travelling to meetings, going out to grab a sandwich at lunch, kitchen chats, random desk stop bys.
I work more now I'm at home all the time. I'm always "on" and available. No one wonders if I'm out to lunch unless I actually just don't answer the teams call etc.

I don't think there is anything wrong with doing your work in a way that meets your employers needs and suits your work life balance.
Don't feel bad. Maybe ask for feedback on your performance at your next 121 to assure yourself if you are still performing and if it needs tweaking then you can.

I'm glad you don't feel the need to be at 100% all the time. It's just a falsehood and we shouldn't be striving to live how we did before.

Part of my job is scheduling tasks for engineers and I schedule them at 75% - 80%. Because of course they will need time to switch tasks, drink tea, go to the loo, text their wife, do some training, attend a meeting, etc.

Another half-arser here. The job gets done, but nothing extra is given of myself. I turn up, do what I'm asked, I leave. Mostly with a lacklustre performance.

Fat, menopausal, grumpy, cba.
My job isn't life and death so incomparable to a surgeon.

Depends if you are working for the public like a civil servant or something like that, if you are working for a private company then it is up to them what you do

I work for myself now but when I was FT in the office I was always going for the next position and worked my butt off, often to be met with No. I felt like promotions often had nothing to do with effort and hard work but whether people fit the profile, had brown-nosed their boss, and were ‘seen’ as hard workers. Most people who put their head down and worked hard were consistently overlooked. Why? Because companies need those types to keep things ticking over. It took me years to realize this, and so I decided to work for myself and have been much more successful. My point is, if you’re not getting negative feedback, and doing enough, then keep on doing it. Why go overboard for no reward.

I think we could be BFFs 😂

I don't think wfh makes any difference because when I was in the office I used to pop to the shop, do my online shopping and watch various bits online. I worked for a private company not serving the public though so it was up to them.

THIS. I have a theory that those who do 100% aren’t promoted because they keep things going and managers know this and want to keep them doing so

That’s depressing. . What did they say when you raised the matter of smashing your targets?

Completely agree with this poster.

If you can't you need to check out your mental wellbeing with a doctor.

Sort your head out, make sure your doing your job otherwise risk losing it.

I like wfh, I use my lunch break to put the dishwasher on or load the washing machine or dust and vacuum the house. People like you mean many employers are removing this and that pisses me off cos I work just as hard at home as I do in the office. Being at home is a perk.

My husband put everything into his job, we were moved from pillar to post by them for years, which destroyed my chances at a career. When a restructure came, they wanted rid of him, he was too well paid, ironically his pay was high as it was performance related and he made a fortune for them. This was a huge successful, well know company too. Even worse they tried to force him out first by constructive dismissal, so they wouldn't have to pay him off. They lost that battle.

He used to be one of the ones who couldn't understand people not giving 100%. Now he does what he needs to in work, no more no less. No work place cares about you, you may think they do, but they don't. The older you get, the more you realise this and see others coming to that realisation.

I literally felt like I could have written this x

If they give no-one met targets as an excuse then I would complain. The shirkers will know you exceeded and still got no bonus so why would they bother to attempt to hit target

NtA!! To the people saying "it's folk like you!"... how much of your day in the office is spent

1. Talking to colleagues you don't give a fuck about to avoid work or fill a gap.
2. Sit watching the kettle boil rather than walk back to your desk
3. Hide on your phone in the toilet
4. Helping the idiot in the room with every simple fucking task that everyone can do apart from idiot.
5. Answering another call.... HELLO CANT THINK FOR YOURSELF DEPARTMENT!!

6... NEED I CONTINUE! working from home means you are given tasks daily that need completed and you get them done fast BECAUSE there is noone their to interrupt you with Pish!!

Don't feel guilty. Your doing what's asked. And instead of doing the above that everyone does at work your being productive and probably getting better results and working faster cause your not sitting at a desk with idiots around you mind numbing!! Your so replaceable no-one gets enough pay these days to cover costs why burn yourself out for a place that would have your position in the window at the hint of you leaving.

Folk on here.... get a grip of yourself you jobsworth! Your the type that take your laptops on holiday and do your emails by the pool lol. No family time and you miss everything of the kids cause work comes first!!

When I worked in the office, I would regularly be interrupted by people just wandering over for a chat, asking if I wanted to pop for a coffee, going out for a full hour lunch break and running over just a little. Now I wfh I take a coffee to my desk in the morning ahead of my start time, take a 5 min break instead of a coffee break to put a wash on, spend about 20 mins making and eating my lunch then use another 10 mins to hang the wash but even though I am getting house bits done I do not have anything like the amount of interruptions I used to have in the office. I think some people mistakenly believe that just because they are in the office they are working

My mental health is fine 😄 my job is just boring af. But it pays wells and is local and works with nursery drop offs etc.

I really don't think I'm on the verge of losing my job, and I definitely won't be responsible for thousands of workers being called back into the office full time.

I work a mid management corporate job and when we are resource planning we actually factor in that every employee only ever works 70%. 100% is impossible because you need screen breaks, people have to go to the toilet or get a drink have lunch breaks etc. Also we factor in people being a bit distracted and having a "bad" day. We allow remote/hybrid working and when my team members are WFH I tell them if they want to be doing life admin in between or if they want an extended lunch to go for a walk and get some air they can do that. We generally find people who are allowed to "half arse" their job are more productive and satisfied than people tied to a desk or office all day every day.

So OP it sounds like you're doing really well and not half arsing it at all. You're just trying to make it work for you and as long as you are managing to deliver on objectives and maintain some sort of a work life balance then I don't think you need to worry about it.

Also, my post wasn't just about wfh. I cba in the office either! It's just easier to get away with at home, because I can power through the work as and when it suits me, and don't have to sit around pretending to be so busy when I'm not.

I think if you WFH you have to be really strict with yourself to ensure your work gets done but you can take advantage of the benefits of WFH, childcare drop offs and pickups, household tasks etc.

I know in my current temp contract role I can easily add another half to 1 hour onto my lunch break most days and I can explain it away. But my job is a bit boring, not loads to do and I’m here til end of August anyway. It’s also a gov job and some but not all gov colleagues do use WFH and flexi time to take the piss, I know because I’ve worked with them!

In my covid 19 wfh gov temp contract job for 2 years believe me I was working over and above my contracted hours and sorry to say people really don’t appreciate it.

I think if I was in a permanent job and doing hybrid or wfh I would be more committed to knuckle down.

Whats so easy now is no one can see you so it’s easy to get distracted or surf the net. I now put my phone in my bedroom or living room so I’m not tempted to look at it apart from break times or at least I try to do that.

More private companies who would like to embrace wfh more I think are distrustful of workers - in one firm where I worked as a legal secretary only one of us was allowed to wfh as I don’t think they trusted us enough to do the work. A pity but if some abuse it it does have a knock on effect on not allowing others to wfh.