Messed up my second week on the job

[CrestfallenOnTheLanding]

Started this job 2 weeks ago. It’s my first proper non-temp job ever.

I like it here. Everything is great. There’s 2 of us in this department when it’s originally supposed to be a department of 5. It’s the kind of work that is time sensitive — think something like the orders and returns department for an e-commerce website.

I finish work at 5. Today at 5 I was packing up getting ready to leave. My manager comes over and tells me that there’s still work to do. I don’t get paid for OT so I just said that my shift was over and that I had to leave as I’ve already made plans (not a lie).

WIBU?

I suppose it depends whether you will be expecting any flexibility from your employer for anything? For me, it’s about give and take. I expect my staff to work a bit over hours or over lunch when we’re at peak workload, (within reason and where possible) but then if someone is, for example, going away for the weekend and wants to leave early - that’s absolutely fine.

I don't believe you did anything wrong.

You could book a catch up with your manager to say.. sorry I had to leave on the dot last Tuesday.. I did have plans that could not be changed. Can we talk about priorities and expectations so that I can work out when I need to be flexible?

Then.. I see that there is a signifcanr back log that Julie and I, simply cannot manage on our own, can you please share the plan to change this because right now, it seems overwhelming.

I also wanted to get some feedback on my performance so far... .. then depending on how the rest goes.. you could ask... based on the first two weeks, 90% of my time has been spent on task type 6 and 7, could you share your vision as the when and how I might also be doing tasks 1 to 4. Only do this if you get the impression that there is a reasonable expectation of things changing.. if not.. start job hunting again and hum your way through each day, giving no more than you are paid for knowing that you can write your job description on your CV even if you did not get to do most of it. I can't imagine you will be sacked or put on a performance improvement plan before they get a few more staff members in. Use this diplomatically to your advantage!!

Then.. I see that there is a signifcanr back log that Julie and I, simply cannot manage on our own, can you please share the plan to change this because right now, it seems overwhelming.

Julie is the manager and has to also do 6 and 7 because the 3 people that were supposed to do 6 and 7 are all gone! They’re trying to hire but can’t seem to hire anyone somehow.

Regardless, I do think the right thing to do would be chat to manager, or as PP said arrange a chat with your manager to go over your concerns and potential next steps. I think just packing up your stuff and leaving at 5pm without saying a word is pretty bad, I wouldn’t do this, I wouldn’t have stayed for free either but I would have spoke up before leaving. Or depending on the job I would have stayed if I knew I would be able to take time back, like in my current role we do sometimes work late or over lunchtime during peak times but I know that I get the time back when I need or want it.

I suppose at the end of the day it depends on your aspirations within the company. I take it by the fact you’ve said your cv is empty that you’re at the start of your career, and honestly at the start of your career I think the best thing you can do is show willing, initiative and work hard. If all you see this job as is a pay check every month then yeah, go in, do what you have to do to get paid, then leave on the dot. But if you like the company in general, can see promotions you would like for yourself, can see a career to be built there, then it does pay to go that little bit extra to prove yourself. Rightly or wrongly, it’s not the people who turn up, do only whats required, then go home on the dot, who tend to get offered new opportunities and promotions, you have to stand out to progress really.

The company's capacity issues are their responsibility not yours. It's not your role to fix the problem or compensate for it. That's how people end up stressed or burnt out.

You cannot do the work of 4 people and if they were even suggesting that (which is impossible), you need to be paid for 4!

If you have an empty CV it is much easier to build your career and grow when you are willing to do the crap stuff which takes extra time. Every little thing you do is an experience builder. I do think with your age and lack of experience a mentor would be a good idea. Have a look online.
No you did nothing wrong. But often people on 20-30k a year salaries
stay on that bracket forever because they’ve not pushed themselves or demonstrated a willingness to do all the crap (I’ve done all the crap for years and now I don’t have to).