AIBU to look for a new job? I do nothing at work..

[Vanillalattee]

I work in HR but I seem to cover a very quiet area where not much is happening compared to my coworkers. I have days where I have nothing to do but send an email or 2 and then another week where I’m jam packed. But it is mainly very quiet!

I hate to complain as it gives me time to get stuff done at home. But I’d rather be busy and not just waiting for my day to end.

I get paid well but my weeks and days are just dragged out.

AIBU to start looking? Or am I mad? DH seems to think I should be grateful I’m not busy all the time.

I recently left a job that was a bit like this. I’d been doing it for 5 years and had previously been run off of my feet busy. I went on maternity leave and when I returned the team had tripled in size and suddenly what was my job was now split between 3 people. Not an issue for the newer team members but for those like me who could do the job in our sleep anyway the novelty of only having a couple of hours of work a day wore off very quickly. I was also finding it really frustrating because our team manager was quite keen on us looking busy whilst at the same time turning down all offers or suggestions of things that could be done.
I moved jobs within the same company (did my research to make sure I wouldn’t be going from 0-100) and now do my new job comfortably in Monday-Thursday and then have a more relaxed day on a Friday where I can do a bit of house work and take things slowly. I’m really enjoying being needed again!

Can you ask to shadow your colleagues to both help and familiarise yourself with other areas?

I work in the public sector, not hr, but another support role, and it's manic and understaffed with people leaving and never being replaced.

As a teacher I would love to be bored at work.take the pay check and take up some hobbies. Spend your days mentally focussed on something else.

@Vanillalattee

Personally, I thrive when I have a full plate of tasks and responsibilities. I find that staying busy not only keeps me engaged and motivated but also allows me to continuously develop my skills. I believe in not just doing what's required for my role but going the extra mile whenever the situation demands it. There's a sense of fulfillment in knowing that I've not only met expectations but exceeded them.
I subscribe to the idea that it's often better to stick with the role you know well. There's a certain confidence that comes with familiarity, and I believe that by deepening my understanding of my current position, I can contribute more meaningfully.

Yep the stress of always being green on teams is an absolute pain. I don’t think my manager would care if it wasn’t but you don’t want to look like you are slacking even though technically you are!

I’m new to HR too so I’m worried if I jump too soon it’s going to look shit on my CV. I went straight into a senior HR position and I didn’t expect it to be like this.

When you have nothing to do, surely you should generate ideas and research ways of improving your work procedures? I used to prepare templates, organise data, offer to help other teams, offer to take on new duties or projects

I totally get you! I’m leaving my job of 8 years for exactly the same reason. When I’m busy it’s fine, but long periods of sitting on my bum (in an office) doing not much, but trying to pretend I’m being productive! Every said to just enjoy it but a day felt like a week- you feel like you’re wishing your life away! So I’m going to a much busier job- more stress undoubtedly, but much more job satisfaction. Do what’s right for you.

I had a job like this, where I watched the clock from the start to the end of the day and never had enough to do. It was soul-destroying and made me look for a completely new direction. Ended up in teaching and never a dull moment since! I'd try and change jobs if you're bored.

In HR I would look at designing a new workplace wellness initiative (or sustainability, or anything you can scoop into your remit). Get a few things like that implemented and then you are in a stronger position to sell yourself for a new role.

I've just left a job like this. I couldn't bear it any more. My brain was turning to mush. It was easy money and stress free but I had zero job satisfaction

If your coworkers are swamped why can't you take on some of their work. Do you still wfh? If you are NHS I can see how there is no planning to accommodate this as they aren't the best managers.
I am NHS as a midwife, you could come help on the wards😂God knows we need it.
The NHS needs a complete overhaul for things like you have described as sending 2 emails in one day is a total waste of your time and NHS budget. I'm not getting at you OP I'm getting at the system and how the NHS is run.

Perfect28 you really wouldn't love to be bored at work day in day out

I had a job like this, it was also in HR. I kept asking for more work but hardly got anything. I could have done the amount of work I was expected to do a week in one morning. I would make several trips a day to buy coffee just for something to do (I guess if you are wfh it is not quite as bad as at least you can do other productive things). In the end it really affected my mental health and I quit without another job to go to. So I don’t think you are being unreasonable but try to find yourself something better to move to before you get really desperate to leave.

I've had this. It's made even harder by not really being able to talk about it without someone telling you how they'd love it and they wished they had your problem.

They really wouldn't! And in my case I had to be available all day and not showing as away or anything which meant there wasn't the ability to just go do other stuff either.

I remember we had a weekly team meeting which I dreaded as we had to talk about what we'd been doing that week and well, I hadn't been doing anything. I literally had several months in a row with nothing to do except sit stuck to the computer but with nothing actually going on.

I left. Unfortunately it seems to be much of the same where I moved to, I am realising, so I've waited a respectable amount of time and now I'm looking for something else again.

Good luck OP, I'm sure you find something that brings you a better sense of well-being and fulfilment

I had a job like this, i just got another wfh job where i actually did have to do work. Twice the pay and i wasn't bored. It bettered our quality of life significantly, we got a new car and went on several holidays.

It might breach contract, but realistically what's the worst that could happen - if they sack you, you still have the second job. Plus it's quite difficult to prove /find out about over employment, especially if there's not much supervision and you're wfh.

I have successfully managed this myself for a very long time, and only recently left my 'top up' job because the temp contract came to a natural end.

I think continue to take the pay. There’s more to life than work. You could volunteer for some fulfilment elsewhere. I’d be careful going from the frying pan into the fire

@Vanillalattee How are you bored? Do you seriously not have any interests? If you were in an office I could totally see your point, but what do you do at the weekend or evenings? Can you not do that?

When my work is slow I just go shopping (work phone in hand) or take the dog out for a lovely long walk, meet up with friends for a long lunch, watch a film, read a book...

My job has been very much like this and lots of my friends envy the slower pace. I find it so boring and unfulfilling to just be clock watching most days. I am looking to change into something a bit more challenging so I would say move if you’re unhappy. 5 days a week is a long time to be wishing the day away

The thing is I could but I have to be available, I can’t go just go off shopping in the hope that no one calls me.

I had ajob like this, was pre-covid, an office based job. I quit the job after 2months, couldn't sit and stare on an empty screen. Begging for tasks to fill my day. In the end,I just quit.

See, I've thought about this, how does it fly with hmrc though? If I go over that 40% tax threshold, wont hmrc flag it to both companies because they change my tax code?

When you have more than one job, HMRC will issue a tax code to each employer. Each tax code reflects your personal allowances and determines the amount of tax to be deducted from your income.

I read somewhere that having too little to do at work can have the same negative effects as being overworked. I used to have a very quiet job and I left after my mat leave finished as I couldn't bear going back and twiddling my thumbs for 8 hours a day, wfh wasn't a thing then either so I'd have to sit and look busy all day.

Not sure if I'm being thick but I dont think it answers my question - if hmrc suddenly change my tax code and start deducting 40% from one or both of my employers, wont HR twig I'm earning elsewhere?

@ThornToes
From my experience. It's only the second job which does this, you're placed on a BR tax code stating that you have another source of income. It doesn't flag anything to your employer, at least it didnt for mine because payroll is outsourced. Unless you work in a payroll department or your manager directly pays you (like start ups, small businesses).

If my manager was to say anythingon the off chance "oh you're on the wrong tax code" I'd just say "oh right, I'd need to speak to HMRC about that"... And just not mention it again /keep forgetting to contact them.

There's only one person i know who has got caught out on over employment and that was because he was enrolled on a pension scheme with the same pension provider on both jobs. And it flagged on the system that someone with his credentials already had an account... So the pension company contacted his employers querying it. But i think that was really unlucky.