I've stumbled into a 'unicorn' job - now help me make sense of it!

[Whataweirdsituation]

Hi all,

NC for this one! Bit of a scrambled thought process here so bear with me!

Also to get it out of the way, yes, this definitely includes a bit of a #stealthbrag - though not sure it counts if it is disclosed?

I'm a single mum to a primary aged DS. For the first few years of his life, I was working a really intense upper-management role in logisitics. Crazy hours, never really 'switched off', was constantly thinking about work whilst at work but also at home/weekends/annual leave. I was exhausted and very burnt out!

I angled for, and got, a Senior Manager level office job in a totally different industry around 4 months ago. 4 days a week in office, 1 day WFH. Great company to work for, 9-5 with no expectation to pick up anything out of hours, really supportive management who actively promotes taking time out for school events/WFH during school holidays/leaving early if having a rough day - all of which is totally unknown to me! Good pay, AMAZING perks, genuinely nice people....

My 'problem' is this. I like my role and what I'm doing (think a people/HR related role) - however my actual role takes approximately 5% of my work day. Part of this is down to the fact I work very efficiently and I have a large knowledge pool to draw from, but part of it must be down to the fact there's just not enough work. I have brought this up several times with my manager, who says she'll pass things along as they come up. I've been put on several other global projects not strictly in my remit and LOVE it, however those also do not take up a huge chunk of my time and my manager is reluctant to let me take on more than a few at a time as they are not within my scope. At first I put loads of time into planning for the future/creating detailed spreadsheets of improvements that could be made etc. Turns out that creates even less work for me now ;) According to my manager its been 'a hectic time to start' and will 'slow down soon' - so I don't think we're waiting on a load of extra work or a busy period, but more the opposite.

Part of the issue comes with the fact my predeccesor really struggled with the role and seemed to be busy all the time (??) - now I've come in and implemented a lot of improvements (tbh, very easy wins that look good as numbers) it seems to everyone I am just incredibly good at the job - I've been rated 'exceeding expectations' on my reviews so far. I will also point out I am very efficient at responding to all queries, go above and beyond to help where I can (obviously because I have the time and WANT to be busy!) and this has also been flagged as a positive to my boss multiple times. I don't think there is anything else I can do to increase my workload.

There's not really scope to progress here - I like the work I have to do and don't want to go for a different role at this company. That being said, I also don't want to leave - at least not for a couple of years - because I do genuinely appriciate the great work/life balance I have, and because they will support me complete a postgrad qualification which will help me reach the next stage of my career.

So I'm left trying to fill my days in the office 😂As you can imagine, I am very up to date with life admin, podcasts, my fave Netflix shows and every thread ever posted on Mumsnet. I've also joined a gym near the office, and run all my errands during the day. I've signed up to complete my CIPD L7 (Masters degree level) from September, which the company will pay for and support me with time to study, however this is a suggested 15h a week which will help but still not completely fill up my days.

I'm considering adding in a side hustle - not sure what it would be - something using my HR or events management experience. I've checked my contract and this is allowed (into commute times or the evenings, not techinally during work hours obviously. Though other members of my team openly talk about their additional jobs consulting etc). The money isn't strictly speaking necessary but would be nice, especially as bar cost of living increases, my salary will not go up for a few years.

I feel like I've spent so long starved for time, and now suddenly I have LOADS. Too much, because I'm not sure its great for my mental health to have so much time spent doing nothing.

So my AIBU is this:

YABU - enjoy the little work you have to do, don't add in anything else. (+ for suggestions of how to create more work for myself or who else to talk to)

YANBU - definitely try and fill your days with more, here are some suggestions of what I would do with this extra time!

Does your head fit through the office doors?

Living the dream, enjoy :)

Wfh an extra day or two! Decorate the house, write a book, read all the books

Ask if you can work from home another day a week, do all your work in the three days in the office and enjoy the two additional days at home.

I work in logistics and its mental. You will have been working in such a crazy agile, fast, bonkers way that you don't know what normal is! Ok you don't want to rust out by only using 5% of your capacity but give yourself a break! Make this new job work for you. Enjoy thinking time, strategising, solutioning without having to come up with instant answers or take on way too much. You can be proactive, come up with a people strategy, there is always loads to do and remember I bet part of your job is networking and just speaking to people (crazy as that sounds!). Enjoy your level 7 and focus on getting yourself chartered CIPD membership, that will be great for your career and great for the company.

@RenoDakota 😂That made me laugh. I should have maybe clarified I have NEVER thought of myself as great at my job in my previous role, and constantly got anxious about messing things up, so being appriciated and having time to get everything done is very new to me. I'm still getting really anxious about things not being done perfectly here, or how I could be better (not the point of the thread) - I'm finding it pretty weird.

Secretly, I also have a job like this OP. I keep asking for more to do but somehow everything I get passed ends up being for a different department and I get left with nothing again! I’m at the point of just going with it now. I do have busy periods occasionally and am also studying for another qualification, but really, it’s just not as hard as people make it out to be. I’m sure everyone else in my team must be in the same boat but pretending they have loads on so they look busy. I also get bonuses and ‘exceeds expectations’ reports at appraisals 🤷‍♀️
It’s been like this at every other office job I’ve had, the only difficult and time consuming job I’ve had was when I was a teacher, so I never understand people who say working in an office is just as difficult as teaching! It’s really not.
No advice I’m afraid, other than keep highlighting your availability, at some point they’ll give you something else to do, surely!

Congrats on succeeding in your role. Ignore those who simply want to cut you down and denigrate your success (like the first post 🙄). There is absolutely nothing wrong with voicing your achievements and being confident in your abilities. Men get to do it all the time….seems to only be a problem when women do it.

I would probably consider a bit of both your options tbh, but also start planning and reading up for the MSc. See if you get hold of the reading list maybe?

How rude.

It is perfectly acceptable to acknowledge when you're good at something, especially when you can back that up.

Could you get involved with something at work like a group to support women or something like that? Might be another string to your bow at the next move and would be a good example of events management if you did a big event for it.

I get it, OP, sorry 💐

Was being a teensy bit flippant, and can see your sincerity, especially in your update.

All the best to you.

I would work from home more and get things done around the house. I’d also do some professional development, training, develop that consulting work, etc.

I’d do anything for this. I currently have a FT role shoved into 3 days a week that I end up having to work FT for no extra salary to get done. While trying to balance everything in life too. If I had free time, I’d be doing more hobbies and writing a book.

Don’t go chasing more work or looking to “fix” anything. It’s still only 4 months in. I’ve done this and in a similar industry (construction). You are still in the highly strung, over achieving “get everything done quickly and automatically” mode. It will take you a LONG time to decompress into a normal work pace and pattern, especially as you’d been doing the last role for years. Your post above about feeling the nerves and anxiety confirms this. After a year your body and shoulders will feel completely different. If you allow yourself to decompress and slow down, you’ll find your other talents and skills come to the fore, like creativity and strategic based, which is what these “unicorn” jobs are for. You have multiple layered changes here that you haven’t acknowledged in your post, it’s not just your “old job but easier”, it’s having a new manager, new teams, new peers, new work culture, new commute, new head down time, new level of responsibility. You’re getting the work done, have you built new relationships, understood how the office works and met lots of people there, got involved in workplace events and so on? This is the perfect time to do those things and set yourself up with good company knowledge and relationships for future challenges. What your manager probably means is sorry we’re all so busy all our colleagues haven’t had time to engage with you fully yet, rather than about how busy you are. Once the company comes out of “busy” mode you might find the new starter gets busier.

Try this article https://hbr.org/2018/02/if-youre-so-successful-why-are-you-still-working-70-hours-a-week and I recommend this book for how to approach your job as a new starter as a senior level manager. https://www.amazon.com/First-90-Days-Strategies-Expanded/dp/1422188612

You’ll probably soon be busy with resource planning and line management responsibilities.

Congratulations and best wishes 🤗

I'd just relax into it. You only get 3/4 hour of proper focus a day so this is how work should be structured. Logistics is mental, you are probably still scarred!

I'd develop a nice pet project such as sustainability, reverse mentoring, shadow board or community outreach. Net benefit to the company, you and others.

With your previous role you earned the organisational and technical skills - let yourself be paid for them. It is refreshing to leave a macho hustle culture behind even though you'll be conditioned to think everything away from that culture is soft. You know you're doing what you can to stay sharp - enjoy!

My work diary is hugely variable. Some weeks I am swamped, others I have almost nothing to do. I use the time to do CPD and also enjoy things I don't have time to do otherwise. For example, today I have a free morning and I have been drawing for three hours while keeping an eye on my emails.

I've started senior roles that have taken 6 months to bed in and then I'm busy. It might just be too early, you haven't made enough connections yet and not everything has been fully delegated. You often need the person above you to start getting very busy and needing you to pick up stuff they can't manage. You also find the 'gaps' and start to build your own initiatives.

I'm just jealous !!...misses the point of the thread...

Thanks all for the suggestions and support! As I mentioned earlier, I'm a bit anxious over it so glad to know its not just me and get some fantastic advice and suggestions of what to add in (can't wait to read that book @EverydayParis I've just ordered it now!).

I've been made head of the social committee by default (only HR person in this office) so am very involved in the social and networking events that we run and have more ideas for those - trying not to make too many changes too quickly though! @TheSeasonalNameChange a Womens group is a great idea - we had one but its been pretty neglected so I'll do some digging and find out if we can get it up and running again.

And also thanks for the reminders that it may still pick up and get busier. I'm definitely trying to shake the mindset that if I'm not run off my feet at work I'm doing something fundementally wrong 😂

Yeah enjoy it while it lasts. Agree with requesting an extra day at home or compress your hours into 3 or 4 days and do something completely different on the other 2 -volunteering or training or something.

I'm exactly the same. Went from a job working 60 hours a week at least, to one that pays more but which I could probably do in two days.

I find it hard on my mental health. I'll probably stay a year then have to move on.

Definitely another one thinking that chairing a women's network or similar would be a good addition.

Combine that with seeing if you do can do 2 days a week at home (or even 3 days every two weeks?). You could potentially badge it as being for the course you're going to be doing?

Are there any free MOOCs you could do that would be of interest to you and of benefit to your role in the meantime? Or language learning if you're a global company?

https://www.mooc.org/courses

This sort of place lists lots, and I think places like the OU will have some free ones as well.

If you're still fairly new is there anything you can do that would benefit you that would also have a benefit for the company? E.g. 1-2-1s with people across the various departments to find out what else they need from your department that are then stuff you could implement? Or I don't know, structure mapping if it doesn't already exist so that newbies can find people they need more easily etc etc? So looking at the edges of your role and slowly expanding the scope, rather than going entirely outside your role.

Does your company have mentoring schemes you could join (or set up)? Regular CPD offerings? Anything like that is worth considering.

I'd also be taking the chance to keep up with jobs etc at home but it sounds like you already do that.

Seriously just enjoy it, work an extra day from home if you can, when you start your masters you will be much busier!

I have a similar issue to you. Thankfully I already had another freelance position (which my boss knew about when he hired me) and I often do a bit of that work in the daytime to fill my time. Doing nothing and feeling unfulfilled is awful so I feel for you, but I'm just trying to fill the odd hour here and there rather than 95% of my work week!

If you can find something else to do and get away with it then go for it.

Also get all your documentation together and organised so if you want to ever go freelance you have everything.

Sounds like you are doing a great job, use your time motivate, inspire people and make a difference.

OP confirming what we all think of HR 🫣😅

OP, I'd give it a bit more time and see how things go. Are you sure you can't work on more of the company policies? If not then I'd chase further training. Presumably if a major HR issue pops up it's going to benefit the company if you are able to deal with it. Getting external HR expertise in is expensive so having you sitting there being not fully utilized is probably still better for the company even if it feels wrong.