Doing very little for this salary? Panic

[Greenwip]

I’m earning close to 70k. I do have times where I am worked to the bone and very stressed (maybe 7 days since start of the year so averaging one day a month). The rest of the time I work 90% of the time from home and have naps, a bath, food shop etc in between a few emails and remote meetings. It sounds great and sometimes it is but I am constantly worried about job security. I wonder if this is more common than I think?

I earn about £75k and worry about job security but mostly because my work just sold off a massive bit of the business! I’m on maternity atm but I’m worried about when I go back.

I can't imagine what sector this is, but there will be millions of people waiting like vultures for a job like this and they'd do it for half the pay! I would make myself busy.

This confirms what I've always known - I am in the wrong job! Journalism is not the career route to take if you want to be paid a lot for doing a little. Very much the other way round!

I think the problem is that most of these jobs its the knowledge and experience built up for years that not many other people can do. I've just been headhunted as they couldn't find anyone else to do the role after months of searching. You need to find something specialist that not many other people can do for half the money.

I also find a lot of my job is thinking and problem solving, or coming up with new ideas and this looks like I'm not doing anything and then I'll come up with an idea that solves the problem.

Same here, although I've found it hard to enjoy it, I've been having to same thoughts as @Greenwip!

I'm up front about the fact I'm available for tasks, jobs, lending a hand etc. on team calls but I'll quite often get "We're starting on X soon and you'll be needed on that" or "the team are just focused on getting Y out of the way at the minute". Which is great but that's not keeping me busy.

My last two jobs were pretty busy, always lots to do and I had a lot more input whereas now it's a concern I'm feeling like a passenger. I still have a few months to go on my probationary period too. It's in the back of my mind they'll review my position and decide it's not worth keeping. Maybe I'll feel more relaxed if I'm kept on when it's over.

But anyway, to answer your question @Greenwip It looks like this is more common than people think!

It's fairly normal. I think the days of having to go beyond 40h/contracted hours a week for less than 100k are largely coming to an end unless you are in London or a recent graduate in a very competitive field like medicine/law/finance/tech.

You are probably expected to do things like continuous improvement/ innovation/ generate new ideas/ leads with the time that you aren't busy.

It depends what the job is and I’m guessing you don’t have to show billable hours to clients?

Or maybe you do

If you're doing all that's required to an above average level then you've done nothing wrong.
I guess it could be that you fear your role is likely to be made redundant if shit hits the fan?
That could be the case for someone who's overworked busy as well. If the business is run badly then no-one is safe.
Just do your best. If there might be junior colleagues who you genuinely like I guess you could spend some of the spare time training them on aspects of the profession that interest them. But maybe they are all too busy? Lol.

This sounds like my husband. Makes me jealous that I am teaching and my day is so intense and I earn half that money!

I don't think it's that uncommon.
Don't make the same mistake as me and get people management responsibilities: THEY KNOW!
And the admin/leading takes up all your time (and energy!).

Nah, very few who started at ground level in my industry have the balls or commercial instinct to do what i do without breaking a sweat. I'm in sales and know my technical stuff in a specific field. Im mostly judged on the £ i bring in and just so happens I can do that in a fraction of a 40hr week.

Shitloads of men take this for granted.

(I am jealous and should have gone private sector.)

You should absolutely embrace it.

My DH earns around the same figure as OP. He goes to the office a few times a month but otherwise WFH. Public sector. He hits his home office at 7:30 and leaves it at 5:00 at the earliest, often it’s six or later. He usually gets to take his full lunch hour but often doesn’t. He has a stressful job and feels lucky that he gets to grab a coffee part way through the morning or afternoon and doesn’t have the hour each way commute every day, not to mention the £2k season ticket but he actually works more hours when working from home! Certainly no having naps or baths! I would be worried about the security of a job with hardly any work to do…….

work as what?

God this is me. £80k salary and I reckon I must be earning Premier League footballer wages if they measured it by hours worked.

Before the pandemic I was in the office all the time. Even then I wasn’t busy, but days got filled. Now… jeez. I pop in occasionally but the rest of the time I do very little. Part of it is because I’m efficient, part of it is because I don’t care as much as some people who take lots of time researching things and going on webinars etc. But some weeks I actually must work fewer than five hours.

We used to have a cleaner and someone who tidied the garden. Not any more, as I do it. I go for long walks, I do the supermarket shop in the middle of the day, I masturbate (😳), I watch TV, I read a lot… i worry that I am wasting my life! But then again perhaps I am just winning at life?

Just enjoy it!

Do you mind me asking what sector you work in?

I don’t want to say what I do as I’m scared of being outed! But it’s in the corporate field.

in my experience of HR often there tends to be these fallow periods prior to restructuring/ redundancies. It definitely won’t be unnoticed that your productivity is lower at the moment. An organisation with good governance and reporting will be aware of your work rate. Especially on that sort of salary. You are proving to them that you are dispensable because beyond a few emails you are not adding anything. Can’t you try to find other ways to be busy rather than having naps and baths. Like asking colleagues if they need help or being proactive. It honestly sounds like you are taking the piss . You are also drawing a massive fat neon sign round yourself saying “ my job should be at risk because I don’t have sufficient work “

And yes my time is monitored. I have to be very creative with it so that’s why I am stressed

@Gamefacer obviously I don’t announce on a team call that I’m due to go for a bath in twenty minutes. And yes I do give the impression I am keen to get stuck in.

Would you be willing to say something about what area your son works in, or what firm? I want to change jobs.

^Serious post BTW

And people wonder why they are being bought back into the office

@Holierthancow i am laughing so much at the supermarket shop and masterbating because last week I was at a lose end and I actually did do the latter… simply to fill half an hour 😂 I also have the same existential crisis as to whether I am wasting my life or winning at it. It’s like being on very highly paid benefits.

@FrancisSeaton it was the same when in the office! Though less baths.

@LizTruss

I’m not sure if this was said in jest given your username. If it’s a joke, it’s bloody hilarious. If not, I’m sorry it didn’t last for you x