To have pretty much automated 90% of my job and pretend I'm very busy?

[IroningBoardAgainstTheWall]

So, I run a database and predecessor didn't seem to actually understand databases and what they can do so was working 50+hrs and not achieving very much. We'll call him Phil.
I took over and was warned how much work Phil did, he was very busy and he was actually in a retainer in case I needed his help or had any queries over certain tasks. I work in education and there's weekly, half termly, termly and annual tasks, quite cyclic and not difficult.

Within a month I'd automated the daily, weekly and monthly reports, added more useful ones and sent them out. During my first academic year, I'd introduced new systems to automate tasks for others, developed new ways of capturing and reporting data, linked systems to the main MIS to automate account creation and syncing etc

So basically I have very little to do anymore. I do ask for stuff to do, but there's nothing much really. I look for stuff to do but again, there's not much.Occasionally I'll get feature requests or specific reports.

But honestly I do about 4-6 hours of work a week...max, and that includes stuff that isn't really my job, like fixing printers and laptops and stuff.

Should I confess?

What work would you have me do?? I do my role and more...

It sounds like you have been clear about the fact you have extra capacity, looked for additional ways to apply your skills /use your time.

perhaps if you have a staff meeting you could do a group presentation on the benefits of automation so it can be more joined up

But otherwise I don’t think you have much more to ‘confesss’.

Absolutely not taking the piss - sure less hours but faster, higher quality work, better resiliency, improved accuracy/ data validity, improved customer service. Phil WAS taking the piss because of all the manual processing was delaying everything and giving crappy, slow results.

So I’d say the employer is tons better off because of OP’s excellent work. Plus saving the money from Phil’s retainer.

I agree. It's far better to work "smart" than to work "hard". Spending hour after hour in an efficient way is crazy when it can be automated to be quicker and more efficient.

My only caveat would be to hope that OP has all the processes properly documented so that someone else can take over if they leave or have to take sick/maternity leave etc. Sadly, I've seen this kind of scenario when someone has changed working practices but it's all in their head and has been an absolute nightmare for a replacement to make sense of it all and keep it operational. Far too easy for that to happen with computerisation/automation if proper work instructions/documentation hasn't been created for the new efficient processes.

@IroningBoardAgainstTheWall I'd love to know about your background. How you got to whee you are.....

YABU - you need a frank conversation with the Head. They should be hiring you as a consultant to other schools.

And in the other scenario, of taking over two other's jobs but getting a 3k rise - why not propose this but for a 30k rise? It still saves the school circa 50k and keeps you retained.

Do I assume you work for an academy and not an LA?
My daughter took on a job as a school business manager with some relevant experience, but certainly having no idea what she was letting herself in for.
She too automated a lot, worked like a Trojan to understand all the systems, alongside doing a qualification in school business management in half the time allowed, as there was too much for her to do otherwise.
Unfortunately, whenever she had proved she had automated something, or accomplished something, she was handed another job, to the point where she was considering leaving as it was becoming too much.
She hasn't, but the job is still very full on. My point is this, is there no one else you can help in the office? Is someone else struggling while you're quietly gloating in the corner that your job only takes 6 hours but you're being paid for 37.5?

Op, don't say a word, except to suggest WFH for a couple of days a week.

I have been the incompetent person replaced by a competent person. 20 years later I still cringe at the embarrassment.
A summer job, at a recruitment agency, loading CVs into their database. When my time there ended they gave me 3 days to train up my replacement. On the first morning I talked him through it, he gave me a look, took the mouse and keyboard and 5 mins later it was all done.
I had to tell the boss that the other 2 days of handover weren't needed and I left early.
Boss was charming about it. Replacement was not!

We kind of had that too. He had a week to handover. It took an hour, when it became very clear what was happening.

I had a role where I was bored for most of the time.

I was told I could study in any down time…

I pushed and pushed for more more and greater experience etc…

I am now very busy - mostly with the added rubbish that I would rather not be doing…

I would take advantage of the situation and take any courses and study etc that may enhance your career prospects in the long run - I wish I had.

You can still be proactive at work and find useful projects to suggest and also provide information as a fait accompli to aid the running of departments and raise your profile.

Because they won't go for it. Why would they pay more when they can get away with less?

Unfortunately, it's really easy to be punished for being too good in these situations. If she's not careful, OP will find herself with her hours dropped to part time, or taking on the jobs that no one else wants to do.

My husband and I have both been in a similar situation (before we met). We both stuck with it for much longer than we should have. It was easy and convenient but tbh it didn't make us feel good about ourselves.

He was made redundant in the end and was much happier in his new job with purpose, and I changed department and went officially part time.

It depends on what you want, and atm you want the capacity, and flexibility this job gives you rather than intellectual stimulation and a sense of professional growth imo. And that's fine - keep doing what you're doing and enjoy this time.

When you feel you do want more challenge and sense of purpose in work, then for god sake come and work for my company!

Are you working your contracted hours?

She's already stated that she is present and available for work hours, and is going above and beyond seeking out extra tasks.

This is the kind of mindset that you need to be wary of, OP. They exist in even the best workplaces.

I'm old fashioned enough to think that the OP should be working her contracted hours. Of course the school is paying for her skills and expertise but they are also paying for her time.

She has flagged up that she has spare capacity and both she and her boss now have to decide what to do with that information.

If I were the boss I would be asking her to take on additional responsibilities - for example doing a more in-depth analysis of the data, which would presumably free up the time of teachers who are doing that now, or perhaps looking at other systems to see if they could be managed better, which would free up the time of other staff who could then be deployed on more productive tasks. Either way the school would become more efficient, which is surely in everyone's interests.

If I were the OP I would be seeking additional responsibilities in order to demonstrate my value to the organisation with a view to negotiate for a wider and better paid role.

Gloating?

If I were the boss I would be asking her to take on additional responsibilities

So efficiency basically brings punishment in your case the predecessor wasn't being asked to do more. Do more and reward yourself with more work? Jesus. I'd go back to the old "manual counting" way then!

I am at work for my contracted hours, and the work expected of me (and more) is completed.

So yes.

If I were the boss I would be asking her to take on additional responsibilities - for example doing a more in-depth analysis of the data, which would presumably free up the time of teachers who are doing that now. Someone else is paid to do the analysis / tracking /monitoring. But I even helped them by automating some of their job, as they were manually doing things. And I have change the database systems slightly so they can capture more relevant data across the community and then wrote reports for them they can run on demand in order to their analysis. They now have more hours to do the other side of their job, which has helped the TALC committee in turn. All "not my job" but I helped out anyway.

or perhaps looking at other systems to see if they could be managed better, which would free up the time of other staff who could then be deployed on more productive tasks. I have integrated our main MIS systems with about a dozen others - our head of LRC was manually extracting, inputting and updating pupil data on 3 systems, they're automatic now.
The door entry/fingerprint system is automated as much as possible. I sped up their registration process. I even identified and created a workflow for the estates team , repro and resources. All of this is beyond my JD, but I did it anyway.

If I were the OP I would be seeking additional responsibilities the biggest issue is the natural responsibilities I could assume are being held by two other people.

would you really suggest the loss of two peoples jobs?

I wouldn’t say a word. You’re doing your job extremely well. It’s not cheating.

A lot of non IT people don’t understand how IT works. This is how it should be, organised, efficient and running without interference with automated monitoring and thresholds and alerting in place.
You still need someone in a role who knows how to fix things when they go wrong, who knows how to implement changes (say for regulatory purposes), who can perform upgrades etc but for a lot of the time it can be quite boring when a system has gone live and all the wrinkles are ironed out. (Former DBA here).