I’ve really messed up at work

[ohbuggera]

I’ve name changed for this and I’m deliberately leaving it vague to avoid being outing.

I have worked in my public sector job for just over a year. I’ve bedded in and worked between multiple different departments in that time.

I’ve recently been given what is essentially control of the smallest department. I’ve been doing this for a few weeks and it’s not really a full time job. I can work at it for one day a week and it would be done. I feel I could work in at least one more department and still be fine.

I’ve raised this to my manager who completely agrees with me and raised it to our big manager.

The big manager is fuming. My concern is that if jobs were to be cut mine would be the first to go because of how small my role is. I’ve heard her talking all morning, in earshot of me, pretty unhappy that I’ve raised this. She’s agreed to meet with me but now im terrified.

AIBU to think raising this wasn’t actually an issue?!

I've worked in local government for over 30 yrs and I can see why this would annoy.Its too late but I'd have recommended that you gain other duties through working on other working groups etc.

How can I get that without asking though?

She's fuming because

you've given her a headache - could be because she would have rather you kept quiet and she now has to act, or she feels cheated by the previous role-holder

If you feel this is you messing up, its not. They messed up by not realising for the entire duration of the previous role-holder that it was not an FTE.

If you mean "I wish I'd kept my mouth shut, because it feels like my job is at risk", there would only be so long before it came to light anyway

What you mean is you've been honest and your management do not sound like supportive or even sane/safe people to be around...

It doesn't sound like constructive dismissal, i.e. giving you a job that is effectively redundant due to the fact the task hours can't support it, because the previous person managed to blag it for so long.

This exact experience happened to me in a local government job. My director gave me a bollocking as we had to pretend we were at full capacity in order for him to argue to retain roles - departments were all arguing against cuts at the time. I got around it by writing him a short paper setting out the value add work that nobody was doing and that I was willing to take these projects on. Whatever you do don't use terms like underemployed and excess capacity, instead focus on efficiencies, priorities, impact, and delivery (outcomes).

We also had a restructure in which jobs were cut but I got a promotion. If you play this right I imagine you could do the same as you are clearly a valuable member of the team.

Good luck!

I’ve worked in public sector roles with both too much and too little to do. Maybe if they stopped constantly restructuring, and having posts funded for one year projects when in fact they should be permanent, we would be able to get the resource in the right place!

good luck OP - hope it goes well

If the manager is fuming at this and you're public sector, consider joining a union as it could go downhill and you may need support.

but my take is that you’ve raised it and she now needs to do something. If her role is at capacity then she may not have the time to do that.

can you consider how the team could add greater value (ie be more productive) as that will mean they have security in the longer term.

There are ways of raising things without annoying or criticising people. For instance asking to be involved in some project work for your development. Suggesting you could be involved in other things like staff networks. Suggesting you can do a job in 20% of the time sounds condescending and critical of those who have been managing the department.

Just keep your head down, they will get over it in a bit.

So you were working alongside the other full timer before you took on that role? Did you not pick up then that there wasnt much to do?

How come your immediate manager didnt know there wasnt much to do?

My director gave me a bollocking as we had to pretend we were at full capacity in order for him to argue to retain roles - departments were all arguing against cuts at the time

See this is just disgusting, though ( not the person who wrote this post, but the attitude of the directors). These are tax payer funded posts. We all go to work to pay for these staff. These are not Director's personal fiefdoms. A key part of their regular job should be to ascertain if all the staff they have are fully occupied and needed. Instead its the opposite. Pretend they are all needed so I feel more important next to my peers. Its an immoral culture.

It leads to people being recruited into roles with very little purpose or work. That's immoral for the staff recruited to them. Its soul destroying to have so little to do and it can destroy people's careers. Its immoral to the tax payer, Its immortal to the people we serve as limited resources are wasted on pointless jobs when they could be funding critical posts.

Just shameful.

The predecessor managed to stretch it to be a full time - I.e Monday was his day to update the spreadsheet etc. I’ve got through that in two hours this morning!

I'd try and diffuse it a bit by pretending not to understand the anger. 'Sorry, Lynn, I think we've crossed our wires a bit here. I'm not moaning about it, just offering to take a bit more work off your hands, since I have the time.'

I have worked in the public sector previously, and unless there are a run of redundancies, I would expect you to keep a job (whether or not its this one I couldn't say). I also don't think what you are experiencing is that uncommon. In my experience public sector workers are usually either massively over employed, ridiculously busy and fully stretched without capacity to do everything they want to, or under employed, stretching an easy role out over a week. Obviously there are exceptions, but it is very common.

You highlighting it for your role shows a lot of integrity. Unfortunately it may have annoyed the management as it may be highlighting many other areas that are much easier than advertised. If you were at a stagnant point in your career, it may be easier to stay quiet, but if you are working on self improvement, promotions, other goals, it doesn't help at all to be very quiet.

If there are any areas you want to work in/with you could use your spare time to proactively offer to help another department, or carry out any training that might be needed. Or it may be that the role needs a part time person (many people are looking for part time opportunities) and you are best moving on.

Best of luck. I don't think you have done anything wrong. Hopefully it settles soon.

May not be the same, but I had similar many years ago - I replaced someone who was leaving, we had a week handover/job shadow and on my first week without her, I raised to the manager I already could tell this wasn't a full time job. Like with you, higher management was a bit peed off because the girl before me had been doing it for about 15 years, and when I spoke with them all we did a JD review that worked in my favour as i was given additional responsibilities. There's nothing worse than not having enough work to do; when you meet and speak with managers make it clear you are keen and willing to take on more and be constructive; tell them how long certain tasks take so they have a better understanding of how the person prior has taken the absolute piss!

I'd prepare myself for an absolute onslaught of work, if I were you.

Be careful what you wish for.

I would love that. I thrive when I’m busy and have multiple plates spinning. I always have.

It is very unwise to go up the chain and say your job takes a day and you can take another job.
one, this makes you vulnerable for redundancy etc.
why would they pay you 5x time more?

two, lots of managers are empire building. They want to increase headcount not decrease it. Your message is very unhelpful to their goals.

you should be more clever and frame it more strategically next time - that you improved efficiency by doing XYZ and now have more capacity to take on ABC - essentially to take over more work as a manager and increase your scope

not sure there will be next time here although you can try to salvage the situation by reframing it as above

It seems unprofessional that she would be openly so angry.
Until you understand why she is angry it’s hard to advise.
Anger shouldn’t usually feature in the workplace and is a bit of a red flag, to be honest.

I wouldn't bet on this. One manager when I told them I had capacity to take on more and suggested I approach other managers in our section who I knew had overstretched teams to offer my services, he went red in the face with rage and forbade me from contacting them.

In a different job when I told the manager there was not enough to fill my time she just shrugged and said ' well this is the job.'

You can ask in different ways though…

Classic public sector. It’s not for everyone. Including me.

You’ve flagged that you have capacity in a totally reasonable way.

If a senior staff member reacts in a way that’s unhinged, you should consider if this is a professional culture that you can thrive in, or if you should work elsewhere.

This seems a little dramatic. I’m not going to lose my job for highlighting I’ve got capacity. I’ve obviously not gone to then and said “I only work one day a week”

Oh, I work in public sector in another country and this absolutely the way this stuff can go here too. I have every sympathy!

That said, I do think you're right to raise. All it takes is another manager to point to the job at some point in the future when they need to make cuts and there goes your job.

Just be as calm and neutral in the meeting. I would emphasise everything you've said about how you like to have a lot going on, how you'd like to help other teams etc. Then if she has to justify changes further up the chain why you need more work and she'd allowed the previous manager to stretch it to a full-time job, it gives her the "out" of saying that you're such a go-getter you specifically needed more to do.

You're upsetting the apple cart. You make your predecessors and their managers look bad by saying you can do the job in a day. It makes you look like a braggart as well. You may be talented and hard working but you don't have any idea about the politics of work in the public sector. You'd do better in the private sector but even there you do need to consider the politics and wider context before you speak out. You should have used the extra time to study and improve your grasp of politics!

lol, what? I’ve said I have capacity

It may not be possible to work across more than one department, would you expect to be in charge of two different departments? Or in charge in one and in a junior role in another? I think you have been lucky to be in charge of even a small department after a year.

You may be making them look inefficient and you are implying the person who's job you are now doing wasn't working to capacity. I would wait and see what they actually say. You definitely need to be diplomatic about the colleague you took over from, unless they left under a cloud, if they were promoted for doing a great job it could be a particular problem.

They may also be thinking you only just joined and now think you know it all and are not grateful for your current role.