Asked to sort another team's mess while my own work suffers

[Avril26]

Another team needed my help to support them as management refused to get temps in. The manager from the other team laughed as she asked how I was getting on with the task as my manager had told her how her team had got that task into a mess.

I found it highly disrespectful that she found it funny her team let it get in a mess and I am expected to sort it. They did this before and I had to sort it. It has made me feel quite stressed and overwhelmed sorting this as I have my own full time role to do which I have got behind with.

I have taken a back step now and won’t be actioning any of this work for a few weeks. They wouldn’t even notice if I took a back step on this task. I won’t be used and feel disrespected.

Why does a manager think it’s ok to laugh at someone struggling? They clearly don’t make sure their team are doing the task. My manager is too passive and gives in to these unreasonable demands. I am in a union.

Just say no, op. They cannot make you. Really, they can’t.
If the whole place is this poorly run I would look elsewhere.
You don’t have to put up with other people being incompetent.
Report anything up the chain as required, and leave them to it.

You need to be firm with your manager that you can’t do extra work beyond your role at the moment. If they need you to stop doing some of your own role to do someone else‘s then get this confirmed, minuted in writing.

Say you have to prioritise your own work for your own team and can't spare the time. It's true. DS almost lost his job because he was hopping around helping all sorts of other departments and his own boss thought he was failing. He ended up directing all the extra requests via his boss who then realised how much extra work was being landed on him by other managers and put a stop to it.

Thank you all for your advice. I have had chest pains today as I am going on annual leave and more tasks have been coming through and I have no one to cover so when I get back I will be drowning in work. I have scheduled a meeting with my manager for my return and my manager is back off annual leave then in over a weeks time. I have told him about the workload and I cannot cope and am getting behind with my own work.

I am annoyed as HR have approved a training course and I have had to reply back and ask them to postpone by 3 months as I don’t have capacity to do this. I also told them the extra work is overwhelming because the organisation won’t get temps in and is affecting my mental health and I don’t have capacity but will speak to manager. At least someone else is aware.

You say ‘No, I am not in a position to take on additional worke. I am at capacity. If you want me to take this on you need to agree with my manager what work I should deprioritise’.