Person Worries About Getting Paid To Do Nothing, The Internet Shoves Some Sense Into Them
Before starting a new job, you can’t always know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. The day to day tasks might be a surprise, and settling into a new routine can take time. But it’s assumed that your new boss will guide you through this process and help you understand what your days should look like.
Apparently, that’s not always the case though, as one employee who was hired over two months ago recently shared on the Anti-work subreddit that they’ve been completely left in the dark about their position. Below, you’ll find the full story, as well as some of the replies readers have left them.
This employee started a new job a few months ago
Image credits: seventyfourimages (not the actual photo)
But after being assigned almost no tasks, they’re beginning to wonder if their employee forgot about them altogether
Image credits: aleeenot (not the actual photo)
Later, the worker clarified a few details about their situation
Image credits: anon
They also replied to a few readers and provided additional info
The onboarding experience can make or break an employee’s view of a company
One would think that employers want to keep a close eye on their team members to ensure that they’re being productive and earning their paychecks. Sure, there’s usually a grace period in the beginning of their time at a company where they may not be expected to take on as much responsibility as their peers, but most bosses give new employees additional attention to ensure that they’re getting the hang of things.
Quantum Workplace recommends asking new hires for feedback and checking in with them regularly during their first few months at a company. They should receive feedback from their boss, as well as their peers, and supervisors should ensure that they feel confident and comfortable with their responsibilities. Making sure that they’re on the right track as soon as possible can help minimize future issues, and leaving employees in the dark can make them hesitant about whether they want to stay at all.
Two thirds of employees are more likely to stay with a company for 3 years if they experienced excellent onboarding, and organizations who have a standard onboarding process see 50% greater new-hire productivity, the Society for Human Resource Management reports. Investing in employees from their first day can certainly be worthwhile.
Image credits: fauxels (not the actual photo)
Feeling forgotten at work can be extremely frustrating
If you find yourself in a similar situation to this employee, where you realize that your employer hasn’t assigned you any tasks for months, Chron has some recommendations of what steps to take. First, it’s important that you understand the purpose of your position and what you should be doing. If you’re a salaried employee, you likely don’t get directions every day, rather it’s assumed you know what your responsibilities are.
However, if you can’t take initiative and find something to do yourself, don’t hesitate to request direction. Your boss might be impressed that you’re looking to take on more, and will, hopefully, provide you with something to do. “Your responsibilities as a salaried employee are far more than fulfilling your responsibilities that are outlined on the job description,” Chron explains. “The ability to ask for guidance is proof that you know the basic expectations of a salaried employee.”
But what do you do if your boss continues to ignore you? Well, they’re probably not a great employer if they’re overlooking their team members in the first place, Michelle Gibbings at Harvard Business Review writes. Feeling respected in the workplace is crucial, as employees who get respect from their bosses report having 56% better health and well-being, 89% more enjoyment and satisfaction in their jobs and 92% greater focus and prioritization at work.
Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)
If your boss is ignoring you, don’t hesitate to speak up
When trying to get more attention from your boss, Gibbings recommends first challenging your perspective and resisting the urge to assume it’s anything personal. Maybe your employer just has too much on their plate right now, and you’ve been unintentionally overlooked.
Consider their perspective and how you might have become ignored. Then initiate a conversation with them to see what exactly is going on, and don’t wait too long to speak up. The longer you go on feeling nervous or uncomfortable at work, the harder it’s going to be to say something. And start looking for opportunities to make yourself visible and catch their attention.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this story in the comments below, pandas. Do you think this employee scored a dream job by realizing they don’t have to get any work done? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article, we recommend reading this one next!
Image credits: charlesdeluvio (not the actual photo)
Readers encouraged the employee to take advantage of the situation and search for another job in the meantime
Some even had similar stories to share
Best idea there was finding a 2nd remote job. Like, this one is obviously going to end poorly for them. After 2 - 3 months (or more) you can count on them blaming you. May as well already have another job lined up for when that happens. Oh, you're firing me now? I thought you guys did that months ago.
“this one is obviously going to end poorly for them”: It’s certainly not obvious to me. Didja read the final tweet? I suspect it’s gonna go just like that. I think he oughtta make the most of his time and prepare for the onslaught! Lucky man; it appears most of us envy his current situation! Me, I’d be packing away the cash and using the time to level up my skills, as well as getting myself as organized and prepared for the onslaught as I can.
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Book meet and greets with people you see on the emails. Ask them about their role and how they see your role working with them. Ask them what they think success looks like in your role. Book a weekly meeting with your supervisor and ask directly “what would you like me to accomplish in the next week?” But I think the problem is your supervisor doesn’t know how to delegate or manage and enjoys feeling important by having all the work. You may not be able to fix this.
They don't know who to talk to out of 700? They must know who their boss is, and must have some idea of who else reports to that person.
Guy is in a department of 2, OP and his boss. I can understand not knowing who to reach out to when you don't get a response from your boss. You don't want to get your boss's back up by reaching out to the wrong person but you want to earn your paycheck.
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Get another wfh job. I think you'll have time for it. It's not about greed; it's about protecting yourself. Two dangers: (1) When management finds out what's not happening they may fire you to cover up their screw up. (2) Any place this badly run may go under any time. In either case, you'll still have a job - that second one.
Look, I’m not OP, I don’t have full understanding of the situation and am only getting a glimpse of it all from this letter but this comment strikes me as odd “ I don't have a password or log-in for the database. I've asked my direct supervisor 2x and my IT 1x and none have been responded to.”. If I had that little work to do, I would be hassling them a lot more than that in the two months I had been there.
This happened to me - and stil does. I got headhunted 18 months ago and jumped to that job due to a massive pay rise. For the next 14 months, I did absolutely nothing. It was remote, so as long as I attended the morning meetings, I was cool. I also had terrible imposter syndrome. Anxiety through the roof, as it was a gamble to take the job. Now at 18 months, I have enough work to keep me busy for half a day each day. Some days, enough for just an hour or 2. It's awesome! I'm finally settled in and enjoying it. I hope to continue working from home for the next 5 years, and then retire. Living the dream!!
I think I'd be way more proactive. If email doesn't work, I'd call. I'd go to the main building, anything to get their attention.
Email your team and ask them if they've got anything they want to dump off on you.
My job of almost a year ended at the end of August was just like this and made $75.00 an hour working from home doing nothing. BEGGED for work. The sad part is the company actually laid people off during the year. Everyone over worked. I spent the entire time training or reviewing code. The good, is looks like it won't be hard to find a new job. I had to be tethered MS teams 8 hours a day. I probably did 40 hours of actual work. It was crazy.
Best idea there was finding a 2nd remote job. Like, this one is obviously going to end poorly for them. After 2 - 3 months (or more) you can count on them blaming you. May as well already have another job lined up for when that happens. Oh, you're firing me now? I thought you guys did that months ago.
“this one is obviously going to end poorly for them”: It’s certainly not obvious to me. Didja read the final tweet? I suspect it’s gonna go just like that. I think he oughtta make the most of his time and prepare for the onslaught! Lucky man; it appears most of us envy his current situation! Me, I’d be packing away the cash and using the time to level up my skills, as well as getting myself as organized and prepared for the onslaught as I can.
Load More Replies... Book meet and greets with people you see on the emails. Ask them about their role and how they see your role working with them. Ask them what they think success looks like in your role. Book a weekly meeting with your supervisor and ask directly “what would you like me to accomplish in the next week?” But I think the problem is your supervisor doesn’t know how to delegate or manage and enjoys feeling important by having all the work. You may not be able to fix this.
They don't know who to talk to out of 700? They must know who their boss is, and must have some idea of who else reports to that person.
Guy is in a department of 2, OP and his boss. I can understand not knowing who to reach out to when you don't get a response from your boss. You don't want to get your boss's back up by reaching out to the wrong person but you want to earn your paycheck.
Load More Replies... Get another wfh job. I think you'll have time for it. It's not about greed; it's about protecting yourself. Two dangers: (1) When management finds out what's not happening they may fire you to cover up their screw up. (2) Any place this badly run may go under any time. In either case, you'll still have a job - that second one.
Look, I’m not OP, I don’t have full understanding of the situation and am only getting a glimpse of it all from this letter but this comment strikes me as odd “ I don't have a password or log-in for the database. I've asked my direct supervisor 2x and my IT 1x and none have been responded to.”. If I had that little work to do, I would be hassling them a lot more than that in the two months I had been there.
This happened to me - and stil does. I got headhunted 18 months ago and jumped to that job due to a massive pay rise. For the next 14 months, I did absolutely nothing. It was remote, so as long as I attended the morning meetings, I was cool. I also had terrible imposter syndrome. Anxiety through the roof, as it was a gamble to take the job. Now at 18 months, I have enough work to keep me busy for half a day each day. Some days, enough for just an hour or 2. It's awesome! I'm finally settled in and enjoying it. I hope to continue working from home for the next 5 years, and then retire. Living the dream!!
I think I'd be way more proactive. If email doesn't work, I'd call. I'd go to the main building, anything to get their attention.
Email your team and ask them if they've got anything they want to dump off on you.
My job of almost a year ended at the end of August was just like this and made $75.00 an hour working from home doing nothing. BEGGED for work. The sad part is the company actually laid people off during the year. Everyone over worked. I spent the entire time training or reviewing code. The good, is looks like it won't be hard to find a new job. I had to be tethered MS teams 8 hours a day. I probably did 40 hours of actual work. It was crazy.
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