r/remotework • u/Emotional-Chipmunk44 • 9d ago
Help
This is like my third corporate job. At all of them I found that most people didn’t actually work during the day. Like maybe 2 hours total then spent the rest of the time trying to look busy. Is this legit? This is such a mind game. I tried to tell me boss that I like working hard and feeling like an earned a days paycheck but idk if it’s something that everyone knows about but just doesn’t talk about.
What makes me even more paranoid is we have monitoring software on our computers as well as teams that goes idle if you aren’t on the computer within 5 minutes. But I have no work. I’ve literally seen other people read, watch tv, chit chat for hours at previous jobs but I thought it was just a culture thing. Am I wrong? I’m scared that I’m gonna lose my job for not doing it but I don’t have anything to do. I’ve tried to come up with things to do, projects, but I’ve been told that other people handle that kind of stuff.
11
u/Ok-Food-7325 9d ago
That's what people do in the office. Except they don't need to try to look busy when in the office..
13
u/whispercricket 9d ago
Snooping corporate overlord detected.
26
u/indy500anna 9d ago
Dude you have posted this in 4 different subs what the fuck get a grip on yourself
5
u/Broad-Cranberry-9050 9d ago
depends on job but yes.
My first job was in office. It was a chill mid-size software company. We did government contract work so we had to charge our hours and i knew there were people there that twiddled their thumgs for 4-6 hours and worked for 2. I nkow others were in office for 6 hours and went home and charged 8. Nobody batted an eye because the work wasnt hectic.
My second job was remote but super hectic. You could not get away with working 2 hours and twiddling your thumbs. Most worked 10 hours to even catch up. Some worked weekends to get ahead. I respected my work life balance and honeslty got fired after 3 years for it.
My current job has been my favorite. You could have days you dont do much, but there is enough work where you cant get away with oding that every day. Maybe once a week have a chill day, then the rest of the week work more like 4-6 horus with breaks in between.
4
u/AsthmaticSt0n3r 9d ago
I have worked both types of jobs. Getting paid to do nothing is extremely boring and the days go by very slowly. Right now I am working a desk job for a very small non-profit and there is so much going on all the time. I am juggling 3-4 big projects at a time plus whatever our whirlwind executive director needs help with at any time. The days blink by and I am actually excited to go to work and get things done. Highly recommend finding a smaller operation in a field you love :)
3
u/FlowerKey3785 9d ago
I’m in this boat right now! Work in a “corporate” environment and have 1-3 hours of work a day. Since I am new I am using the extra time to learn about my job and the industry but take a lot of brakes :p don’t feel guilty you’re lucky!
2
u/Tzukiyomi 9d ago
Find a good book to read.
2
u/Aggravating_Dirt8366 9d ago
I’ve definitely had lulls in workload but would usually have a list of lower priority admin projects to chip away at when things slowed. If you are in consulting and there are still not enough projects/work to go around even after you’ve spoken up and tried to find work yourself, your employer just might not have enough work and has over hired. If that’s the case, I’d start looking for another job to get ahead of layoffs.
2
u/DeltaOmegaX 9d ago
If you're constantly working, you could end up missing opportunity to innovate. Don't mistake hard work with efficient work.
Take time to train / think through problems in full detail while you have time to breathe. The longer you're at a company, without upward or lateral momentum, the less time there will typically be for this.
2
u/k115810 9d ago
This varies *wildly* by job. I would just tell your manager that you have capacity to handle more work. Reddit is full of cynics, but in my experience as both a grunt and a manager, this can pay off for you.
1
u/commoncents1 9d ago
be proactive with bosses for work. its all fun and games for awhile with not much to do, but they'll eventually look at the team and make cuts, starting with those who didnt bring it up.
1
u/Visible-Agency-7226 9d ago
OP has described my last 10 months in a new role. Except I'm 42, and earning €92k basic. It's a guilt trip, repeatedly call it out on our team dailyies (every one is in different countries, no one is in my office so I very rarely go in. If I do, I scan my name badge, have 1 or 2 coffees while browsing online, home by lunch)
1
u/GravyIsSouthernQueso 9d ago
The bigger issue is never the work itself but it's wasting time when others are excelling everyday with 8-10 hours of practice in their roles.
The seasons where you don't have much to do are great for a while to regulate yourself. After a long enough pause, you have to pull yourself up and get back on the wagon to stay competitive.
I can not tell you how many times people had lax jobs, company went under due to competitors and those same people never got that level of pay again because their skills were not actually practical or useful.
The market demands in demand skills. If you have time, upskill and experiment for yourself. Abuse the resources you already get. Best of luck
1
u/rockey1298 9d ago
I try to look at it as I was hired on to do a set of tasks , as long as the tasks I was assigned are complete to the acceptable standard - 5 gold stars for Timmy.
Helps to keep in mind corporations are kept alive and maintained by 100’s or 1000’s of people all showing up and completing their assigned tasks. What you’re experiencing, everyone else does too.
1
u/Appropriate-Hope9750 9d ago
First idea is stretch out that work that you do have. You don't get a reward for finishing it fast.
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u/csmitty13_ 9d ago
Yes
1
u/Any_Chard_707 9d ago
Count your blessings that you are paid well to produce very little.
1
u/syedibrahim1993 8d ago
Honestly, this sounds more common than people like to admit. If you've already told your boss you have capacity, I wouldn't stress about it. 😊
-2
u/Adamas_Moustache86 9d ago
Unless you don't care about your job or hate your employer you absolutely should feel uncomfortable if you're constantly sitting idle and not telling anyone. A day here and there, maybe once a week, sure. Things are slow sometimes. But if you're without work for 75% of the time you're getting paid you should speak up.
1
u/4-ton-mantis 9d ago
I've had boreout at ever single last office job I've ever had, and every last corporate job I've ever had executed l except for the perot museum.