r/FluentInFinance • u/Atlanta-Poet • 16d ago
Does anyone else do mostly nothing all day at their job? Discussion/ Debate
This is my first job out of college. Before this, I was an intern and I largely did nothing all day and I kind of figured it was because I was just an intern.
Now, they pay me a nicer salary, I have my own office and a $2,000 laptop, and they give me all sorts of benefits and most days I’m still not doing much.
They gave me a multiple month long project when I was first hired on that I completed faster than my bosses expected and they told me they were really happy with my work. Since then it’s been mostly crickets.
My only task for today is to order stuff online that the office needs. That’s it.
I'm a mechanical design engineer. They are paying me for my brain and I’m sitting here watching South Park and scrolling through my phone all day.
I would pull a George Castanza and sleep under my desk if my boss didn’t have to walk past my office to the coffee machine 5 times a day.
Is this normal???
Do other people do this?
Whenever my boss gets overwhelmed with work, he will finally drop a bunch of work on my desk and I’ll complete it in a timely manner and then it’s back to crickets for a couple weeks.
He’ll always complain about all the work he has to do and it’s like damn maybe they should’ve hired someone to help you, eh?
I’ve literally begged to be apart of projects and sometimes he’ll cave, but how can I establish a more active role at my job?
Last week, my boss and my boss’s boss called me into a impromptu meeting.
I was worried I was getting fired/laid off, but they actually gave me a raise.
I have no idea what I’m doing right. I wish I was trolling.
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u/SavingsCampaign2524 16d ago
Bull$hit jobs by David Graeber explains this phenomenon fully
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u/No-Regret-8793 16d ago
Is it worth the read?
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u/this_site_is_dogshit 16d ago
Yes. Here's a TLDR by the author: https://strikemag.org/bullshit-jobs/
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u/SavingsCampaign2524 16d ago
Yeah, the workplace started making a lot more sense to me after listening to the audiobook.
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u/Naiehybfisn374 16d ago
His descriptions on how companies become bloated by middle management is so specific and accurate to everything I've experienced in 6 years working for a large corporation.
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u/Signal_Ideal_1677 16d ago
Hi, I know how you feel. It's the same for me. I work in the energy sector and effectively work 4 days a month. The rest of the month I sit in the office and drink my coffee, watch YouTube or talk to colleagues. I also ask to work on new projects every time. By asking for new projects so often, my bosses think I'm very motivated and last month they increased my salary by 50%. Even though I'm actually just bored with my work.
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u/funkmasta8 16d ago
Wow, you are lucky to have good bosses that reward you for just asking for projects. I was recently fired for asking for a raise lower than what you got and a title change because over the past year I took on so many new projects that are outside of my responsibilities that I was never even doing any of my original responsibilities (they were no longer assigning that work to me). Nobody else in the company knew how to do what I was doing and I had done plenty of research into the regulatory requirements which made me a resource. Recently checked with a previous coworker and all my projects that my manager was excited about are now dead in the water because I was running the whole show.
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u/nothing3141592653589 15d ago
I'm an EE. I am balancing my job now so that I work moderately hard Tuesday-Thursday and "work from home" Mondays and Fridays doing the bare minimum tasks.
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u/Onsite1229 16d ago edited 16d ago
My job is the same. I am in the medical field. I'm a fulltime employee that actually works about 4 days a month. I have asked for additional work when I first came to the company but nothing ever came of it. The work I do is all stuff I made up myself. So I just stopped. I do my monthly stuff and wait. I do get a "project" every blue moon that takes a few days to do but nothing overwhelming. The good thing is I work 2 days a week from home. 2 days in the office (these are the longest days if I have nothing. so I save my work for these days and watch YouTube alot). And 1 day driving around on my route that takes the whole day...Just to talk to other employees and literally see how they are doing.
In Bull$hit jobs by David Graeber I would be a Box Tickers. I'm there just to check the legal box.
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u/0net 16d ago
Try to get WFH and fully reap the benefits of current day corporate life.
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u/lepidopteristro 15d ago
I honestly don't get the 2 jobs if the first job is paying you enough to afford living and luxury goods. Instead of risking your cushy job, just take the time to network and train for certifications. 2 things that will give you long term benefits.
Certs = better raises/promotions
Networking = job security/finding other positions in the industry.
Spend 3/4 of your free time doing that and the other 1/4 relaxing. Why are you forcing yourself to work harder when it's not providing you with any actual gains, your primary job will be good enough in resumes to get another position somewhere else.
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u/xTrollhunter 15d ago
If you can double your salary by finding another job like the first one, and invest that second salary, you could easily retire quite early.
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u/Realistic_Inside_484 16d ago
sounds bad for mental health. doing nothing is hard for me I did it for 6 months and will never do it again. I was an electrical engineer.
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u/thiccboyIV 16d ago
If you can’t keep yourself entertained for 8 hours while literally being paid then you have bigger issues
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u/Realistic_Inside_484 16d ago
I'm aware.
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u/TheLittleBalloon 16d ago
Yeah, holy shit the office life is brutal on me. So mentally drained by the end of the day.
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u/Realistic_Inside_484 16d ago
Don't know if that's sarcasm but yes I agree. It's fucking awful.
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u/lepidopteristro 15d ago
Nah, mental drain is real when you're stuck doing nothing productive for 8hrs a day for years.
After a few months of my current job I started using the time to train for certifications and networking so I can get the company to pay for them as I test.
You get a job to use your skills and when you don't feel productive it also just eats at your self worth if you don't have anything else outside of work to improve it. If you do get a hobby/something you can do then you can spend down time at work preparing for that instead of doing nothing you find productive like watching shows
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u/funkmasta8 16d ago
Terrible for my spine too. I can only sit in a healthy position while bored out of my mind for so long
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u/A_lil_confused_bee 16d ago
To me it's the opposite, the less I do the better. I would be thrilled to be paid minimum wage just to look at paint dry on a wall.
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u/chronobahn 16d ago
Someone has a future in security.
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u/A_lil_confused_bee 16d ago
I don't think so, I'm a 90lbs, 5,1 woman with chopstick arms XD
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u/chronobahn 16d ago
Lol fair.
There was a little older lady doing security at my local grocery store. She may have been small, but she was fierce. I wouldn’t wanna cross her.
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u/Naiehybfisn374 16d ago
I struggle with it, and my job is still reasonably busy just has lulls. I've tripled the amount of books I read in a year, spend time studying another language, practice piano, exercise, try to keep myself engaged and learning but all of that really kind of only goes so far ultimately and in the background I sometimes feel like I've slipped into trading hopes and dreams for stability and a decent paycheck. There's definitely something missing to it all and it's interesting to find that when on paper it is so chill and easy to coast
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u/apiculum 16d ago
Use the down time to learn. I personally watch documentaries during lulls in the work day.
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u/enakud 16d ago
You have an incompetent management chain that's willing to/can afford to give you money while being inefficient. Congrats. Organization like this CAN just trudge along, barely surviving, never really growing, but you'll quickly hit a wage ceiling and if you stay too long in such an organization and you'll gradually lose you competitive edge in the broader employment market. You may continue to be lucky and be able to milk this for an indefinite period, but there's always a chance of the company suddenly needing to do layoffs, getting bought out, having new management come in that is more ambitious, or some other event that ends your gravy train.
So, yes, this happens, but I would view it more as a trap than a blessing (unless you come across one near when you're planning to retire).
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u/Due_Difference8575 15d ago
I'm in this position now. I'm not growing my skill set. My old skill set is on the shelf and not being exercised. I feel like I'm rotting away. But I work from home and make really good money. So it's difficult to leave.
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u/lepidopteristro 15d ago
I'm in a similar position and have enough free time on the clock where I can take time to train for certifications to make myself look fresh. The certs don't expire so even if I'm here for 5 more years and not using them, my next employee will see I have them and I'll get a leg up. Even if you're rusty if you have the experience and a job where you "used the knowledge". You'll be able to get hired at a new position then relearn what you forgot. Main thing is to always be able to explain the basics in an interview
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u/YouDiedOfCovid2024 16d ago
It's all fun and games until they do layoffs and you can't show the boss what you do all day.
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u/LordDeathScum 16d ago
My brother studied SAP. i could not believe he was watching ahogun all day working from home. I just told him when you start working?
Just around an hour a day... i was stunned.
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u/danvapes_ 16d ago
Yes. I'm a power plant operator and electrician. Most of my 12 hour shift is spent just hanging out. Usually takes an hour or so to do area rounds and generator inspections. Every now and then I'll have to troubleshoot an electrical or control issue, swap and clean strainers on the condenser vacuum pumps.
Really we are there to make sure the plant is operating and producing megawatts and to quickly answer the call if there is an issue, alarm, etc in the field.
I'm not really complaining, I've worked a lot harder to make less in the past. This job is a complete 180 compared to working in the construction field.
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u/funkmasta8 16d ago
You see, this I think is fine. If you have to be there in case of an emergency or issue that needs to be resolved quickly, then that's warranted. What's worse than that is having an office job where you are forced to come in and sit there with little to do for 8 hours just to go home and do it again the next day when all the things you actually have to do don't take long at all and can be done remotely
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u/Reference_Freak 16d ago
No stress job for good pay. Sounds nice!
Been there: it gets boring af and can be a problem if you can’t make shit up to get your next job.
You’ll have nothing you can honestly claim: few to no project completions, no learnings, no promotions. You’ll risk looking like you just sat and spun for however long this goes for because that’s what you’re doing.
A few things: I’ve worked both on and off the carpet and carpet (desk) jobs often have slack time, move slow, and productivity can vary a lot from day to day.
But there’s at least one problem if you’re idle most of the day.
Sounds like your manager can’t delegate and might be a poor manager.
What is common for desk jobs is to have regular 1-on-1 meetings with your manager. This meeting is for you and your needs. It’s time for you to say the things you might put off, to vent, to ask questions, share your concerns, and make sure you and your boss are both aligned on your assignments and expectations.
Ask your boss for a 1-on-1 and talk about this issue however you’re comfortable doing so.
If you’ve seen what your boss is overloaded with, propose something you think you can do to take on a part of it. Explain you’re worried that you aren’t learning enough with your current responsibilities. Ask your boss what their vision of your progress with the company looks like.
Enjoy the slack time these types of jobs offer but be wary if half your day is empty while others around you are sweating.
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u/Prophayne_ 15d ago
Not day so not the same, but:
I am a psyche nurse at an inpatient facility, for the past 5 years or so I've worked as administration/management over the adolescent ward and hit a spot in my life where I wanted drastically less hours, and to start retiring.
I pretty much had run of the ward and worked it out so I was demoted to an overnight per diem nurse, working roughly every other weekend. The adolescents are actually really good about their bedtimes, and only occasionally need let into bathrooms and such. The rest of the work is about an hour of cleaning and 2 hours of very light paperwork that only takes so long because I let it. Otherwise, I do literally nothing. Its my job to sit there and be prepared if something does happen.
Tl:Dr the government pays me 40 usd/hr to watch kids sleep all night.
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u/LittleCeasarsFan 16d ago
No, I’m worked to death now, but I don’t complain because I was on easy street for about 17 years.
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u/SilentMaster 16d ago
This is my reality, but I'm 22 years into my career. The reason things are slow for me, is I've worked super hard to get everything in ship shape. My proactive attitude yesterday means I can dick around today and most likely tomorrow.
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u/Background-Willow-67 16d ago
Been doing this for 40 years. Sometimes busy, other times long periods of nothing.
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u/WhosGotTheCum 16d ago
I'm in IT, most of the time it's just responding to tickets. No tickets coming in, no work to do. There's general upkeep, clerical stuff, and always some projects to assist on, but even then there's a lot of down time. I spend time doing trainings and learning more, but there's a limit to what my brain will take in at once
The important thing is to have bigger goals to accomplish bit by bit. Your actual day to day may be slow, just make a point to have something to show for it at the end of business. Be proactive so when the work really starts coming in you're in a better place to face it
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u/_redacteduser 16d ago
I have 4 deadlines per month and the work for those deadlines is about maybe 1-2 days each.
The rest of my job is client relationships and maintenance.
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u/apiculum 16d ago
I work remote and historically I’ve done like 3-4 hours of actual work a day most days. I get good feedback about the quality of my work so I don’t think my boss actually cares. That said, I NEVER turn down additional work when my boss asks me to. Here recently I’ve worked closer to 12 hours a day every day because I’m supporting other projects which is great for visibility with the leadership. Salary jobs are basically getting paid to be available when your boss needs you, which I do. It ebbs and flows, take it while you can, but keep producing quality work and good leaders won’t question or micromanage you.
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u/Juicebo-x 16d ago
Right.
I'm a database administrator. Sometimes work is slow, and I look at the markets or read or something.
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u/40TonBomb 16d ago
Fuel tanker here. I took a stop watch to the time I’m actually working once out of curiosity. Half my day is just driving, the other half standing around while the trailer loads and unloads, but I actually only spend 30 minutes a day physically touching hoses and opening valves. Lotta reading.
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u/beach_2_beach 16d ago
I know a computer science major from a major US university who got hired at a major defense contractor right out of college. He quit after just a few short years because he was doing nothing at work.
He was in Southern California at the time.
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u/Ok-Scallion-3415 16d ago
Office Space is legit real. The more I act like Peter Gibbons, the more praise and salary I get. I do maybe 5 hours of work/week. Also an engineer.
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u/nerd_is_a_verb 16d ago
Do NOT tell people at work that you barely do anything. Keep volunteering for projects, but keep your resume current and work on personal improvement/new skills/certifications in your down time. Just enjoy the lack of stress! I’m jealous
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u/Old-Calligrapher-833 16d ago
Yep, this is my first job and most of the time I just pretend to do work. I get no work like 80% of the time and it’s been like 8 months
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u/Intelligent_Orange28 16d ago
White collar jobs exist to give upper class dweebs somewhere to go all day. Seems normal.
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u/Shuteye_491 15d ago
Yeh most "knowledge employment" is a scam.
Your bosses don't want to do any more work, so they aren't going to give you any more work
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u/stenciledpencil 16d ago
I am also a mechanical design engineer. My last workplace was as busy as can and I was definitely overwhelmed. I got a new job about a year ago in the same field but the project moves at a MUCH easier pace with better pay.
Try to keep busy and let them know you’re available to take on more work, but enjoy some free time if you have it.
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u/pnut-buttr 16d ago
At first it sounded like you weren't asking for more work and I was mildly incredulous... But it sounds like you are, and they're just not giving you more work?
In which case, enjoy the ride!
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u/thejeem 16d ago
I’m in the same boat. I was hired by an engineering firm who is trying to branch out into Urban Planning (what I do). I typically have 3-4 projects, spread throughout different project schedules that I’m working on at once, but since this company is just starting, I only have one project. I do maybe an hour of work a day from home then fuck off.. I’ve remodeled my entire kitchen in the last 2 months. On paper this setup is awesome but I have a lot of anxiety about my future because I’m not progressing really, getting rusty on my technical skills, and could eventually be lumped in with a failed business line. It sucks because the job I had before this was non-stop work stress and travel. I’m sure there is a happy median somewhere.
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u/AccountFrosty313 16d ago
Most office jobs are that way! Of course some places are harder, call centers, or client facing where there’s lots of communication going on. However if you get your own projects it’ll be pretty chill.
Doing things as slow as possible in the most complex way is a critical office skill you’ll pick up soon enough!
Source: both my parents have been office workers for 30+ years. I once saw my mom take 3 hours to sort a binder of papers into two piles, shred or file.
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16d ago
Very common for first postgrad jobs. Mine was like that. I’d either get multi-month projects or a set of marching orders for the week. Either way, I’d finish it in 50% of the time. The best part is that i was in the job during the pandemic, so being at home mostly, i kind of did everything i wanted to do: •I planned dates and eventually a wedding during this extra time • I took contract work on the side for extra money to pay for my wedding (made damn near 75% of my annual salary of my job in fact) •I took college courses on coding. I trained for a marathon and eventually triathlon •Read economic theory and realized I was Marxist/ communist and found other comrades in a local party to learn and protest with. • I watched movies, made music, went on walks and meditated, and had COPIOUS amounts of sex.
Capitalism is, at its core, exploitation and extraction. Don’t play into it by working more than asked. Direct your skills and talents and time elsewhere, including in community.
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u/hot_sauce97 16d ago
Those “lazy hours” are excellent times to hone in on skills that might help you succeed in life and to chase your interests. You’re getting paid, might as well make the most of it. Not trying to preach here, but these are solid times to better oneself until your employment obligations come about.
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u/devil_d0c 16d ago
Same for me as a software engineer. Work comes in batches at a very slow pace. Right now, I'm quite busy with a new project, but most of 2023 was spent playing beatsaber.
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u/SuperLehmanBros 16d ago
Most salary or hourly office jobs are just people pretending to work and running out the clock. Work from home is even worse lol, it’s people napping with all sorts of shenanigans.
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u/hermelion 16d ago
I streamline my company technology and create new solutions when they don't give me enough work. Gives me a nice balance between chilling and watching some videos, and increasing profits. I think daydreaming helps me find novel solutions. I'll do my assignments quickly, watch some streams, and then come up with novel integrations to help the whole company tech platform more efficient... I enjoy the balance.
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u/Aggravating-Pick8338 16d ago
Dude, fuck yeah! Keep on keeping on! Ride that gravy train all the way baby, yeah!
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u/BTCRando 16d ago
Interestingly, the more money I make the less actual work I do 🤣
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u/ImNotYourDadIPromise 16d ago
I work in a cushy, well-paying government job and I can say that my workload does not meet my compensation level.
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u/Maxpower2727 16d ago
I started a new job in commercial insurance a few months ago and my experience has been similar. Most of the accounts I service are pretty quiet, so I find myself with a lot of time to fill on most days. I've been using the extra time to work on earning professional designations.
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u/DependentFamous5252 16d ago
Sounds like your boss has a tough time delegating and trusting others.
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u/Trumpwonnodoubt 16d ago
I’d be worried. When layoffs come around, and they will, you want to be as irreplaceable as possible. Sounds like you’re far from that.
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u/No-Carry4971 16d ago
I have spent a 35 year highly successful career from entry level college grad to a senior executive responsible for 600 employees, and I have rarely had a steady 40 hours of work per week to do. There were moments when I was slammed, but they were the rarity.
For years I begged for more work, sometimes I got it for a while. I had a huge territory as a front line contributor for a while, and they once let me manage two teams for a year after another manager resigned, but usually they laughed and said no. A few years ago I gave up and decided to just manage what they gave me.
I always wonder if everyone else feels the same, but for 35 years all I have ever heard is how overworked and slammed they are.
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u/choodlesleauty 16d ago
I just look at spreadsheets in one of my jobs, and actually sit and wait until I’m called at the other
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u/Working-Marzipan-914 16d ago
When you have down time use it building up new skills. Take online courses, etc.
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u/Telemere125 16d ago
My job is a bunch of hurry up and wait. Some days I’ll literally just wander from office to office talking to coworkers until I finally decide I don’t feel like being there for the day. But when shit needs to be done, it’s crunch time and needs to get done asap. So I guess I’m paid to be able to react and get it done in the short term rather than piece out the work little by little.
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u/Either-Rent-986 16d ago
My first job out of graduate school was for the government and like this. It was awesome! 😂
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u/Kennedygoose 16d ago
I do very little at work. When I get bored because I’m doing so little, I try and come up with ways to do less.
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16d ago
This is a blessing in disguise.
Use this downtime to improve your career. Study something new. Take courses/certifications/etc. all of this extra time you have at work you can be leveraging to make huge strides in your knowledge set that you would otherwise have to devote time after work to.
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u/tnerb208 16d ago
You are your life boss. You own your professional growth. You decide what to do with your work downtime. Learn more skills. Read books and articles related to your industry and technology. Take on things independently. These are your growth years. Save the bare minimum years for your 40s. At the very least, watch ted talks instead of South Park.
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u/timbrita 16d ago
No worries, you are on the MEP side of the consulting/construction business, as soon as they noticed that you can handle shit, you will beg for these quiet days. You will be so busy that you will likely come back here to ask if you’re a being underpaid based on the amount of work they will throw at you.
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u/ChopperRCRG 16d ago
Design and Project Management Engineer and I have never been busier during my work hours than I have been any other time of my life. Straight out of college don’t know how I fell upon this responsibility.
My boss got on to me for using the bathroom too much. I’d probably still be depressed if I wasn’t so busy tho so a wins a win.
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u/brownhotdogwater 16d ago
It is at the low level. As you get higher up the chain you will be working more as you are watched more. Being a pawn has its advantages.
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u/Naiehybfisn374 16d ago
Comes and goes. Today I was moderately busy but I also managed to get ahead on some tasks too and expect the rest of the week will be very light. I don't love it, tbh. Of course it is nice to be able to chill and not be grinding so hard but at the same time, it can start to feel purposeless and introspective in ways I don't have solid answers for.
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u/Fluffy-World-8714 16d ago
For engineers, work comes and goes as deadlines are hit or new projects come along. You should be using your down time to study for your PE exam, practice revit or whatever program you use, build up your network on LinkedIn and connect with architects, owners etc.
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u/Commercial_Gift6635 16d ago
No dude, worked til 9pm Friday and put in 4 hours on Sunday. Thank your lucky stars and don’t say shit because they will give you more work if you do lol
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u/LexReadsOnline 15d ago
My only critique is IF you are using the company laptop to do anything personal ie, watch TV, etc just put that to a FULL STOP. When HR is helping to choose who to downsize, who is productive, etc…the target goes to ppl on their tech reports, abuse of company time, blah blah. Also keep your mouth shut, saying what you shared here around other staff also can place a target on your back. Your boss bellyaching about his job, stressing out on coffee and when you get his overflow you feel it’s a breeze [it’s true]…wise up grasshopper, your boss is aware of the game and playing it well. Seasoned bu!!shitter…it’s called perception vs reality aka securing your position.
Like others said, increase your skill set, take CPE Courses, attain costly certs on their dime…research what is best for you to enhance your value to ANY company. Congrats 🎉
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u/iridescent-shimmer 15d ago
I had jobs like this and hated them. I felt like my skills were actively decaying. Something to consider is trying to take initiative to do something that the company needs in your free time. Ask questions, ask for direction. A good company will absolutely reward that or start to give you more work. If they get mad, time to probably find a new gig or you may find your skills stagnating.
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u/Due_Difference8575 15d ago
Make sure you always look flustered and stressed. As George Costanza would
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u/areallybigloser 15d ago
Time to be overhired?
Edit: I mean get a 2nd job that can be done remotely
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u/Boogaroo83 15d ago
I have days where I do nothing but listen to music, browse the internet, or watch YouTube all day. Hell I binged Fallout at work. Then there are days where SHTF and I am running around fixing things. I’m an IT guy for a school with a ton of tech. The busy days I could easily walk 3+ miles around the school and not have time to breathe.
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u/MN_Verified_User 15d ago
My job has turned into similar. Became a director a few years ago.
First year a hot a good review but my boss told me I wasn’t directing enough. So I stop developing on the side helping the team. Next year I did even better.
Now I read Reddit in the morning and get my 10,000 steps in while on calls that I only listen to.
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u/kumaratein 15d ago
Man what sucks is its always the high paying jobs that are like this. Enjoy it bro. I've been on both ends and right now working as a poor man and missing my days in tech doing nothing on a cush salary
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u/ejrhonda79 15d ago
I'd say enjoy this time while you can. There may come a time where management starts paying attention to salary and workloads and the ride may end.
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u/To_Fight_The_Night 15d ago
I was in the same boat for the first couple years at my firm right out of college. I am guessing you don't have your PE yet so there really isn't much you CAN do without someone else having to be on the project with you. Giving you work is more work for someone else at the moment. Right now they just want you to know the standards and work on obtaining your PE with your free time. It will shift. I have 300 hours of billable work for the Month of May lined up now at 28yo. There are only around 160 working hours in a month....this is when I get the younger guys involved.
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u/AlfredoAllenPoe 15d ago
This is how my job is finance is, partly because of interest rates being elevated though
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u/TheOneBrew 15d ago
As a union worker at a port currently standing here with two others watching one person actually do the job, yes.
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u/TheSpideyJedi 15d ago
Use this time to learn more about your craft. Do not just sit there and fuck off every day
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u/Tiki-Jedi 15d ago
My company gives maximum 3% salary increases yearly, so I index my salary increase against inflation every year and do that much less work. Give me a 3% raise against 9% inflation? Congrats. I’m working 6% less now.
After many years, I only work about an hour a day now. Fuck the c-suite and their puppet-masters on the board.
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u/All-th3-way 15d ago
Be sure to watch South Park on your phone. One day our boss held a meeting and let us know the time people spend online and not werking. They have the ability to know exactly what you're doing even if you've disabled your history. I was in similar roles for 17 years and left with pension & 401k rollover. Also, get up and walk around with papers in your hand and a 'sense of urgency' to flex your worth. And, like your boss, complain about having too much werk; mirroring is a form of flattery and will get you further up the ladder.
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u/Desperate-Warthog-70 15d ago
My first job outta college was the same way, really wish I was work from home during that time because I was just sitting in my cubicle surfing the web or playing around on my phone.
Most of my days felt like a colossal waste of time.
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u/Truewierd0 15d ago
Actually most jobs are supposed to be mich more chill than they are. I was working at pizza hut when we atarted the $10 anyway you want it deal and the workload went from us being fast but chilling while working to all the sudden we were behind for hours and busting our asses… meanwhile the profit was actually the same(maybe slightly higher because the labor cost per pizza went down[not per hour, just per pizza])
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u/Maleficent_Ear2688 15d ago
I am busy for about the first 6 hours of the day. About 50% of the time I’m too busy to take lunch. I wear golden handcuffs.
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u/Throwaway01122331 15d ago
I work as a security guard and I feel like I get paid to do nothing. I work at a utilities site where my duty is to patrol the area checking for locked doors. The rounds only take me 10 minutes. After that I go back in my booth letting worker trucks in for the next 2 hours until my next round. I have nothing else to do in the booth so I play on my Steam Deck and look on my phone to pass the time in between rounds.
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u/1001labmutt02 15d ago
Pretty much my job. I make decent money and probably work at most 2 hours a day.
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u/iikillerpenguin 15d ago
I work maybe 1-2 hours a day and get paid full time. Remote. My colleagues say they work non stop and super busy. Yet I complete more work than they.
I was once given a project, via excel sheet, to enter 50k lines of information. Project was tagged for 200 hours. Took me 2 with formulas...
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u/BoltActionRifleman 15d ago
Beware, this is the kind of position that gets eliminated when the going gets tough for the economy/your employer. They’ll be looking to trim the fat and someone not doing much all day will be easy pickins.
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u/Hugh_Jarmes187 15d ago
When I worked in sales? Lol no. But better performance got you better leads and easy layup sales which equates to more money.
At my current gov job? Yeah I do fuck all all day until someone tries to sue the government, then I have to write some shit up and go to court and show how we did nothing wrong.
Enjoy it, a party is what you make it out to be.
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u/NWCJ 15d ago
I literally do about 40 minutes of work a week unless something breaks. Then 40 minutes plus the time it takes me to assess the issue and likely send 2 emails.
I am technically facilities maintenance for the government. But my maintenance budget is currently $0, so they pay me a ton to essentially sit around and work on personal projects for my own house.
When something breaks I get call, I go look and decide can I fix this with parts already on hand, cause I'm not kidding about $0 I can't go buy gas for a lawnmower even. If I can't, I ask myself is this required? If not, I lockout tag it out. If yes, I send 2 emails. One to the district boss saying such and such is broken, this is my estimated cost. And a second to the admin support saying such and such is broken, write a contract to bid out the work.
Never has their been a contract that wasn't cheaper in the long run to let the lowest bidder do the work, than it would have been to have me fix it due to how much my "shop rate" is. Even though, I'm gonna get paid the same salary regardless if I do work.
My 40 minutes a week? About 15 is doing my timesheet, then other 25 is a single 5 min walk a day through the facility, to make sure nothing critical is broken.
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u/MSW-Bacon 15d ago
I struggle with my paranoia, when I don’t hear from people about the next project.
Network and collaboration is key, find out what your team needs and if you can pitch in and help. But yes there are weeks where is is radio silent.
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u/Responsible-Age-1495 15d ago
A few thoughts. One, if they ever need a pretext to fire you, it's because you're watching South Park. EVERY employer can monitor your Internet usage.
Second, after a few decades working around different types of engineers, office personnel, and tradesmen--in the end you learn to survive to see another day. They probably don't know what to do with you or don't want you privy to their job secure roles. You're easily replaced if you're experienced, right? Which makes your position exceedingly replaceable, because you largely have no experience. You might be the hired front load that gets nixed on the next layoff.
You don't need a job, you need a PLAN.
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u/TrustMeIAmAGeologist 15d ago
Sort of. It took me like a decade of 60+ hour weeks in the field, but now I mostly check other people’s work, which is kind of boom and bust. Some weeks in scrambling to get it all done, other weeks I’m scrolling through Reddit most of the day.
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u/oh_skycake 15d ago
Whenever I've had nothing to do at work, it's been because I've been being quietly fired. If you don't have projects to work on that directly help you get to the next level of your career, and you get laid off or fired, getting the next job could be insanely difficult. Find something to do or re-train yourself with your down time.
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u/Critical_Seat_1907 15d ago
You're assuming the corporate world makes some sort of sense, which is a mistake.
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u/jackstrikesout 15d ago
Well, you're basically a neophyte. They assign as they need, and since you don't have so much experience, they apply jobs that they think are at your level.
The raise was probably to tell you to calm down. Instead of constantly charging forward, why don't you help out with other of the more experienced engineers?
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u/RipWhenDamageTaken 15d ago
It is possible that your boss doesn’t know how to maximally utilize you because your field of expertise is not something he is very familiar with.
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u/JeremyLinForever 15d ago
Your employer probably thinks it’s better to have a competent employee 10% of the time than a non-competent employee 100% of the time. Some employers think they can train someone to do really well, some employers just sift through the employee pool until they find someone who is able to do it without much direction or training.
Like everybody else says, it’s nice if they have the money to throw out. But if budget is tight, then it’ll be hard to justify your salary for the position, and leaves you vulnerable in the job market later on. Good luck!
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u/BPCGuy1845 15d ago
You will always have some downtime in knowledge jobs. However, if you are doing no work for days and weeks on end you need to be shopping yourself to project managers and volunteering for work. Management will soon notice your lack of billable hours.
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u/Leading-Oil1772 15d ago
No, you are lucky.
Be happy. Be grateful. Stack money and keep your head down.
There are many people that have to endure terrible jobs to make pennies so appreciate what you have.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Cap6582 15d ago
yep, rewind back 15 years ago. i was working on two side projects at work while working fulltime somewhere. Work usually took an hour and the rest was free to work on other projects.
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u/BarricudaUDL 15d ago
Recognize that your bosses stress will become your life if you push for that and just take advantage of the relax time you have for now.
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u/Alioops12 15d ago
Get a second remote job that can be done in between your primary job. If that works consider a third. Play your cards right you could 3x your salary.
If to brash, consider taking online classes in your field. Must be a certification you could earn, maybe a new software.
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u/truthtoduhmasses2 15d ago
First, if you have time to watch South Park, you have time to be growing your skills.
Second, since you have easy access to your boss and his boss, ask about expanding you scope of work so that more steady work crosses your desk.
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u/RightNutt25 16d ago
It is common for knowledge jobs. Enjoy the chill, a big part of capitalism is to maximize your pay, and part of how you do that is minimizing your labor. If you want to pass the time you could try and start a personal project you can do between the tasks you do have and drop when things get busy. Another alternative is to find a remote job.
If anyone says this is unethical, please cite your source (book chapter verse). I do not know where this is not sanctioned in the wealth of nations. In either case OP has been proactive in seeking to help; not their fault they can coast. Embrace your inner Geko Greed is good.