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Is your workplace TOO casual?


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Everyone has heard the horror stories about having bosses who are sadistic, who micromanage, are hard to please, etc... I have an entirely different problem... my boss is a nice guy who refuses to be a manager. And the department desperately needs someone to be in charge.

 

As a result I work in a department of 7 or 8 people where everything is casual to the point of excess... people come in whenever they feel like it, no one is cross-trained on anyone else's job except by informal arrangement... and while that's great for the people who don't have to do the same tasks by a certain time every day, for me, I'm up the creek because whenever I need to take any time off, I have to run around trying to arrange for someone else to fill in and do my daily work... and it's computer stuff that no one else wants to learn how to do correctly. If the boss ordered them to, they would, but our boss is a "nice guy" who doesn't know how to supervise his employees.

 

(I work at a university, so that explains how a department can be so horribly run without much consequences.)

 

"Talk to your supervisor" does not work for me. I mention this stuff to people who are supposedly "in charge" and they appear concerned, but then nothing changes. People still seem to ignore the fact that I need time off sometimes and that other people have to be trained to do my job. Everyone else's job involves writing stories and returning phone calls on a non-fixed schedule with looser deadlines, but my job is on a strict daily schedule (updating websites, sending out notices, etc). I don't know what to do or where to turn. Sometimes when I take a day off I come back and find out my work has not been done, or not been done correctly, and it's getting to the point where I just don't dare take time off because of the mess I have to deal with when I get back. My boss doesn't seem to notice but then I get complaints from people outside our department.

 

Now the person who has been most reliable at filling in for me, is going to be leaving in a few weeks, and I just don't know what I'm going to do, because they never hire anyone new who's competent around computers.

 

I find myself being filled with resentment over this state of affairs and feeling helpless to make anything change. I take pride in the quality of my work and so I don't feel inclined to just take the day off and "let the chips fall where they may" - because it'll be a huge mess when I get back.

 

Everyone seems to love this casual office atmosphere... except me. I don't believe I should have to go hat in hand to try and find someone to do my work when I need a sick day. There should be an agreed upon, and enforced, order for such things -- enforced by a real boss. I find myself wishing a real hard-ass would come and take over and make things more formal and responsible with a better structure.

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There are more management positions in the world than there are qualified managers. And of the qualified managers there are not many real leaders. It's a fact of life.

 

Sometimes when a situation like this exists, it falls on the managees to take charge and provide leadership and direction. You have to do it collaboratively, because you don't really have any authority. But you can make suggestions and gain the support of others, and over time people will come to see you as a leader. And that works if you have the support of the person assigned to be the manager.

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"Talk to your supervisor" does not work for me. I mention this stuff to people who are supposedly "in charge" and they appear concerned, but then nothing changes.

 

You obviously don't fit in in that place, and I'd guess they are less happy with you there than you are with them.

 

Ariadne

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There are more management positions in the world than there are qualified managers. And of the qualified managers there are not many real leaders. It's a fact of life.

 

Sometimes when a situation like this exists, it falls on the managees to take charge and provide leadership and direction. You have to do it collaboratively, because you don't really have any authority. But you can make suggestions and gain the support of others, and over time people will come to see you as a leader. And that works if you have the support of the person assigned to be the manager.

 

 

 

I agree with Johan,

 

This is a chance for you to step up to the plate, but you should do it slowly and make sure that you have the support of your peers or it will back fire.

 

You also have to have the support of your boss, your it will backfire.

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Not in the slightest and as a manager I insist upon professionalism, attention to detail, proper dress and deportment and a smooth operation. I also help hire good people so it's not an issue. Because of the nature of our work our office is very formal in its external dealings but my management style is relaxed in approach yet demanding of perfection.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I work at a university too, and it sounds a lot like what you described. For example I don't bother calling ahead if I'm running less than an hour late, I don't have to cover my tattoos or take out my piercings.

 

It really sounds like maybe you're just not suited for that particular office. I know at my university, the Admin building has an atmosphere that is completely different from, say, the Computing area where I work. Also, it's pretty easy to bid internally on jobs. Don't you have lots of openings? You could take your technical skills to another department?

 

Sometimes I get irritated as well. For instance, sometimes it takes weeks of no-call, no-show to get fired here...while everyone else scrambles to make up for whoever had a mental breakdown and flaked out of work. That's happened 3 times that I know of in the last 6 years. But then I remind myself that what works against me, also works for me. I like that I have a job that gives me time to read Anna Karenina, or doesn't matter if I forget to do laundry and wear holey jeans. Maybe in your case you're feeling too much of the cons and not enough of the pros. ;)

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  • 2 weeks later...

I also work in a very casual workplace. Most people here are salaraied and scheduled to work 8 hours a day. We are supposed to be to work by 8:00 however the few times I have shown up that early no one has been here and I can't even get in the building, many people take 2 hour lunches (or longer) and the building clears out by 3:15 most days.

 

My biggest problem with it ends up being that I feel guilty not bad enough to actually stay for 8 hours a day but enough to where it continually nags at me.

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RecordProducer

If you don't like your employer, your only option is to quit the job. You can't change the whole system, no matter how bad it might be. Your problem is that YOU have to teach someone how to handle your tasks while you're away. Well teach them and don't complain about it. But you don't feel like doing it, right? It'll all boils down to laziness. :laugh:

 

What happens when somebody else takes a day off and asks YOU to fulfill their job?

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I also work in a very casual workplace. Most people here are salaraied and scheduled to work 8 hours a day. We are supposed to be to work by 8:00 however the few times I have shown up that early no one has been here and I can't even get in the building, many people take 2 hour lunches (or longer) and the building clears out by 3:15 most days.

 

My biggest problem with it ends up being that I feel guilty not bad enough to actually stay for 8 hours a day but enough to where it continually nags at me.

 

Yea I can relate to that... we are only a few in the office... I've been there longer than anyone and they all have no problem shortening their days... so I've kinda gone along with the flow on that now. But we also work from home at least one day a week, plus nights and weekends.

 

Because we are such a small company, there really isn't anyone to do what I do. So when vacation comes (and in 5 years, I've never taken more than 4 days away) I end up taking my laptop so that I can complete my work and not get too far behind. However, this past year when I went to the Pepsi 400, I thought my boss was going to have a coronary when I told him that I would not be taking it with me... I stuck to it and had a great time... had a lot of work piled up on my desk, but it was worth it.

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I have looked through the job listings at the university , but to be honest I am just completely soured on office work. Plus, I've worked so long in this casual but dysfunctional department, that I don't know if I could keep up with more professional people now. It's a confidence problem.

 

I just want to say... to all college students reading this... if you knew how poorly run your college or university was from an administrative standpoint, you'd be shocked. They may be shiny and impressive on the outside, but on the inside, they're totally dysfunctional and amateurish.

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