Down time
Down time isn't great. You're bored, your boss thinks that you're not doing much and everyone seems to be losing.
I sometimes see people surfing the net or having pointless conversations (and hence stealing the time of others) as they haven't got enough to do.
Well, without doubt it can be very hard to self-motivate yourself when you haven't got much to do. Each request or task starts becoming a chore or at the very least a distraction from watching sport live on the web or perhaps doing your shopping on line.
So what should you really do?
• Remember that one of the most effective ways to get on in business is to impress your boss. So tell them the situation as it is. Hey, what if they decide to make you redundant? Well, to be fair I can't legislate for that but what I can say is that all the managers I have worked for have held me in high esteem for my honesty and transparency. This has culminated in them having the trust to send more, normally juicy, work down my way. Now let's make this clear. If you are being lazy and simply not doing the work you are meant to be doing that is bad. However, if you have completed all your work to an acceptable standard (or higher) then that's good. I can't give guarantees here, but if I was a betting man I would expect your boss to see such honesty and openness as a good rather than bad attribute.
• However, before you go running to your boss you should really make sure that you have done all you can from an added value point of view. Like what? Well, like this:
o Review your weekly (or other frequency) task list to ensure all the jobs have been done. Complete the ones that you have pushed to the bottom of the list time and time again. If they are of no value then discuss this with your boss and get permission to eliminate them; they may not agree with your point of view but it is certainly worth a try.
o Review the way you work to see whether you can come up with any ideas to help you do your job better (your boss should admire you for this).
o Review your work area to see whether there are any other added value tasks you could perform.
o See whether you can assist other team members if they are struggling. Do this in a transparent manner so you receive the credit where this is due.
• If none of the above yield more work then consider the following:
o Read more widely (trade press, relevant articles etc). Let your boss know that you are doing this as they will enjoy seeing the initiative you are demonstrating.
o Offer to assist others outside your department if that is possible.
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