Given someone else's work... 1

[Nodiggity]

I was given another engineer's work cause he wasn't getting it done. This is in addition to my own work. He wasn't fired and now doesn't have much responsibility. He sits there and reads the paper while I work. He's been around a lot longer than myself, is one title above myself, and probably makes $20,000 more than me a year. I'm by far the youngest in the department and I get results.

Should I ask for a larger (8% or greater) raise?

Should I request to be promoted to the same title?

Am I being taken advantage of?

 

[GregLocock]

Yes, yes and yes.

Quite what the outcome would be I am not sure.

On the other hand - do you have time to do all that you are asked in a normal week? ie without working unpaid overtime?

Why not ask him to give you a hand on some of this stuff?



Cheers

Greg Locock

 

[Nodiggity]

My work is so open-ended that most of it never really gets "done". I work on what I can and the rest of it waits for another day.

I don't work many extra hours because I'm not paid for it. If I was, I would.

He does help out but that's not the point.

 

[SlideRuleEra]

Suggest that you apply some pressure, tempered with patience. Management may we "waiting" to see if the employee will get bored and voluntarily move on. If this happens (in a reasonable length of time) but you still don't get the pay & promotion, you will have the answer.

http://www.SlideRuleEra.net

 

[Nodiggity]

The employee has been there for 20+ years and isn't going anywhere voluntarily.

I would like a promotion but then I'd have the same title as others in the department that could be my dad and I don't think it would go over too well.

 

[GregLocock]

I wouldn't be too sure about that - at 26 I was at the highest technical non-supervisory grade in the organisation. I still am at 45!



Cheers

Greg Locock

 

[HVAC68]

I have a slightly different view point. Do you enjoy your work ? That includes the work which you got in addition to your 20+ year experienced colleague. If yes, enjoy working.

I have never ever asked for a raise throughout my 14 + years of working life. I felt I was always recognised for my work and paid accordingly, except on a couple of occasions when it probably got delayed for whatever reasons. Once I felt I was being taken for a ride, and my superiors were just using me and not worried about my growth, I quit that company.

The above may or may not apply in your case.

HVAC68

 

[TheTick]

a human resources fable...

As told to me by my friend, a corporate HR type...

A man is driving a wagon pulled by two horses through the desert. One horse works hard, the other horse barely pulls hard enough to not be an added burden.

When there is trouble, like going uphill or being stuck in a rut, the driver whips the hard-working horse. This is because he knows whipping the lazy horse will do no good.

It all ends on the day they are crossing a swollen river. The lazy horse stops for a nap, the beaten horse finally has had enough and quits, and they all find eternal rest.

The kicker is that your colleague knows exactly what he's doing! The boss likely knows and tolerates it for whatever lame dysfunctional reason.

Tick's law of business anthropology #1:
Bull$[η]!+ continues only because someone allows it to.

I could be the world's greatest underachiever, if I could just learn to apply myself.

http://www.EsoxRepublic.com

-SolidWorks API VB programming help

 

[jmw]

Negotiate!

Be aware that when you take on extra work, if it means that

My work is so open-ended that most of it never really gets "done". I work on what I can and the rest of it waits for another day.

it could mean that you are not performing to the best of your ability in any area.

There is a danger here that the engineer who sits and reads his paper can show that what he does do, gets done. You are only able to show lots of incomplete work despite working all the time.

There are only so many hours in the day. You may need to negotiate what work is to be done.
When given a new task, get it clearly defined and ask for your work to be prioritised and make good estimates of time involved.
Also, don't consider it "extra work" but new work.
There is a difference. If you are given new work with other work still in progress, you need to make it clear that you can only do so much and cannot complete other tasks.
Ask your boss what his priorities are and what work you should drop. You need him to be aware of the impact of adding new work to your workload.

You need to make your time management problems your boss's so that he fully understands what happens and why.
The alternative is that without understanding why you don't finish anything, they will think you are a poor worker, not a good one.

Don' try to do too much and don't let anyone try to make you do too much. Don't be obstructive, just share the problem of time management with your boss. After all, he has to be responsible for timely completion of tasks. He may not recognise this as a resource problem and he may end up thinking you are the one who is not capable of doing the work.

You know, there is a message here, and you have outlined it clearly, the guy who reads a paper is less stressed, completes his work and gets paid more and is more senior. YOU may be the one who is subsidising his life style! and taking the risks.

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[Ron]

You mention that you only would put in extra hours if paid for it. That's not a professional approach. As engineers, we must consider that we are professionals and will put in the extra effort. Otherwise, you're just an hourly employee doing something that will eventually become a commodity service.

Put in the extra effort...show you're worth the extra bucks. If they don't come through, go elsewhere, but don't whine about conditions if you're not willing to put in the effort to progress yourself.

 

[Nodiggity]

I do not work a flat 40 every week. I average 42-45 hours per week.

 

[APH]

1. Look at the work that is given. is it something that you think will increase your skill and mechanical skill..hence..make your resume good. If yes, then just do it as best you can.
2. Look at it as a chance to impress your boss.
3. When you are the youngest one around, it is very tough environment.

Tell your boss to prioritize your task. This is very important. keep him updated everyweek. and remember, when you are ready to do those 3 things you mentioned, is your "bargaining power" high enough. If itsn't it will be a boomerang for you.

I did this for 3 years, getting bullied around, do all the leg work, and all that. It was mentally tough, but I manage to suck it up an I ended up learning so many things. When the layoff season comes around, I was one of the 3 MEs who survived out of 16...U know why, because I was cheaper and more productive than those guys.

I think the key is to keep your boss(es) updated on what you are doing.

Cheers.
APH

 

[jsummerfield]

He couldn't get the job done so they handed it to you.
He is reading the paper with no responsibilities.
He wasn't fired.

YET!!!
It normally takes a while for a department manager and HR to "build a file" on someone prior to firing. Reading the paper while you do work that he couldn't handle are two points that go into that file.

Do your job and let the system work through the deal.

John

 

[HgTX]

That assumes the system works.

Hg

 

[BJC]

jsummerfield
He could have those legendary pictures of someone with a goat.
A good reason never to drink at company picnic.

 

[DRC1]

As I see it, you are being suckered. Tell your manager this is not right. Its okay to help if the guy is swamped, but why should you do his work so he can kick back. I would tell the guy to do his own work. If this goes on long enough, no matter what happens, you will be resentful and cynical. I say this company and you are not a good match and it is time to move on.

 

[Ron]

Nodiggity....If you are only averaging 42-45 hours a week, I wouldn't consider that you have been overly burdened by anything. That's not much. If you had stated that you couldn't get all of your work done in 65 or 70 hours of effort because of the extra load, and no one seemed to care, I'd be right there with you. A 2-5 hour increase in your work week as a salaried professional is minimal. I would question why you aren't doing more than that on a routine basis.

Your attitude of "I don't work many extra hours because I'm not paid for it. If I was, I would", is exactly why you aren't paid for it. Management are sometimes not the idiots you consider them to be. They probably see more than you realize and now is the time for you to "step up to the plate" if you want to be recognized.

 

[APH]

I'd be more carefull to spend more than 45 hours/week. I did in my early years and it didn't benefit me. 40-50 hours is OK, not more than that.

1. You can be taken adavantage by willing working long hours. Your boss will fill you with more work, thinking that you are OK to work long hours.

2. In my experience, 8-9 hours/day is enough to make my eyes really sore at the end of the day. detail attention is reduced, you can make more mistake that way. Your brain is exhausted after that.

3. If you are tired after work, you can't do anything else outside work, unless you have no life outside work.


If your boss gave you someone's els work ,while others are chilling, then I'm pretty sure that he can't manage his engineer, and he will continue to shuffle work to you as long as he can.

 

[BJC]

APH
I think the goal should be 40 Hrs average. Your paid for your knowledge not your time. You want to get paid by the hour become a teamster or an electrican.
50 hrs some weeks 32 hrs sometime in the summer. Even on those 32 hr weeks don't most of us still think about work? Do you ever solve problems somewhere besides your desk or your cube?

 

[HgTX]

Except that somehow those 32-hour weeks aren't nearly as acceptable to management as the 50-hour weeks.

In the "you can't win" department--you can work long hours to show how dedicated you are, and then they might say that you must not be managing your time well if you need to stay so late.

Hg