My boss is a dosser!

LegacyUser

Hi all, going unregistered on here as some people may figure out where I work and who I am if I go under my username.

I work as an EO in the civil service in a small office. The office mangement is made up of one HEO and two EOs, who have a number of clerical officers reporting to us.

Recently the other EO left, and I am taking over their work. A replacement for me on my former work isn't coming any time soon and the HEO is meant to be taking this work on. Some procedures have changed drastically since the last time the HEO had to cover this work and I need to train the HEO up. But the HEO never comes to me for training, saying they are otherwise busy, even though they know work is waiting.

I am already snowed under with my new work and can't devote any time to my old duties. Nor do I have time to remind the HEO of what has to be done. What p!sses me off is that I know only too well that the HEO isn't working at all. I have seen several things things in print queues with the HEO's name on them for online shopping sites, competitons, anything but work. When I am printing reports for my own work I frequently find the HEO's receipts in the middle of them.

Has anyone ever come across this sort of thing before? Just wondering. I am not about to do the work of two people. I have just left the work where it is.

I feel like an eejit, though, sweating me b0ll!x off on my new work, while the boss is messing around on the internet.

It might make some folk laugh, a civil servant actually working ;-).

I might mention this as upward feedback at my next review meeting.
My HEO is a generally pleasant and approachable boss, but has anyone had an instance where, yeah, they are nice to start off with but if you confronted them with anything like this, they turned on you? I've no problem with being assertive, but some people don't take kindly to criticism, even if it is politely put.

Or should I just leave it and wait for the AP (HEO's boss) to spot the shortfall?

Any feedback appreciated.

Hitchhiker's Guide to...

This is an interesting situation!

I would suggest the following:

1. Have a chat with your boss about the need for more assistance in the office. He will probably (again) say that he can't hire anyone for a while. Then you could suggest that you and he draw up a plan to make sure that the work will be done. In this written plan, his name will be written next to the tasks that he is responsible for until the new person comes in. The advantage is that it is in writing, and also he is recognising that there is a current problem with work being done in the office.

2. I wouldn't directly tell him that he is not pulling his weight. Human nature would be to turn on you, even if he doesn't give that impression when you tell him.

3. To be honest, i'd start looking to be transferred to another department. Working in a poorly performing department isn't going to look well for you, and you are probably not going to be able to change your bosses attitude.

LegacyUser

Hi Roundtower,

Thanks for the tips.

I like option 1, I might draft a plan up and discuss it with him. That way roles and responsibilites are clarified. It's not up to him to decide if we get someone new, it's to be decided by HR. Things happen very slowly where I work and it could be months before we get a new person in, despite multiple requests to HR from my boss.

A transfer isn't really an option for me either, this is a bad time and I've no doubt that if I put in a request for a transfer at this moment it would be quashed. Maybe a few more months down the line. In general, though, I'm happy with things where I am, it's just the pressure is pretty intense at the moment.


Thanks again!

RoseBlossom

Roundtower2 wrote: »

Then you could suggest that you and he draw up a plan to make sure that the work will be done. In this written plan, his name will be written next to the tasks that he is responsible for until the new person comes in. The advantage is that it is in writing, and also he is recognising that there is a current problem with work being done in the office.

How long ago did the other EO leave? Was it before you did up your role profile form for 2008?

If your RPF has you down for the tasks you used to do, you could use it as a way to raise the problem with your HEO, e.g. "Time we got around to updating our RPFs! I don't want to end up evaluated on a task I'm no longer doing" and so on. I think it's important that the work gets "assigned" to your HEO on paper, as RoundTower2 says - it can really focus the mind when it comes to increments!

I'd raise the replacement issue again - there's another EO competition at the moment and you really don't want the vacancy to last until the powers that be decide to close the current panel and wait a few months for the fresh batch to be chosen! I don't know if that happens (e.g. closing the current panel in May and waiting for the first recruits in Sept) but I'd be worried about it if I were in your situation. Realistically, there's not much your HEO can do about speeding up the process but if you could press the issue with your AP (or even PO?) it might get more attention.

Good luck!

LegacyUser

Thanks everyone for advice ...! Shouldn't have too much difficulty updating my RPF.