New joiner problems

Boseman

Hi,

I recently changed jobs (3 months ago) and still have very little to do day to day.

In my last job, I was there for almost 6 years and had worked my way up from a grad to management level while completing professional exams. My day to day was very busy and I was well thought of within the company. The job probably got a bit too much for me and during COVID I had moved location so was working remotely largely while my colleagues started to go back to the office. I decided that finding a more local base would be beneficial to further my career.

My current role is within the same industry but it turns out the local office is more of a satellite office and largely unused except for one day a week but even at that, all of the management on my team is in Dublin and my colleagues often don't come in on that day. I have gotten very little training but saying that I have no problem doing the actual job. The problem is, I have very little to do. I'm trying to be proactive and reaching out regularly to see if anyone wants assistance on anything. I have very little interaction day to day and feel very isolated. I actually suspect several members of my team are not busy at all and are happy enough to plod along.

I feel like I have made a career mistake joining this company but don't want to give up too soon as I am conscious that it will take a while to get used to a new company. However I think the signs are not good and don't want to waste my time either.

My boss is a nice guy and very easy to talk to. He's not in my office though and could very easily go most of the week without talking to him. I do message him regularly when I am quiet to see if he wants me to help with something. I don't get much back though and if I do it's most often a medial task. I know he's very busy so I don't want to be hassling him all the time also as I am meant to be a professional and want to try and find work.

Any thoughts on my situation? I don't want to bite the bullet too early and am in a situation where I'm earning a good salary with a very easy day to day currently. Saying all that, I'm not ready for that in my life currently and want to progress my career.

z80CPU

If you're not get any frosty glances from colleagues stay put and keep your head down.

Go to the Christmas party too.

Markcheese

Start looking for a new position -

If you start making waves for others in an established team where you"re remote from the team its not going to look good .

when you get a review , you could marked down as either difficult, a troublemaker or even ineffective or lazy ,

If you bring to the attention of your boss how minor your role is ,the next time theres pressure to reduce numbers youre posistion could be the easiest to chop..

It sounds like your immediate boss isnt great at delegating , prefering to shoulder most of the work ,

Have you kept a record of you asking to do more? For extra training ,or to assist outside your current role, ?

Just for your own peace of mind ,

Sounds like youre bored and need more ,

And if you havent been there that long its easy to get rid of you,

Start looking elsewhere , if your current posistion improves before you get a better job , you've lost very little ..

Boseman

Thanks for your responses. I'll give a more detailed response later this evening.

To give a more practical example as I have in my head today, I asked a colleague who I helped on Friday is she needed a hand with anything, she didn't need anything. I then checked with my boss who said he didn't have anything but to check with another colleague who likely will need assistance. I checked with her and she also declined and is now out of office for the afternoon.

If I wanted to, I could probably do absolutely nothing this afternoon and no one would notice.

mickdw

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121391966#Comment_121391966

As an overworked and underpaid self employed person, where do I sign up?

Boseman

I understand that and this time last year, I thought I would never complain about such a situation but it's obviously unsustainable given that I'm still under probation and adding very little value currently.

Drummerboy2

Perhaps look at how you can improve the current processes. Take on some in house courses perhaps

RurtBeynolds

Can you use the spare time you have for other things? Upskilling/training? If they're happy to pay you to do nothing then I'd make the most of it.

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121392034#Comment_121392034

If you are doing all the tasks required and are asking for extra work I can't see how they can fail your probation.

Have you asked your other co workers is it always this quite?

spaceHopper

Were you replacing somebody or is this a new position.

I’d talk to your manager and basically ask for written job specification and more rewarding work. Don’t say you’re thinking of leaving but do say you are not challenged sufficiently.

Nothing will happen between now and January but in January there will be more hiring so start looking. Never mind that you are in the job a wet weekend. Simply say the role isn’t what you expected and you are looking for something more engaging / challenging.

If you manager give you a more defined role and more to do great, if not you’ve started the process of moving on. 

Wanderer2010

Whats wrong with very little interaction? This sounds like a dream job: only see the boss once a week, management based in Dublin so nobody breathing down your neck and no annoying colleagues. Im struggling to see the issue?

It will take another few months for you to naturally adjust to a quieter pace of work. Why not make this a positive and fill downtime with hobbies, phone calls or reading a few books. In another couple of weeks you will love it.

Sonic the Shaghog

Had a friend with a similar outlook and nearly the same situation as yourself in accounting. He moved to another company for "the challenge"

He was only in the role few weeks and ended up with accounts outside of Ireland and having to remain in the office until 11pm regularly due to time difference and plenty of other work piled on. He wasn't long changing his tune and is happy out in a "boring with nothing to do" position somewhere else now.

Be careful what you wish for.

herbalplants

Gosh sounds like a great job. Just learn to relax.

Clareman

I would say that if you're doing your job and your boss doesn't have anything else for you to do you're probably a bit over qualified for what you are doing, what would take another person a day to do you are doing in half a day, in your previous job you constantly looked to "climb the ladder" so you were constantly taking more on.

My advice, do your job but take on as much training as you can, springboard will be starting soon, do a course linked to work if you can and do it on work time. You are just 3 months in, there will be a lot of doubts creeping in and this time of year people tend to be finishing stuff off knowing that there's a load of stuff to finish off for year end.

gameoverdude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121391998#Comment_121391998

That's your own problem.

The op is looking to do more

Op: ask for more. You mentioned you were a manager. You have to manage yourself as well.

If the company is crap, look elsewhere.