A couple of weeks ago, I posted about not being given enough at work. Everyone else around me seems like they are swamped with work and way too busy. Boredom is killing me but my manager doesn't have any more work for me. So, I try to look busy. I attend meetings for the sake of attending meetings. I also pretend to look busy when people come by. The holidays were slow but it seems like I have more slower periods than busier ones. I am also working on side projects and when someone comes by, I quickly change screens and minimize what I'm doing. Am I the only one doing this? What does a typical day at work look like for you?
9 replies (most recent on top)
If you're a developer, sitting around while you're waiting for work is one of the worst things you can do from a future career perspective. Take this time to learn a new language, obtain a certification, or work on an internal project. You will in essence be getting paid to enhance your resume if you play your cards right, and given the extraordinarily unstable future everyone has at NewCo, preparing for the future is in your best interest.
"not being given enough at work" 2 questions about this:
1) Why are you waiting to be given work???? You can't find something useful to do on your own?
2) Why don't you seem to realize that you can choose to do something that will be of value to your group that will also look good on the resume? Preferably something where you can take advantage of all the tools, software and equipment that are always lying around at HPE that you won't have access to outside of HPE.
Unless you are out looking for better opportunities now, it doesn't matter how much "training" you do when the WFR notice arrives. Your best chance to smoothly transition to a new, better employer is to be pro-active. If you can find meaningful projects to work on, by all means, work on them, because work experience is what potential employers will ask about - but none of that matters when the axe does fall; the minute you are fired (for being a loyal employee expecting a career) you suddenly have a big black mark on your CV. Even keeping busy won't help that... you can't expect a job to march up to you.
All that said, find something productive to do that will look good to prospective employers and start looking now. Both of those things are important to your future.
211v - you are spot on. I'm happy to be an individual contributor who has work to keep me busy and learning. Beats sitting around and waiting for the axe to fall, make yourself ready for whatever happens next.
OP you sum up a lot of what is wrong at HP/HPE. The fact it goes unnoticed that you are contributing nothing shows how inept a lot of the management are. Graduates including post graduates these days do no know how to knuckle down and get involved in real work. I've worked in HPE a couple of years and have done well as an individual contributor. You have to put the effort in and produce results to get noticed. If you don't even try or are clueless to what is going on then you will be forgotten about. I have tried to mentor a number of graduates and none of them so far have shown they have got what it takes. It is pretty depressing and annoying to observe, many of them still are in college mode because they can get away with it and see others who came before them carry on in that way. I am no fan of Meg Whitman, the board and higher management, far from it, I just ensure I am always learning & contributing so when the time comes that we are let go or I have had enough my skills have been kept honed and I am ready for a role elsewhere. It sure beats moaning about doing nothing, I can't remember or imagine one day when I have been doing nothing. Some I guess are just not cut out for what they are doing so should do all and themselves a favour by doing something else.
@gqn Thank You! I too am living a fully realized and gratifying life -elsewhere.
I'm an order management rep in the US and my workload is largely dependent upon whether sales is selling anything and getting those PO's in. I'm basically only ever busy during month ends/quarter ends, and when I say busy, I mean slammed, 12 hour days.
The rest of the time, I websurf the majority of the day, sometimes I get a quote request or two. Sales just isn't pulling in the business as much as they used to, seems to just only be at the last minute/month end cutoffs now. I support the SW business.
@-gqn EXCELLENT post.
I have a long commute into work, which is rough.... but I walk into the office, I smile. I'm early, working on several projects that are important to the company. I have one-on-ones with my leader every two weeks, which is nice, he's given me constructive feedback, and I'm told it's likely there will be a discussion about compensation and a bonus in a few months. The work is very rewarding, but the atmosphere is even better... lots of competent people around me, busy, often, driven to do well for the company. We do get rewards.... tomorrow they are catering a big lunch, often lots of food in the kitchen - enough the I've had to cut back myself and start some exercise, LOL. Today, I'm having access issues with some projects, but an e-mail gets a quick response and it's done. My e-mail inbox is filled with congrats to a colleague celebrating 27 years with the company, another chain of e-mails is discussing the successful launch of an application with heartfelt appreciation for the engineering team responsible.
If it was Monday, I could tell you about the new hires... not replacements, but always new hires on Mondays, and an afternoon filled with "side projects" or training (our choice).
I wish I could tell you this was HPE, but I left that job a few months ago. At HPE I was miserable when I went into work, and struggled to stay busy (let alone motivated). I felt like the life was draining out of me. Free food? Um, no... our HPE offices had a large cafeteria with expensive items, and the whole building was in the middle of a bad area. You didn't feel safe walking to your car sometimes.
Yeah, my new job is rewarding on so many levels. They don't pinch pennies, they don't consider employees "costly resources" to be ground into dust. They've never "laid off" anybody. The drive is rough... but I have opportunities to work from home, and I'll be able to do it more regularly (perhaps fulltime even) as I become more established.
If you don't smile when you walk into work, get out now... don't waste any time. HPE will grind you down and spit you out. Leave on your own terms. There are better places to work.