I'm too important

[RoJoHen]

Is anybody else too important at their place of employment? I know I am. Because we have so few people who are trained to do my job, I am stuck working way too many hours and am unable to take any amount of time off. I have been working 6-7 days every single week. Yesterday I got stuck working a 15-hour day, on my feet, without a single break because nobody else could do it.

I generally like my job, for what it's worth, but I wish I wasn't so important. I want to be one of the part-time minions who can go on vacations and not be missed. Hell, I would be happy with 2 days off in the same week.

Anybody else feel this way?

Luckily, we're in the process of training some new people, but it's gonna be a while before that has a decent effect on the schedule.

 

[BolianAuthor]

Be thankful you have steady work and pay... many of us are not so lucky, myself included. Wish I had a job to bitch about, lol.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I can tell you that no matter how much you might think you are too important to lose, unless you own the business you are expendable.

Why can't additional people be trained to take some of the off of you, RoJoHen? If my job expected me to work 15 hours a day for no extra pay I'd find a new one.

 

[RoJoHen]

I can tell you that no matter how much you might think you are too important to lose, unless you own the business you are expendable.

I am expendable, but if they fired me, they'd be completely fucked.

Why can't additional people be trained to take some of the off of you, RoJoHen? If my job expected me to work 15 hours a day for no extra pay I'd find a new one.

We're in the process of training people now, but it takes 3-4 weeks to train one person. Now, the real question is, why haven't they trained anybody new in the last 2 years?

Also, I am hourly, and I get overtime, so it's not like I'm not getting paid for it. But right now some time off would be more valuable to me.

 

[STR]

I can tell you that no matter how much you might think you are too important to lose, unless you own the business you are expendable.

I am expendable, but if they fired me, they'd be completely fucked.

Umm...that means you're not expendable. You're fire-able, yes, but expendable means you can be disposed of without a material loss in productivity. Unless your job blows, that usually means you have some leverage to get some time off if you demand it.

 

[RoJoHen]

Okay, fine. I'm not expendable.

I'm not really fire-able, either. I mean, I technically am because I'm at at-will employee, but they wouldn't dare try to do it. They can't afford to pay me unemployment.

 

[STR]

Captain, I see leverage off the port bow, plotting intercept course.

 

[RoJoHen]

Leverage to accomplish what, though?

 

[STR]

To get yourself a day off or 5. Or more money, or a free hooker. It's leverage, it's at your discretion how to piss it away.

 

[RoJoHen]

Nope, couldn't do it, not without leaving the place unstaffed. That's the problem. The only other people who could cover my shifts are in the exact same boat I am. So I can't take time off without forcing them to work even more.

 

[STR]

Then I suggest you work with the other "competent" people to work out a system where you guys take turns being off so everyone gets a short break without completely burning everyone else out. Just a few days off to decompress does wonders for one's happiness. Hell, even in war time people get rotated away from the front for a while.

Or ask for the hooker. Your call.

 

[RoJoHen]

We rotate as best we can, but it's impossible to do any better than we're doing right now. It's annoying because our boss insists on training new people one at a time. I would much rather train several people at once so they can all just be done with it and get on the schedule.

 

[sidious618]

I do private tutoring. It's tough to get clients but once you get them you become pretty locked in (watch, tomorrow I get a call telling me to fuck off ) because it makes parents feel good when their kids works at home with someone.

 

[STR]

We rotate as best we can, but it's impossible to do any better than we're doing right now. It's annoying because our boss insists on training new people one at a time. I would much rather train several people at once so they can all just be done with it and get on the schedule.

Well...hmm...there's still the hooker...

 

[Aragorn]

I'm too important for the time being. It would really hurt my workplace if I quit now (especially right now), but in a month they might be able to somewhat recover after all the bumps and bruises of breaking in my replacement.

It's funny how my position is probably near the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to full time positions there, but my responsibilities are massive.

 

[RJDiogenes]

That's how it was for me at my old job. Nobody could do what I did and it was taking them forever to get an automated system in place. I was working about ten hours a day, carrying a pager nights and weekends and went for about twelve years without a vacation. When I finally walked out (for a completely different reason), they were without any way to track statistics or manage Quality Improvement for well over a year.

 

[Cheapjack]

I would have thought that the best attititude to take to employees, is that they're all important.

Starting off with a denigratory attitude that they are selfish and lazy and less important than me, wouldn't be my starting point as an employer. Though, maybe, some people have an insight into human nature that I don't have.

 

[Jan]

I learned a couple of important lessons when I was 23 and almost ended up in the hospital after working months of 17-20-hour days:

Lesson # 1: As long as you keep trying to do everything, they'll let you because your overtime is cheaper than hiring the people needed.

Lesson # 2: If you don't do whatever it is, they'll either find somebody else who will or it didn't really need doing. Most of the time it's the latter.

Good luck.

Jan

 

[Cheapjack]

Have any of you read the making of Star Trek, by Stephen whitfield? Leonard Nimoy said working a 60 hour week drove him nuts,and he had saturday and sunday off.

What is wrong with people? Why do people think it is normal, now? It's bad for you to work that long and what time do you have to enjoy the money you earn? People aren't pigs, they're people.

Jeez.

 

[Mr Awe]

I can tell you that no matter how much you might think you are too important to lose, unless you own the business you are expendable.

I am expendable, but if they fired me, they'd be completely fucked.

Why can't additional people be trained to take some of the off of you, RoJoHen? If my job expected me to work 15 hours a day for no extra pay I'd find a new one.

We're in the process of training people now, but it takes 3-4 weeks to train one person. Now, the real question is, why haven't they trained anybody new in the last 2 years?

Also, I am hourly, and I get overtime, so it's not like I'm not getting paid for it. But right now some time off would be more valuable to me.

I'd agree with RM. Also, if you were so important, you'd be raking in the dough right now. Are you? You're probably doing OK, but probably not rich either, I'm guessing.

And 3-4 weeks training really isn't so much. Someone would need at least 6 years of training for my job, and I'm expendable.

This is not to say you're not important. And, I can bet that you do great work. It seems like you take doing a good job seriously, which is great! Just be sure to live some. Get some time off, push for it.

Mr Awe