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There are a lot of threads on here with people approaching burnout, and lots of good advice from the assembled ranks of IT middle managers 😉
It strikes me that we should pull all those nuggets of good advice into place - almost like a wiki - and add to it over time.
For example, what are your ninja tricks with email? I don't bother with multiple folders to store email - dump everything into a single "reference" file and rely on search for what I want/need to find.
So, what are your tips for not just surviving, but thriving in the increasingly (stupidly) pressured world of white collar office work?
My emails are just in sent 2020, received 2020, sent 2021 etc folders. Inbox and sent are current calendar year only. Anything more than 3 years old is trashed as it will be out of date.
Emails I’m only cc’d on are marked as read an flagged a different colour.
I use MS to do to keep track of some stuff. Never managed to get my head round the best way to use one note, so a combination of to do and a notepad txt file called todo.txt is how I cope. Works for me.
It strikes me that we should pull all those nuggets of good advice into place – almost like a wiki – and add to it over time.
Applies to a good proportion of threads on here, e.g. tyre threads.
The STW forum does have the ability to have sticky threads (there's one at the top of the members forum right now in yellow). In other forums this is often used to create an index of links to really useful knowledge-base like threads.
Obviously the downside is it reduces forum traffic from people asking and answering the same questions over and over again.
Never complete any surveys sent out by HR and never read any mass internal emails, never attend 'all staff' meetings. On the offchance I miss anything important - rare - it will filter through to me somehow.
Treat all mandatory e-learning as an exercise in how quickly I can click through something without reading any of the words. That makes the tests at the end more fun too 😀
For mandatory training if there's any quiz just make a spreadsheet of the answers so you can get the pass.
For example, what are your ninja tricks with email? I don’t bother with multiple folders to store email – dump everything into a single “reference” file and rely on search for what I want/need to find.
These days I leave it alone. Everything is in Inbox, Outlook has a search function. Life's too short to be fannying about with pointless folders but if you must do that then set up rules to automate it.
So, what are your tips for not just surviving, but thriving in the increasingly (stupidly) pressured world of white collar office work?
Stop working extra hours for free, you do a job to get paid. Stop telling yourself "if I don't do it, it won't get done" - well, it won't get done then, will it. Your employer under-resourcing is not your problem and as long as you carry on doing the work of two people they'll never take on extra staff because why would they when they've got some useful idiot already doing the work.
Despite what people who come up with business bullshit like "company values" might tell you, your employer doesn't give a shit about you, you're simply a necessary evil. If they thought they didn't need you they'd bin you in a heartbeat and you'd be forgotten within a few weeks.
Stop doing pointless work, filter what's actually important.
A couple of years ago I had a (IT Middle) Manager introduce timesheets, we had a meeting with him papping on about how vitally important it was to be able to demonstrate our utilisation. I was frankly offended, I took the stance that if you don't trust your staff then either you've got the wrong staff or the wrong manager. I'd been there like a decade, they'd run out of superlatives to add to my job title, and now all of a sudden I need to justify my existence? So I thought "**** that" and simply ignored it.
It was never mentioned again. Had I complied I'd have spent hours of my life writing "10:00-10:05 - went for a poo. 17:00-17:30 - filling in timesheets." etc for absolutely no reason.
I use Monday for more or less everything now. Great tool with the stupidest name ever.
Fully understand the "out of office" settings on your work email and use it. Understand the "Do not disturb" settings on your mobile phone/slack/teams etc. and use these too.
For further information, look up the Peter Principle or, alternatively, the works and achievements of Arnold Judas Rimmer BSc, SSc
sleep on anything you are about to send that could be controversial.
identify as quick as you can who are the energy vampires. don't feed them. silence in meetings is great, and even easier to do now it's remote. eventually they will run out of steam and shut up letting you actually get on with your job.
do not take on extra responsibility with extra pay. it's weird in the office world you are expected to do the job for x months / years before you can be promoted. absolute mugs game. how do you think the convo with a builder would go when you ask for extra stuff without paying for it?
if you want to progress, unless you are in a very good company, the quickest and easiest route is bullshit your way into another company. stay for approx 2 years then move onwards and upwards before anyone cottons on you don't actually know your arse from your elbow. rinse and repeat until directorhood. in the office world this is basically the end game, where you cannot be fired without a massive handout and basically you will never fail as its always someone else fault
you will get further if you are good at bullshit, if you are actually good at your job as well that's a bonus.
Regognise that email and chat messages are asynchronous communications. You don't need to reply immediately. Finish what you are doing and deal with them in bulk.
Arrange to do things that mean you have to leave work at a reasonable time. Meeting a mate for a run at 6 means I have to leave at 5.30... rather than stay and 'just get a few more things done'.
10:00-10:05 – went for a poo.
5 minutes? Schoolboy error there.
When I go on holiday, my out of office message reads " I am on leave until *.*.*, it is impossible for me to read and catch up on all the emails I receive during this time, therefore if the matter is important please contact me again on my return" and then when I return I just mark everything as read and deal with the new shit.
It felt quite liberating to start doing this.
Don't sweat the small stuff, don't imagine you are indispensable. If you enjoy your job, that's a huge bonus, but it's still only a job, not your life.
I invented the onebox decades ago before it was trendy. Searching is much quicker than filing and tagging!
10:00-10:05 – went for a poo.
5 minutes? Schoolboy error there.
Absolutely, and with kindle on phones now, you don't even have to hide a book on the way out of the office.
As above you are paid for your hours, if they give you to much work, then tough it won't get done. Too little then also tough, as i can always find other interesting things to do that may or may not benefit the company
When I go on holiday, my out of office message reads ” I am on leave until *.*.*, it is impossible for me to read and catch up on all the emails I receive during this time, therefore if the matter is important please contact me again on my return” and then when I return I just mark everything as read and deal with the new shit.
Not sure I'd have gotten away with that, but I did used to set my return date as the day after I returned (if of for a week or longer) so that I could use that day to get back up to date and be savage with my inbox.
Never complete any surveys sent out by HR and never read any mass internal emails, never attend ‘all staff’ meetings. On the offchance I miss anything important – rare – it will filter through to me somehow.
I work with some people like this, they wear their ignorance like a badge of honour and waste everybody else's time trying to figure out what's going on.
No doubt it's different at your place though.
Umm yes, I wondered about that as well... if I had one tip for a stress reduced life I'd say that if you want to get form as a 'maverick' 😉 you'd better be damn good at what you do, and know how to bend around process and policy else you'll just be a pain in the backside and best used as cannon fodder.
Stop working extra hours for free, you do a job to get paid. Stop telling yourself “if I don’t do it, it won’t get done” – well, it won’t get done then, will it. Your employer under-resourcing is not your problem and as long as you carry on doing the work of two people they’ll never take on extra staff because why would they when they’ve got some useful idiot already doing the work.
I'll do it when not doing it would mean a load of extra stress. Say, if me not sorting something out now will mean things will proceed in multiple wrong directions for a while which I'll then have to clear up.
Despite what people who come up with business bullshit like “company values” might tell you
They remind me of the before vs. after commandments from Animal Farm. And the mental gymnastics to interpret them in a way such that they don't get in the way of anything.
do not take on extra responsibility with extra pay. it’s weird in the office world you are expected to do the job for x months / years before you can be promoted.
Ha, good enough to do the job, good enough to lie to customers about your title, but not good enough to actually have the title and be paid for it.
When I go on holiday, my out of office message reads ” I am on leave until *.*.*, it is impossible for me to read and catch up on all the emails I receive during this time, therefore if the matter is important please contact me again on my return” and then when I return I just mark everything as read and deal with the new shit.
It felt quite liberating to start doing this.
I think this works for the individual, but is net damaging for the team and others they work with.
#42: you do not need to reply to every message or request. You do not need to correct everyone that you think is wrong.
Auto delete anything you’re CCed into. They’re doing it to either look important or to cover their arse. Neither is your problem.
Personally, I treat my inbox as a to do list. If it’s in there I need to do something with it, as soon as I have it gets moved out.
Log off on time and take your breaks. Make a big deal of the times you can’t and get the time back somehow.
Keep lunches clear of meetings. If you put a meeting in my diary between 12 and 2 you can be sure I’ll be suggesting an alternative time. Same with Friday afternoons.
Learn to say no. It’s OK to turn down stuff, and you rarely need a reason to do so.
And whilst you’re at it learn to work out what is your problem and what is someone trying to make it your problem. You have to deal with the latter, your sure as hell don’t deal with the former.
Use your benefits. I know so many colleagues who don’t use the perks (healthcare, partner schemes, etc.) their company have, providers bank on it.
Related, book house healthcare in work time. Trip to the chiropodist that I can claim back on the work scheme? You’re damn right that’ll be at 10am and not 6pm.
Turn your work phone off at the end of the day and back on at the start. Don’t feel you need to be on top of your emails before the day starts, emails are work and so should be dealt with on work time. And please don’t even think about downloading any work apps to your personal phone.
That’s a starter, I’ll add more in due course.
If you put a meeting in my diary between 12 and 2 you can be sure I’ll be suggesting an alternative time. Same with Friday afternoons.
So for around a third of your working week you are not available for work? Fair enough.
Never complete any surveys sent out by HR and never read any mass internal emails, never attend ‘all staff’ meetings. On the offchance I miss anything important – rare – it will filter through to me somehow.
I work with some people like this, they wear their ignorance like a badge of honour and waste everybody else’s time trying to figure out what’s going on.
No doubt it’s different at your place though.
@sc-xc next time I need an update on the air conditioning repair on the third floor, I'll be sure to pester you for the info 😉
for around a third of your working week you are not available for work?
No he said he's unavailable for meetings, perhaps trying to get some work done instead.
So for around a third of your working week you are not available for work? Fair enough
No.
I’m available for work, I will in fact be working, but I’m not available for meetings.
Edit, as above.
Haha, OK.
Perhaps it's just the sector I work in that means I have to work/respond/be available to meet people when they need it, not when it suits me.
Another who doesn't read cc'd email
I have a recurring meeting set up 12-1 every day so I show unavailable on the scheduling assistant and I don't feel guilty for it.
I'll answer phone calls but don't schedule something that probably could have been an email in my lunch time.
Perhaps it’s just the sector I work in that means I have to work/respond/be available to meet people when they need it, not when it suits me.
The problem for most people is we are not meant to be in meetings, responding to emails or answering phones all day. As an engineer, they are "tools" that can help with projects and work, but if not controlled can absolutely smash my productivity.
So actually closing your email client, apart from time you set every couple of hours to deal with emails can be a good thing.
As can shutting down teams etc when you need to concentrate (I even occasionally leave my phone of the hook).
I also used to have an app on my last laptop which blocked my access to distraction like STW om a timer which I couldn't alter once set, unfortunately corporate IT now block everything, where we used to be able to request some stuff.
This isn't about being uncooperative or not being a team player, it is about taking some control of your environment to do you job more effectively, rather than letting everyone else drain you time and willpower.
Learn to only open your email 3 times a day. If someone really wants something, email is a poor way to get it - that's what messaging is for.
Lwarn to leave meetings.
In an open plan office environment scroll to 90% and position your browser such that the photos of bikes and associated paraphernalia are just off the right hand of the screen and STW can look quite like an innocuous work-related thing ... although those yellow likes aren't really helping.
Try to avoid spitting tea across your screen when laughing at STW threads.
Try to avoid spitting tea in the faces of your co-workers (like some kind of angry corporate cobra) when they insist on sending instant messages to follow up on their email about the air conditioning unit on the third floor.
'Accept that some things are never going to get done' is the best bit of advice I ever received at work.
The best thing you can do is be cooperative and polite, but clear in your boundaries and able to stand up for yourself and say no in a way that doesn't cause a shit storm.
Thank **** I don't work in an office. Need to fill out paperwork at the end of a 12 hour shift but I can do this in 30 minutes. I've had a few opportunities to go work in the office for more money but screw that.
Well before IT was a thing we had a useful technique for incoming correspondence. Leave it in the in basket until someone chases it. If it's not chased it wasn't important.