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How to politely decline unproductive jobs assigned by my manager?
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I'm working on contract basis with an IT giant. Since I have good experience on the project which I'm working now my manager asks me to train the new recruits whenever they join. Giving knowledge transfer (KT) to more than one person is consuming ample amount of my working hours and most of the time I end up working extra hours to compensate the time consumed in KT. Also I never add these working hours ( KT hours ) in my timsheet.
Now, as days goes by my work load is piling up and I'm not able to give my fullest in the project due to these non productive activities. Somebody please tell me a way to work around this situation so that I can politely say or hint my manager that I'm not comfortable on these jobs?
project-management productivity time-management
edited Nov 25 '15 at 7:38
Llopis
1441415
asked Nov 24 '15 at 18:21
San_man
3781311
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
25
down vote
favorite
I'm working on contract basis with an IT giant. Since I have good experience on the project which I'm working now my manager asks me to train the new recruits whenever they join. Giving knowledge transfer (KT) to more than one person is consuming ample amount of my working hours and most of the time I end up working extra hours to compensate the time consumed in KT. Also I never add these working hours ( KT hours ) in my timsheet.
Now, as days goes by my work load is piling up and I'm not able to give my fullest in the project due to these non productive activities. Somebody please tell me a way to work around this situation so that I can politely say or hint my manager that I'm not comfortable on these jobs?
project-management productivity time-management
edited Nov 25 '15 at 7:38
Llopis
1441415
asked Nov 24 '15 at 18:21
San_man
3781311
150
Why don't you put those hours on your timesheet? Why do you consider knowledge transfer (I assume that's what KT means) a non-productive activity? Why do you work extra hours? Why not treat it is a normal course of business. If you're working 40 hours a week and you're asked to do 10 hours of training one week, that just leaves 30 hours for non-training activities.
– Justin Cave
Nov 24 '15 at 18:28
2
Possible duplicate of Is it unprofessional to fully speak your mind on job satisfaction with your boss or manager?
– gnat
Nov 24 '15 at 20:45
3
Have you talked to your boss about this? This whole thing might resolve itself if you just ask something like "Hey, boss, which project/client can I bill these KT hours to?". If you're worried about the overtime you can add "The extra hours might put me into overtime. Is that all right?"
– Brandin
Nov 25 '15 at 9:26
Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
– Monica Cellio♦
Nov 27 '15 at 0:03
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
25
down vote
favorite
up vote
25
down vote
favorite
I'm working on contract basis with an IT giant. Since I have good experience on the project which I'm working now my manager asks me to train the new recruits whenever they join. Giving knowledge transfer (KT) to more than one person is consuming ample amount of my working hours and most of the time I end up working extra hours to compensate the time consumed in KT. Also I never add these working hours ( KT hours ) in my timsheet.
Now, as days goes by my work load is piling up and I'm not able to give my fullest in the project due to these non productive activities. Somebody please tell me a way to work around this situation so that I can politely say or hint my manager that I'm not comfortable on these jobs?
project-management productivity time-management
edited Nov 25 '15 at 7:38
Llopis
1441415
asked Nov 24 '15 at 18:21
San_man
3781311
I'm working on contract basis with an IT giant. Since I have good experience on the project which I'm working now my manager asks me to train the new recruits whenever they join. Giving knowledge transfer (KT) to more than one person is consuming ample amount of my working hours and most of the time I end up working extra hours to compensate the time consumed in KT. Also I never add these working hours ( KT hours ) in my timsheet.
Now, as days goes by my work load is piling up and I'm not able to give my fullest in the project due to these non productive activities. Somebody please tell me a way to work around this situation so that I can politely say or hint my manager that I'm not comfortable on these jobs?
project-management productivity time-management
edited Nov 25 '15 at 7:38
Llopis
1441415
asked Nov 24 '15 at 18:21
San_man
3781311
edited Nov 25 '15 at 7:38
Llopis
1441415
edited Nov 25 '15 at 7:38
Llopis
1441415
edited Nov 25 '15 at 7:38
Llopis
1441415
1441415
asked Nov 24 '15 at 18:21
San_man
3781311
asked Nov 24 '15 at 18:21
San_man
3781311
asked Nov 24 '15 at 18:21
San_man
3781311
3781311
150
Why don't you put those hours on your timesheet? Why do you consider knowledge transfer (I assume that's what KT means) a non-productive activity? Why do you work extra hours? Why not treat it is a normal course of business. If you're working 40 hours a week and you're asked to do 10 hours of training one week, that just leaves 30 hours for non-training activities.
– Justin Cave
Nov 24 '15 at 18:28
2
Possible duplicate of Is it unprofessional to fully speak your mind on job satisfaction with your boss or manager?
– gnat
Nov 24 '15 at 20:45
3
Have you talked to your boss about this? This whole thing might resolve itself if you just ask something like "Hey, boss, which project/client can I bill these KT hours to?". If you're worried about the overtime you can add "The extra hours might put me into overtime. Is that all right?"
– Brandin
Nov 25 '15 at 9:26
Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
– Monica Cellio♦
Nov 27 '15 at 0:03
suggest improvements |Â
150
Why don't you put those hours on your timesheet? Why do you consider knowledge transfer (I assume that's what KT means) a non-productive activity? Why do you work extra hours? Why not treat it is a normal course of business. If you're working 40 hours a week and you're asked to do 10 hours of training one week, that just leaves 30 hours for non-training activities.
– Justin Cave
Nov 24 '15 at 18:28
2
Possible duplicate of Is it unprofessional to fully speak your mind on job satisfaction with your boss or manager?
– gnat
Nov 24 '15 at 20:45
3
Have you talked to your boss about this? This whole thing might resolve itself if you just ask something like "Hey, boss, which project/client can I bill these KT hours to?". If you're worried about the overtime you can add "The extra hours might put me into overtime. Is that all right?"
– Brandin
Nov 25 '15 at 9:26
Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
– Monica Cellio♦
Nov 27 '15 at 0:03
150
150
Why don't you put those hours on your timesheet? Why do you consider knowledge transfer (I assume that's what KT means) a non-productive activity? Why do you work extra hours? Why not treat it is a normal course of business. If you're working 40 hours a week and you're asked to do 10 hours of training one week, that just leaves 30 hours for non-training activities.
– Justin Cave
Nov 24 '15 at 18:28
Why don't you put those hours on your timesheet? Why do you consider knowledge transfer (I assume that's what KT means) a non-productive activity? Why do you work extra hours? Why not treat it is a normal course of business. If you're working 40 hours a week and you're asked to do 10 hours of training one week, that just leaves 30 hours for non-training activities.
– Justin Cave
Nov 24 '15 at 18:28
2
2
Possible duplicate of Is it unprofessional to fully speak your mind on job satisfaction with your boss or manager?
– gnat
Nov 24 '15 at 20:45
Possible duplicate of Is it unprofessional to fully speak your mind on job satisfaction with your boss or manager?
– gnat
Nov 24 '15 at 20:45
3
3
Have you talked to your boss about this? This whole thing might resolve itself if you just ask something like "Hey, boss, which project/client can I bill these KT hours to?". If you're worried about the overtime you can add "The extra hours might put me into overtime. Is that all right?"
– Brandin
Nov 25 '15 at 9:26
Have you talked to your boss about this? This whole thing might resolve itself if you just ask something like "Hey, boss, which project/client can I bill these KT hours to?". If you're worried about the overtime you can add "The extra hours might put me into overtime. Is that all right?"
– Brandin
Nov 25 '15 at 9:26
Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
– Monica Cellio♦
Nov 27 '15 at 0:03
Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
– Monica Cellio♦
Nov 27 '15 at 0:03
suggest improvements |Â
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
up vote
28
down vote
accepted
First, you should be accurately reporting the hours you work. Depending on where you work, falsifying a timesheet (even if you're underreporting) could be illegal, and if nothing else you're currently not giving the company an accurate picture of what you spend your day doing.
You shouldn't go to your manager and just say you don't like this work. Everyone has to do some stuff they don't like doing, and the response will probably be "Too bad." What you should do is tell him that you're concerned about your ability to give your best effort towards productive work on the project when you're spending so much time training new people.
If you start accurately reporting your hours, even if you're salaried exempt, you can point to these reports and say "I spent X hours per week doing training over this time period, which lead me to do Y hours of overtime. I appreciate the trust you've shown in me with this added responsibility, but I'm concerned about how these extra tasks are affecting my productivity on the project. Is it possible to get someone else to help out with training new recruits?" However, if your timesheet shows that you're getting all your work done in the normal number of hours, your manager will probably ask why the timesheet says one thing and you're telling him another.
Also, this is based off the assumption that you're okay with doing the work, but it's just taking up too much time. If you're actually just uncomfortable with training people period, that's a different discussion that needs to be had, but it will probably have implications for your future and advancement within the company if you're unwilling to take on this kind of added responsibility.
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:38
ptfreak
56337
6
This. Most of the companies I've worked with had huge trouble with work planning exactly because everyone was underreporting their work hours. It hurts everyone - don't do it.
– Luaan
Nov 25 '15 at 9:19
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
105
down vote
Unfortunately, you don't get to decide what activities are productive and unproductive - the manager does. The manager thought you would be good for this role and allocated resources (you) according to business need. The idea is that you would be effectively doing the task you were given.
With regard to timesheet, to second the comments to OP, the hours spent on KT should be logged on the timesheet and there should be no need to compensate with overtime to catch up on tasks displaced by KT. If you are not allowed to work overtime and are expected to fill out the timesheet accurately, then do not work overtime, and/or fill out the timesheet to reflect actual hours worked.
With regard to giving your fullest: if this means taking longer or lower quality for tasks with a rigid timeframe, I would suggest to bring this up to the manager in your next status check:
"Hi ___, I feel like I am starting to struggle with balancing KT and my regular project tasks, in a way that allows me to maintain the same level of productivity and pace on those tasks as before. The KT work I am doing averages X hrs/week, which extends my timeframe for completing the other projects by that amount. Otherwise, I would need to work overtime to make up for that. Just wanted you to be aware of this and see if you had any suggestions on how to proceed."
This should get the conversation going and hopefully produce some changes or will at least adjust expectations all around. Good luck!
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:48
A.S
6,65531636
6
this answer gave me an approach to the problem thanks
– San_man
Nov 24 '15 at 19:26
@San_man please accept Aymor's answer if you think it solved your problem ;)
– Pierre Arlaud
Nov 25 '15 at 13:17
3
I think there's an underlying problem that hasn't been addressed by this answer; namely that it sounds like the OP is training new recruits in a fairly ad-hoc kind of way. Likely at least some of the overhead could be mitigated by collecting commonly-required information on the company wiki, allowing the initial training to be "look here and let me know if you have any questions". Then if there are questions your of course answer them, but also (and more importantly) you add the answer to the training docs so that you never have to answer the same question twice.
– aroth
Nov 27 '15 at 4:04
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
78
down vote
Friend, you have shot yourself in the foot. "Unproductive"? To whom? Once upon a time, someone had to train you. Now you're the trainer -- so was the training you received unproductive?
You have painted yourself in a corner by not billing those hours, and now that it has become the expectation, you have a problem with a situation that you helped to create. You may have to lose your pride and tell your manager what you've been doing in order for the expectation to change.
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:37
Xavier J
26.3k104797
70
He can simply tell the boss the hours went unrecorded when he thought that work would be more limited, but now it's time to start recording future KT. It's honest, and open, and gets him out of that painted corner.
– donjuedo
Nov 24 '15 at 22:38
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
7
down vote
Given that you've been under reporting the hours worked the path forward is pretty clear. Come clean to your boss that you've been under reporting. If you don't want the overtime back pay be up front about that, they may be required to give it to you or other arrangement may be possible. Next advise that your under reporting is at an end, if they do not want you to go beyond 43.5 hours per week some load balancing is required (less KT or less project work). This is the most professional way forward.
answered Nov 24 '15 at 19:31
Myles
25.4k658104
there is no any rule or limit to the Max time that I can work as far as I know. Anyway I ll have to discuss with my manager the way Aymor had suggested. Thanks
– San_man
Nov 24 '15 at 19:36
There's 48 hours in the European Union (under the Working Time Directive). But since you're working on a contract basis, presumably the contract says something.
– Andrew Leach
Nov 25 '15 at 16:17
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up vote
0
down vote
I think you should discuss with your manager about the KRA and KPI set for your at the beginning of the assessment cycle. Look back and check how much was the weightage for KT and Project tasks. Using that as a background please discuss as commented by Aymor above.
HTH.
answered Nov 26 '15 at 15:55
purnendu
1
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5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
28
down vote
accepted
First, you should be accurately reporting the hours you work. Depending on where you work, falsifying a timesheet (even if you're underreporting) could be illegal, and if nothing else you're currently not giving the company an accurate picture of what you spend your day doing.
You shouldn't go to your manager and just say you don't like this work. Everyone has to do some stuff they don't like doing, and the response will probably be "Too bad." What you should do is tell him that you're concerned about your ability to give your best effort towards productive work on the project when you're spending so much time training new people.
If you start accurately reporting your hours, even if you're salaried exempt, you can point to these reports and say "I spent X hours per week doing training over this time period, which lead me to do Y hours of overtime. I appreciate the trust you've shown in me with this added responsibility, but I'm concerned about how these extra tasks are affecting my productivity on the project. Is it possible to get someone else to help out with training new recruits?" However, if your timesheet shows that you're getting all your work done in the normal number of hours, your manager will probably ask why the timesheet says one thing and you're telling him another.
Also, this is based off the assumption that you're okay with doing the work, but it's just taking up too much time. If you're actually just uncomfortable with training people period, that's a different discussion that needs to be had, but it will probably have implications for your future and advancement within the company if you're unwilling to take on this kind of added responsibility.
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:38
ptfreak
56337
6
This. Most of the companies I've worked with had huge trouble with work planning exactly because everyone was underreporting their work hours. It hurts everyone - don't do it.
– Luaan
Nov 25 '15 at 9:19
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
28
down vote
accepted
First, you should be accurately reporting the hours you work. Depending on where you work, falsifying a timesheet (even if you're underreporting) could be illegal, and if nothing else you're currently not giving the company an accurate picture of what you spend your day doing.
You shouldn't go to your manager and just say you don't like this work. Everyone has to do some stuff they don't like doing, and the response will probably be "Too bad." What you should do is tell him that you're concerned about your ability to give your best effort towards productive work on the project when you're spending so much time training new people.
If you start accurately reporting your hours, even if you're salaried exempt, you can point to these reports and say "I spent X hours per week doing training over this time period, which lead me to do Y hours of overtime. I appreciate the trust you've shown in me with this added responsibility, but I'm concerned about how these extra tasks are affecting my productivity on the project. Is it possible to get someone else to help out with training new recruits?" However, if your timesheet shows that you're getting all your work done in the normal number of hours, your manager will probably ask why the timesheet says one thing and you're telling him another.
Also, this is based off the assumption that you're okay with doing the work, but it's just taking up too much time. If you're actually just uncomfortable with training people period, that's a different discussion that needs to be had, but it will probably have implications for your future and advancement within the company if you're unwilling to take on this kind of added responsibility.
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:38
ptfreak
56337
6
This. Most of the companies I've worked with had huge trouble with work planning exactly because everyone was underreporting their work hours. It hurts everyone - don't do it.
– Luaan
Nov 25 '15 at 9:19
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
28
down vote
accepted
up vote
28
down vote
accepted
First, you should be accurately reporting the hours you work. Depending on where you work, falsifying a timesheet (even if you're underreporting) could be illegal, and if nothing else you're currently not giving the company an accurate picture of what you spend your day doing.
You shouldn't go to your manager and just say you don't like this work. Everyone has to do some stuff they don't like doing, and the response will probably be "Too bad." What you should do is tell him that you're concerned about your ability to give your best effort towards productive work on the project when you're spending so much time training new people.
If you start accurately reporting your hours, even if you're salaried exempt, you can point to these reports and say "I spent X hours per week doing training over this time period, which lead me to do Y hours of overtime. I appreciate the trust you've shown in me with this added responsibility, but I'm concerned about how these extra tasks are affecting my productivity on the project. Is it possible to get someone else to help out with training new recruits?" However, if your timesheet shows that you're getting all your work done in the normal number of hours, your manager will probably ask why the timesheet says one thing and you're telling him another.
Also, this is based off the assumption that you're okay with doing the work, but it's just taking up too much time. If you're actually just uncomfortable with training people period, that's a different discussion that needs to be had, but it will probably have implications for your future and advancement within the company if you're unwilling to take on this kind of added responsibility.
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:38
ptfreak
56337
First, you should be accurately reporting the hours you work. Depending on where you work, falsifying a timesheet (even if you're underreporting) could be illegal, and if nothing else you're currently not giving the company an accurate picture of what you spend your day doing.
You shouldn't go to your manager and just say you don't like this work. Everyone has to do some stuff they don't like doing, and the response will probably be "Too bad." What you should do is tell him that you're concerned about your ability to give your best effort towards productive work on the project when you're spending so much time training new people.
If you start accurately reporting your hours, even if you're salaried exempt, you can point to these reports and say "I spent X hours per week doing training over this time period, which lead me to do Y hours of overtime. I appreciate the trust you've shown in me with this added responsibility, but I'm concerned about how these extra tasks are affecting my productivity on the project. Is it possible to get someone else to help out with training new recruits?" However, if your timesheet shows that you're getting all your work done in the normal number of hours, your manager will probably ask why the timesheet says one thing and you're telling him another.
Also, this is based off the assumption that you're okay with doing the work, but it's just taking up too much time. If you're actually just uncomfortable with training people period, that's a different discussion that needs to be had, but it will probably have implications for your future and advancement within the company if you're unwilling to take on this kind of added responsibility.
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:38
ptfreak
56337
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:38
ptfreak
56337
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:38
ptfreak
56337
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:38
ptfreak
56337
56337
6
This. Most of the companies I've worked with had huge trouble with work planning exactly because everyone was underreporting their work hours. It hurts everyone - don't do it.
– Luaan
Nov 25 '15 at 9:19
suggest improvements |Â
6
This. Most of the companies I've worked with had huge trouble with work planning exactly because everyone was underreporting their work hours. It hurts everyone - don't do it.
– Luaan
Nov 25 '15 at 9:19
6
6
This. Most of the companies I've worked with had huge trouble with work planning exactly because everyone was underreporting their work hours. It hurts everyone - don't do it.
– Luaan
Nov 25 '15 at 9:19
This. Most of the companies I've worked with had huge trouble with work planning exactly because everyone was underreporting their work hours. It hurts everyone - don't do it.
– Luaan
Nov 25 '15 at 9:19
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
105
down vote
Unfortunately, you don't get to decide what activities are productive and unproductive - the manager does. The manager thought you would be good for this role and allocated resources (you) according to business need. The idea is that you would be effectively doing the task you were given.
With regard to timesheet, to second the comments to OP, the hours spent on KT should be logged on the timesheet and there should be no need to compensate with overtime to catch up on tasks displaced by KT. If you are not allowed to work overtime and are expected to fill out the timesheet accurately, then do not work overtime, and/or fill out the timesheet to reflect actual hours worked.
With regard to giving your fullest: if this means taking longer or lower quality for tasks with a rigid timeframe, I would suggest to bring this up to the manager in your next status check:
"Hi ___, I feel like I am starting to struggle with balancing KT and my regular project tasks, in a way that allows me to maintain the same level of productivity and pace on those tasks as before. The KT work I am doing averages X hrs/week, which extends my timeframe for completing the other projects by that amount. Otherwise, I would need to work overtime to make up for that. Just wanted you to be aware of this and see if you had any suggestions on how to proceed."
This should get the conversation going and hopefully produce some changes or will at least adjust expectations all around. Good luck!
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:48
A.S
6,65531636
6
this answer gave me an approach to the problem thanks
– San_man
Nov 24 '15 at 19:26
@San_man please accept Aymor's answer if you think it solved your problem ;)
– Pierre Arlaud
Nov 25 '15 at 13:17
3
I think there's an underlying problem that hasn't been addressed by this answer; namely that it sounds like the OP is training new recruits in a fairly ad-hoc kind of way. Likely at least some of the overhead could be mitigated by collecting commonly-required information on the company wiki, allowing the initial training to be "look here and let me know if you have any questions". Then if there are questions your of course answer them, but also (and more importantly) you add the answer to the training docs so that you never have to answer the same question twice.
– aroth
Nov 27 '15 at 4:04
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
105
down vote
Unfortunately, you don't get to decide what activities are productive and unproductive - the manager does. The manager thought you would be good for this role and allocated resources (you) according to business need. The idea is that you would be effectively doing the task you were given.
With regard to timesheet, to second the comments to OP, the hours spent on KT should be logged on the timesheet and there should be no need to compensate with overtime to catch up on tasks displaced by KT. If you are not allowed to work overtime and are expected to fill out the timesheet accurately, then do not work overtime, and/or fill out the timesheet to reflect actual hours worked.
With regard to giving your fullest: if this means taking longer or lower quality for tasks with a rigid timeframe, I would suggest to bring this up to the manager in your next status check:
"Hi ___, I feel like I am starting to struggle with balancing KT and my regular project tasks, in a way that allows me to maintain the same level of productivity and pace on those tasks as before. The KT work I am doing averages X hrs/week, which extends my timeframe for completing the other projects by that amount. Otherwise, I would need to work overtime to make up for that. Just wanted you to be aware of this and see if you had any suggestions on how to proceed."
This should get the conversation going and hopefully produce some changes or will at least adjust expectations all around. Good luck!
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:48
A.S
6,65531636
6
this answer gave me an approach to the problem thanks
– San_man
Nov 24 '15 at 19:26
@San_man please accept Aymor's answer if you think it solved your problem ;)
– Pierre Arlaud
Nov 25 '15 at 13:17
3
I think there's an underlying problem that hasn't been addressed by this answer; namely that it sounds like the OP is training new recruits in a fairly ad-hoc kind of way. Likely at least some of the overhead could be mitigated by collecting commonly-required information on the company wiki, allowing the initial training to be "look here and let me know if you have any questions". Then if there are questions your of course answer them, but also (and more importantly) you add the answer to the training docs so that you never have to answer the same question twice.
– aroth
Nov 27 '15 at 4:04
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
105
down vote
up vote
105
down vote
Unfortunately, you don't get to decide what activities are productive and unproductive - the manager does. The manager thought you would be good for this role and allocated resources (you) according to business need. The idea is that you would be effectively doing the task you were given.
With regard to timesheet, to second the comments to OP, the hours spent on KT should be logged on the timesheet and there should be no need to compensate with overtime to catch up on tasks displaced by KT. If you are not allowed to work overtime and are expected to fill out the timesheet accurately, then do not work overtime, and/or fill out the timesheet to reflect actual hours worked.
With regard to giving your fullest: if this means taking longer or lower quality for tasks with a rigid timeframe, I would suggest to bring this up to the manager in your next status check:
"Hi ___, I feel like I am starting to struggle with balancing KT and my regular project tasks, in a way that allows me to maintain the same level of productivity and pace on those tasks as before. The KT work I am doing averages X hrs/week, which extends my timeframe for completing the other projects by that amount. Otherwise, I would need to work overtime to make up for that. Just wanted you to be aware of this and see if you had any suggestions on how to proceed."
This should get the conversation going and hopefully produce some changes or will at least adjust expectations all around. Good luck!
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:48
A.S
6,65531636
Unfortunately, you don't get to decide what activities are productive and unproductive - the manager does. The manager thought you would be good for this role and allocated resources (you) according to business need. The idea is that you would be effectively doing the task you were given.
With regard to timesheet, to second the comments to OP, the hours spent on KT should be logged on the timesheet and there should be no need to compensate with overtime to catch up on tasks displaced by KT. If you are not allowed to work overtime and are expected to fill out the timesheet accurately, then do not work overtime, and/or fill out the timesheet to reflect actual hours worked.
With regard to giving your fullest: if this means taking longer or lower quality for tasks with a rigid timeframe, I would suggest to bring this up to the manager in your next status check:
"Hi ___, I feel like I am starting to struggle with balancing KT and my regular project tasks, in a way that allows me to maintain the same level of productivity and pace on those tasks as before. The KT work I am doing averages X hrs/week, which extends my timeframe for completing the other projects by that amount. Otherwise, I would need to work overtime to make up for that. Just wanted you to be aware of this and see if you had any suggestions on how to proceed."
This should get the conversation going and hopefully produce some changes or will at least adjust expectations all around. Good luck!
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:48
A.S
6,65531636
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:48
A.S
6,65531636
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:48
A.S
6,65531636
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:48
A.S
6,65531636
6,65531636
6
this answer gave me an approach to the problem thanks
– San_man
Nov 24 '15 at 19:26
@San_man please accept Aymor's answer if you think it solved your problem ;)
– Pierre Arlaud
Nov 25 '15 at 13:17
3
I think there's an underlying problem that hasn't been addressed by this answer; namely that it sounds like the OP is training new recruits in a fairly ad-hoc kind of way. Likely at least some of the overhead could be mitigated by collecting commonly-required information on the company wiki, allowing the initial training to be "look here and let me know if you have any questions". Then if there are questions your of course answer them, but also (and more importantly) you add the answer to the training docs so that you never have to answer the same question twice.
– aroth
Nov 27 '15 at 4:04
suggest improvements |Â
6
this answer gave me an approach to the problem thanks
– San_man
Nov 24 '15 at 19:26
@San_man please accept Aymor's answer if you think it solved your problem ;)
– Pierre Arlaud
Nov 25 '15 at 13:17
3
I think there's an underlying problem that hasn't been addressed by this answer; namely that it sounds like the OP is training new recruits in a fairly ad-hoc kind of way. Likely at least some of the overhead could be mitigated by collecting commonly-required information on the company wiki, allowing the initial training to be "look here and let me know if you have any questions". Then if there are questions your of course answer them, but also (and more importantly) you add the answer to the training docs so that you never have to answer the same question twice.
– aroth
Nov 27 '15 at 4:04
6
6
this answer gave me an approach to the problem thanks
– San_man
Nov 24 '15 at 19:26
this answer gave me an approach to the problem thanks
– San_man
Nov 24 '15 at 19:26
@San_man please accept Aymor's answer if you think it solved your problem ;)
– Pierre Arlaud
Nov 25 '15 at 13:17
@San_man please accept Aymor's answer if you think it solved your problem ;)
– Pierre Arlaud
Nov 25 '15 at 13:17
3
3
I think there's an underlying problem that hasn't been addressed by this answer; namely that it sounds like the OP is training new recruits in a fairly ad-hoc kind of way. Likely at least some of the overhead could be mitigated by collecting commonly-required information on the company wiki, allowing the initial training to be "look here and let me know if you have any questions". Then if there are questions your of course answer them, but also (and more importantly) you add the answer to the training docs so that you never have to answer the same question twice.
– aroth
Nov 27 '15 at 4:04
I think there's an underlying problem that hasn't been addressed by this answer; namely that it sounds like the OP is training new recruits in a fairly ad-hoc kind of way. Likely at least some of the overhead could be mitigated by collecting commonly-required information on the company wiki, allowing the initial training to be "look here and let me know if you have any questions". Then if there are questions your of course answer them, but also (and more importantly) you add the answer to the training docs so that you never have to answer the same question twice.
– aroth
Nov 27 '15 at 4:04
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
78
down vote
Friend, you have shot yourself in the foot. "Unproductive"? To whom? Once upon a time, someone had to train you. Now you're the trainer -- so was the training you received unproductive?
You have painted yourself in a corner by not billing those hours, and now that it has become the expectation, you have a problem with a situation that you helped to create. You may have to lose your pride and tell your manager what you've been doing in order for the expectation to change.
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:37
Xavier J
26.3k104797
70
He can simply tell the boss the hours went unrecorded when he thought that work would be more limited, but now it's time to start recording future KT. It's honest, and open, and gets him out of that painted corner.
– donjuedo
Nov 24 '15 at 22:38
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
78
down vote
Friend, you have shot yourself in the foot. "Unproductive"? To whom? Once upon a time, someone had to train you. Now you're the trainer -- so was the training you received unproductive?
You have painted yourself in a corner by not billing those hours, and now that it has become the expectation, you have a problem with a situation that you helped to create. You may have to lose your pride and tell your manager what you've been doing in order for the expectation to change.
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:37
Xavier J
26.3k104797
70
He can simply tell the boss the hours went unrecorded when he thought that work would be more limited, but now it's time to start recording future KT. It's honest, and open, and gets him out of that painted corner.
– donjuedo
Nov 24 '15 at 22:38
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
78
down vote
up vote
78
down vote
Friend, you have shot yourself in the foot. "Unproductive"? To whom? Once upon a time, someone had to train you. Now you're the trainer -- so was the training you received unproductive?
You have painted yourself in a corner by not billing those hours, and now that it has become the expectation, you have a problem with a situation that you helped to create. You may have to lose your pride and tell your manager what you've been doing in order for the expectation to change.
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:37
Xavier J
26.3k104797
Friend, you have shot yourself in the foot. "Unproductive"? To whom? Once upon a time, someone had to train you. Now you're the trainer -- so was the training you received unproductive?
You have painted yourself in a corner by not billing those hours, and now that it has become the expectation, you have a problem with a situation that you helped to create. You may have to lose your pride and tell your manager what you've been doing in order for the expectation to change.
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:37
Xavier J
26.3k104797
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:37
Xavier J
26.3k104797
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:37
Xavier J
26.3k104797
answered Nov 24 '15 at 18:37
Xavier J
26.3k104797
26.3k104797
70
He can simply tell the boss the hours went unrecorded when he thought that work would be more limited, but now it's time to start recording future KT. It's honest, and open, and gets him out of that painted corner.
– donjuedo
Nov 24 '15 at 22:38
suggest improvements |Â
70
He can simply tell the boss the hours went unrecorded when he thought that work would be more limited, but now it's time to start recording future KT. It's honest, and open, and gets him out of that painted corner.
– donjuedo
Nov 24 '15 at 22:38
70
70
He can simply tell the boss the hours went unrecorded when he thought that work would be more limited, but now it's time to start recording future KT. It's honest, and open, and gets him out of that painted corner.
– donjuedo
Nov 24 '15 at 22:38
He can simply tell the boss the hours went unrecorded when he thought that work would be more limited, but now it's time to start recording future KT. It's honest, and open, and gets him out of that painted corner.
– donjuedo
Nov 24 '15 at 22:38
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
7
down vote
Given that you've been under reporting the hours worked the path forward is pretty clear. Come clean to your boss that you've been under reporting. If you don't want the overtime back pay be up front about that, they may be required to give it to you or other arrangement may be possible. Next advise that your under reporting is at an end, if they do not want you to go beyond 43.5 hours per week some load balancing is required (less KT or less project work). This is the most professional way forward.
answered Nov 24 '15 at 19:31
Myles
25.4k658104
there is no any rule or limit to the Max time that I can work as far as I know. Anyway I ll have to discuss with my manager the way Aymor had suggested. Thanks
– San_man
Nov 24 '15 at 19:36
There's 48 hours in the European Union (under the Working Time Directive). But since you're working on a contract basis, presumably the contract says something.
– Andrew Leach
Nov 25 '15 at 16:17
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
7
down vote
Given that you've been under reporting the hours worked the path forward is pretty clear. Come clean to your boss that you've been under reporting. If you don't want the overtime back pay be up front about that, they may be required to give it to you or other arrangement may be possible. Next advise that your under reporting is at an end, if they do not want you to go beyond 43.5 hours per week some load balancing is required (less KT or less project work). This is the most professional way forward.
answered Nov 24 '15 at 19:31
Myles
25.4k658104
there is no any rule or limit to the Max time that I can work as far as I know. Anyway I ll have to discuss with my manager the way Aymor had suggested. Thanks
– San_man
Nov 24 '15 at 19:36
There's 48 hours in the European Union (under the Working Time Directive). But since you're working on a contract basis, presumably the contract says something.
– Andrew Leach
Nov 25 '15 at 16:17
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
7
down vote
up vote
7
down vote
Given that you've been under reporting the hours worked the path forward is pretty clear. Come clean to your boss that you've been under reporting. If you don't want the overtime back pay be up front about that, they may be required to give it to you or other arrangement may be possible. Next advise that your under reporting is at an end, if they do not want you to go beyond 43.5 hours per week some load balancing is required (less KT or less project work). This is the most professional way forward.
answered Nov 24 '15 at 19:31
Myles
25.4k658104
Given that you've been under reporting the hours worked the path forward is pretty clear. Come clean to your boss that you've been under reporting. If you don't want the overtime back pay be up front about that, they may be required to give it to you or other arrangement may be possible. Next advise that your under reporting is at an end, if they do not want you to go beyond 43.5 hours per week some load balancing is required (less KT or less project work). This is the most professional way forward.
answered Nov 24 '15 at 19:31
Myles
25.4k658104
answered Nov 24 '15 at 19:31
Myles
25.4k658104
answered Nov 24 '15 at 19:31
Myles
25.4k658104
answered Nov 24 '15 at 19:31
Myles
25.4k658104
25.4k658104
there is no any rule or limit to the Max time that I can work as far as I know. Anyway I ll have to discuss with my manager the way Aymor had suggested. Thanks
– San_man
Nov 24 '15 at 19:36
There's 48 hours in the European Union (under the Working Time Directive). But since you're working on a contract basis, presumably the contract says something.
– Andrew Leach
Nov 25 '15 at 16:17
suggest improvements |Â
there is no any rule or limit to the Max time that I can work as far as I know. Anyway I ll have to discuss with my manager the way Aymor had suggested. Thanks
– San_man
Nov 24 '15 at 19:36
There's 48 hours in the European Union (under the Working Time Directive). But since you're working on a contract basis, presumably the contract says something.
– Andrew Leach
Nov 25 '15 at 16:17
there is no any rule or limit to the Max time that I can work as far as I know. Anyway I ll have to discuss with my manager the way Aymor had suggested. Thanks
– San_man
Nov 24 '15 at 19:36
there is no any rule or limit to the Max time that I can work as far as I know. Anyway I ll have to discuss with my manager the way Aymor had suggested. Thanks
– San_man
Nov 24 '15 at 19:36
There's 48 hours in the European Union (under the Working Time Directive). But since you're working on a contract basis, presumably the contract says something.
– Andrew Leach
Nov 25 '15 at 16:17
There's 48 hours in the European Union (under the Working Time Directive). But since you're working on a contract basis, presumably the contract says something.
– Andrew Leach
Nov 25 '15 at 16:17
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
0
down vote
I think you should discuss with your manager about the KRA and KPI set for your at the beginning of the assessment cycle. Look back and check how much was the weightage for KT and Project tasks. Using that as a background please discuss as commented by Aymor above.
HTH.
answered Nov 26 '15 at 15:55
purnendu
1
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
0
down vote
I think you should discuss with your manager about the KRA and KPI set for your at the beginning of the assessment cycle. Look back and check how much was the weightage for KT and Project tasks. Using that as a background please discuss as commented by Aymor above.
HTH.
answered Nov 26 '15 at 15:55
purnendu
1
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
I think you should discuss with your manager about the KRA and KPI set for your at the beginning of the assessment cycle. Look back and check how much was the weightage for KT and Project tasks. Using that as a background please discuss as commented by Aymor above.
HTH.
answered Nov 26 '15 at 15:55
purnendu
1
I think you should discuss with your manager about the KRA and KPI set for your at the beginning of the assessment cycle. Look back and check how much was the weightage for KT and Project tasks. Using that as a background please discuss as commented by Aymor above.
HTH.
answered Nov 26 '15 at 15:55
purnendu
1
answered Nov 26 '15 at 15:55
purnendu
1
answered Nov 26 '15 at 15:55
purnendu
1
answered Nov 26 '15 at 15:55
purnendu
1
1
suggest improvements |Â
suggest improvements |Â
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Why don't you put those hours on your timesheet? Why do you consider knowledge transfer (I assume that's what KT means) a non-productive activity? Why do you work extra hours? Why not treat it is a normal course of business. If you're working 40 hours a week and you're asked to do 10 hours of training one week, that just leaves 30 hours for non-training activities.
– Justin Cave
Nov 24 '15 at 18:28
2
Possible duplicate of Is it unprofessional to fully speak your mind on job satisfaction with your boss or manager?
– gnat
Nov 24 '15 at 20:45
3
Have you talked to your boss about this? This whole thing might resolve itself if you just ask something like "Hey, boss, which project/client can I bill these KT hours to?". If you're worried about the overtime you can add "The extra hours might put me into overtime. Is that all right?"
– Brandin
Nov 25 '15 at 9:26
Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
– Monica Cellio♦
Nov 27 '15 at 0:03