Why is overworking a flex?

A

atlkate

New member
Just grumpy about this and have no one to vent to… anyone else annoyed by this in their jobs ?

So just a little edit to add: I DO block off my calendar, but my boss and her boss just schedule over it and I’m expected to make it work. I have boundaries, not going to work more than 40… just bummed I can’t take advantage of summer Fridays. The summer Fridays are a perk that we can only use if “our team is covered.” My vent is just that instead of being like “cool let’s enjoy Friday afternoon” my teammates think “cool, a 4 hour window to schedule meetings with leadership to work on new initiatives.”

TLDR- my company has summer half day Fridays but my team members keep scheduling meetings during that time because it’s the only time we have free.

My company has “summer Friday’s.” To get this perk, instead of working 9-5, M-F you work 830-530 M-Th and then 9-1 on Friday. That was you still do your “40” (we are salary so that’s a loose interpretation) but you get Friday afternoons free at your leisure.
I was REALLY looking forward to this because my kids are in daycare and I was going to get a couple of hours to myself for the first time in FOREVER! I was going to use it to workout and catch up on house stuff so our weekends could be all fun time… maybe throw in a pedicure. 😝

Now we’ve had 3 summer Fridays and I haven’t gotten a single one because people keep scheduling working meetings with upper management since it’s “the only time we all have free.” So not only are we not taking advantage of this awesome perk… we’re trying to do hard brainstorming meetings on Friday afternoons? And I can’t just not show up because they include my boss and her boss so we can talk through some of our larger projects that require creative thinking. What is WRONG with people? 🤯

I’m also the only one on my immediate team with kids so I’m constantly feeling like I’m not working enough cuz they all start around 7am and go to 6. I have more output then them… but we’re all really behind so it looks like they do more since they’re in freaking meetings 30 hours a week. That’s a separate complaint. But still. If I hear the phrase “thought leadership” one more time… 🙄

But seriously… I just want to be like dude, get a hobby! Watch a Netflix show! Clean your house! Do SOMETHING other than work on Friday afternoons so this exhausted mama can take 3 hours to herself.
Thanks for listening!
 
@atlkate Well i would definitely stop working 8:30 to 5:30 then. "Due to summer Friday hours frequently being booked over I will be returning to 8-5 schedule for the rest of the summer "

Also Friday afternoon meetings are for psychopaths anyway
 
@tornado16 Right!!!! Yeah that’s my plan is to just go back to 9-5 kinda quietly. I mostly wanted to complain like “what’s wrong with you” to my colleagues. You have a cool perk! Go take advantage!
 
@atlkate I would not go back to 9 to 5. What I would do:

Start booking every appointment you need to get done on Summer Fridays.

Make your calendar viewable so when others check your calendar it doesn’t say “summer Friday” it says “dr appointment” “dentist appointment” “OBGYN”

If someone says something say “I figure I should get all my annual appointments in while others are off. Makes my absence impact the team less.”

You look like you are a team player who knows her team needs her while they are in the office.
 
@orchida YES! This! You have to make it seem like it’s both benefiting them, as well as being their idea. THEY have that perk, and YOU need it. Make you to schedule them at like 1:30 too, so you have to leave the office.
 
@orchida I agree with this and also if your company uses outlook, block this chunk of time off every week as “out of office” and don’t keep it as free. Then when others go to schedule meetings, it shows you as OOO and not free.
 
@atlkate 100% this! I also worked at a place that had “summer Fridays” where I was frequently being asked to work until 5, 6, and even 7pm on those Fridays. Turn off notifications for work and absolutely stop working the extra time the other days and take time back then to exercise or read or lounge however you want while your colleageus are working. Let them know you are opting out of summer Fridays due to being expected to work.

Maybe you’ll get lucky and as leadership starts to take vacations you’ll at least get “no meeting Friday afternoons” due to everyone else being off.
 
@katrina2017 Virtue signaling by people who have to prove how busy they are by having meetings every second of their work week so they can avoid doing any actual work?

I seriously think I would be more productive if I worked 4 6 hour days because I would have fewer intrusive thoughts of shit I have to do all the time
 
@tornado16 I left a job that I loved and made very good money because of this. This one "manager" would schedule a million meetings throughout the day and typically when my department was slammed. I started not showing up during peak hours because we were short staffed, and I legitimately needed to be out with my team. When asked about it I informed them that while they may not run operational departments, I in fact do and I do not believe in letting my team drown to sit through yet another 2+ hour meeting that could have very easily been solved with a couple of emails back and forth. My God I do not miss the resort/hospitality industry.
 
@atlkate Just because they choose to work crazy hours, doesn’t mean you do. Block the hours on your work calendar with out of office. This is a corporate policy and they are the ones not sticking to it!
 
@torak_skye The corporate policy is suggested… they follow up the phrase with “as long as you have coverage on your team.” And I’m manager level, so I’m expected to figure it out when directors and vps want to meet…. It’s so annoying 🙄
 
@atlkate Be the change you want to see, especially if you are the manager. People below you are probably scared to do this, so they need someone above them to lead by example. Worst case, someone talks to you and have to attend a meeting next time. Best case, you’ve established boundaries and led the way!
 
@torak_skye THIS. I would be meeting with my VP to give a heads up and then sending out this message to the offenders… I mean peers… that said this: “Team, as a leader, I set the tone for my team and I have been setting a troubling precedent. By my actions I have been giving the perception that Summer Fridays are not to be taken. To ensure the team feels supported to participate in Summer Fridays, I will begin modeling appropriate time off starting Friday. Moving forward I will be blocking my calendar off from 4-5:30 pm on Thursdays to account for unplanned meeting needs. Please feel free to schedule over that calendar block as needed. Thank you all for your support in helping me set a good example. Best, Otherwise Release”

Basically you’ve now set them up as bad leaders if they try to schedule Fridays and don’t take off as well.
 
@torak_skye It sounds like her direct reports are not involved, that it's the upper management level. Have to manage up. Setting the OOO ahead of time and declining meetings as "oh sorry I already have another appointment since it's our Summer Friday!" is really all OP can probably do here.
 
@juliuscaesar Correct! I don’t have any direct reports (I manage a product line if that makes sense). These meetings are all with my equals, my boss and her peers and sometimes her boss. I’m one of the lowest. Plus I do block my calendar off… but since I’m one of the lowest people on the meetings I’m expected to work around it. I don’t really have any opportunity to change it… that’s why I wanted to complain on here cuz I find it so annoying
 
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