I think my boss is intentionally giving me less to do...

[Jersey_Steve]

... and I think it's because he wants me to pack boxes. Pack robots to be more exact. My company sells benchtop robots to automate processes in factories, and we get everything from Asia. So all the robots have to be unpacked, tested, and repacked. And these robots weigh anywhere from 40 to 120 pounds, so we're not talking lightweights here. This is heavy, warehouse lifting work and we just got a shipment of 50 more robots.

Now, call me an elitist, but I thought I went to college to get away from manual labor. So I've avoiding packing and unpacking boxes as much as possible by making what work I do have last longer. But over the past couple of weeks, my Inbox as gotten more and more empty and it just doesn't seem to fill up the way it used to. So I think he's trying to tell me something.

So how do I tell him that I'm a college graduate and not a barely literate warehouse worker?

[wordsmith]

How big is your workplace, and is there a crew to do the packing? Were you ever informed that part of your job would be filling in in these areas as needed?

I work for a small newspaper with a small staff, and not only do the writers (all of us degreed professionals) help unload semis of advertising inserts several times a week, we do so alongside our publisher.

If there IS sufficient staff to do the work, I would question why he's specifically putting you on grunt detail when I assume you were hired to do something else. Especially if you have reason to believe that he's phasing you out of your job entirely and giving you solely warehouse work do to for some reason. Definitely question that. But if it's just a matter of all hands on deck, I wouldn't take it quite so personally, and pointing out that because you went to college, you shouldn't have to get your hands dirty, you will probably come off rather elitist.

[shimma]

Uhh... sometimes you have to get your hands dirty at work.

[spokes]

if i were you i'd give the boss a list of jobs that you are too good to do because you went to university..............:rolleyes:

[Jersey_Steve]

How big is your workplace, and is there a crew to do the packing? Were you ever informed that part of your job would be filling in in these areas as needed?

I work for a small newspaper with a small staff, and not only do the writers (all of us degreed professionals) help unload semis of advertising inserts several times a week, we do so alongside our publisher.

If there IS sufficient staff to do the work, I would question why he's specifically putting you on grunt detail when I assume you were hired to do something else. Especially if you have reason to believe that he's phasing you out of your job entirely and giving you solely warehouse work do to for some reason. Definitely question that. But if it's just a matter of all hands on deck, I wouldn't take it quite so personally, and pointing out that because you went to college, you shouldn't have to get your hands dirty, you will probably come off rather elitist.

There's a bunch of people who do light packing, but they're all women, so they can't lift boxes. And it's not "all hands at deck", it's just mine.

Here's the deal, when I got hired, I wasn't told what my duties would be. The owner of the company (an old man quite possibly going insane) told me that I would be moved around until I found a place I fit. I did start off packing robots, mostly because we also repaired them. And as being hired to do engineering work, I figured the packing part would be temporary.

After 3 months or so of that crap, I got moved into advertising. Don't ask me why, I don't know why. But I liked it, and I thought I was doing fine, until I started doing IT work. That is as close to what I did in college that I would find here. I liked it, it was steady work, I got to learn a lot, made me feel important when people came to me for help.

Last month, my IT duties ended because we were switching to a new accounting software and the president of the company pretty much told the people who were setting it up that, "you suck and we're not giving you another penny."

Currently, I work with another company who provides us with custom equipment and I field tech calls. It's enough to keep me occupied, but a couple of weeks ago, my Inbox started drying up and my boss keeps telling me how busy it is in the warehouse, a not so subtle hint to pack robots.

As for being elitist, like my coworker who is stuck packing boxes with me, "We're engineers, this is not engineering work."

[WorkInProgress]

As for being elitist, like my coworker who is stuck packing boxes with me, "We're engineers, this is not engineering work."

Well, if they don't have engineering work to give you, maybe they're trying to keep you employed right now? And if that's the case, maybe it's time to consider moving on to a new (engineering) job with a new company?

[cache]

So you were fine with being moved around until you were moved to doing something you think is below you? If your argument is "I'm an engineer," then why didn't you complain when you were moved to advertising?

[Jersey_Steve]

if i were you i'd give the boss a list of jobs that you are too good to do because you went to university..............:rolleyes:

Ha ha ha. I think I'm more than slightly overqualifed to work in a warehouse. It's like buying a gaming computer to play minesweeper. You could do it, but it's like wasting money.

So you were fine with being moved around until you were moved to doing something you think is below you? If your argument is "I'm an engineer," then why didn't you complain when you were moved to advertising?

Because advertising was fun, and I figured that this would make me more diverse. I enjoyed BSing with these people who were being supernice with me to get the company's money. No matter how much I messed with them... they always came back. Like I said, it was fun :D

Plus I figured it would be something else to add to my resume. "Advertising Coordinator" sounds all sorts of fancy and perfect on a resume.

[wordsmith]

If you're not comfortable with a workplace where you're obviously going to be shifted around and asked to wear as many hats as possible, you probably will want to look for a job somewhere where there's actually a specific job description. It basically comes off like you were okay with being shifted around to stuff you're not really into as long as it wasn't too offensively menial, and didn't mind them wasting money on you in some areas, but others, not so much. Not to be too "suck it up and deal," but we ALL have elements of our jobs that aren't our fave that we wish we could get out of totally.

[CTGirl]

Ha ha ha. I think I'm more than slightly overqualifed to work in a warehouse. It's like buying a gaming computer to play minesweeper. You could do it, but it's like wasting money.

Because advertising was fun, and I figured that this would make me more diverse. I enjoyed BSing with these people who were being supernice with me to get the company's money. No matter how much I messed with them... they always came back. Like I said, it was fun :D

Plus I figured it would be something else to add to my resume. "Advertising Coordinator" sounds all sorts of fancy and perfect on a resume.

lol, well I didnt necessarily think you were being elitist until right here.

So as long as your boss only gives you "fun" assignments, everything is peachy, but when he gives you something you don't initially find enjoyable, then its all wrong? Well welcome to the real world hun, when you work for someone else, you don't always get to choose what tasks you are assigned to.

Also, it seems as though the "engineering" type of work that you had been doing was getting thin, so it seems perfectly reasonable for the people in charge to move you guys to helping out with something else that really needed to get done.

As for your resume, "manual labor" stuff can sometimes mean more to a potential employer than fancy-sounding advertising work, cuz it shows that you are flexible, and that you can understand all parts of the process--although given your complaints here, that seems to not be the case......

[pisces2473]

I agree with CTGirl...you're lucky that you weren't laid off when the engineering stuff started thinning out...

[Skyblade]

I don't know sometimes I have to do stuff that I'm way over qualified to do...burn CD's, ship out boxes of literature to our sales staff, and send out mass mailings in response to trade shows. All of this stuff a monkey can do, but someone's got to do it.

One time the disk with all of our sales leads from a trade show came back blank and I had the joy of manually entering over 400 leads into our CRM system. I actually got a lot of appreciation for doing that though.

[wordsmith]

lol, well I didnt necessarily think you were being elitist until right here.

So as long as your boss only gives you "fun" assignments, everything is peachy, but when he gives you something you don't initially find enjoyable, then its all wrong? Well welcome to the real world hun, when you work for someone else, you don't always get to choose what tasks you are assigned to.

This was exactly my point, well put.

Unfortunately, if you truly DO think you're too good to do various work, there's no real way around coming off as elitist. Sounds like the shoe fits, from what you've said.

[wordsmith]

I don't know sometimes I have to do stuff that I'm way over qualified to do...burn CD's, ship out boxes of literature to our sales staff, and send out mass mailings in response to trade shows. All of this stuff a monkey can do, but someone's got to do it.


Yup, I guess I could pull the "I don't want to type press releases, I hold an honors degree in English, and only want to spend my time writing serious stories" thing. But, uh, I have to do that AND type the press releases, which a typist, who we don't employ, could do. Because otherwise it won't get done. That's just life.

[shimma]

if i were you i'd give the boss a list of jobs that you are too good to do because you went to university..............:rolleyes:


Hey spokes - ever choke on a pickle spear? Not fun. Thanks a lot buddy. :p

[Skyblade]

I actually do get appreciated a lot for doing the menial stuff though. My boss recognizes that this probably isn't something I want to do and that my time is valuable and I know he is looking into going to a literature fulfillment house for most of the mailings, etc.

[pisces2473]

Sometimes I come off sounding elitist...but it's only b/c I never got a real job description...and certain parts of my job weren't explained to me until I started. So it's more of me being pissed off than anything else.

[WorkInProgress]

I actually do get appreciated a lot for doing the menial stuff though. My boss recognizes that this probably isn't something I want to do and that my time is valuable and I know he is looking into going to a literature fulfillment house for most of the mailings, etc.

Yep, when I end up doing those kinds of things, first of all, they always ask, and second, they always, always say thank you and don't take it for granted.

[Jersey_Steve]

lol, well I didnt necessarily think you were being elitist until right here.

So as long as your boss only gives you "fun" assignments, everything is peachy, but when he gives you something you don't initially find enjoyable, then its all wrong? Well welcome to the real world hun, when you work for someone else, you don't always get to choose what tasks you are assigned to.

Also, it seems as though the "engineering" type of work that you had been doing was getting thin, so it seems perfectly reasonable for the people in charge to move you guys to helping out with something else that really needed to get done.

As for your resume, "manual labor" stuff can sometimes mean more to a potential employer than fancy-sounding advertising work, cuz it shows that you are flexible, and that you can understand all parts of the process--although given your complaints here, that seems to not be the case......

See, that's what no one is paying attention to. THERE IS NO LACK OF WORK. Business is not slow. It feels like I am intentionally not getting any work because they want me to pack boxes. That's what's annoying me. I haven't fielded a tech call in over 2 weeks, I haven't been marked to answer any problem emails, my work is getting redistributed. And then my boss is like, "You don't look like you're very busy, why don't you help them prep the robots?"

I don't like being railroaded into doing something I don't like. And unlike the rest of you, I don't get an "atta-boy" from my boss.

[CTGirl]

See, that's what no one is paying attention to. THERE IS NO LACK OF WORK. Business is not slow. It feels like I am intentionally not getting any work because they want me to pack boxes. That's what's annoying me. I haven't fielded a tech call in over 2 weeks, I haven't been marked to answer any problem emails, my work is getting redistributed. And then my boss is like, "You don't look like you're very busy, why don't you help them prep the robots?"

I don't like being railroaded into doing something I don't like. And unlike the rest of you, I don't get an "atta-boy" from my boss.

Well, in our defense, you were not clear on that. To me, when your inbox stops filling up, and there seems to be less to do, I don't take it as a personal attack, but rather that there is less work for me to be doing.

What makes you think that your boss has this plot to get you to load boxes?

Where is your work going to if it still exists but isnt going to you? Is someone else replacing you?

[cache]

It sounds like you just need to talk to your boss:

"I was hired to do so and so, and since then, my duties have become more and more simple. I feel like I am not being utilized for my skills and education as much of the work I do could be done by someone making half what I make. I noticed a lot of contributions I could be making in department X instead of my current assignments, and I was wondering if this was a short term thing, or if you had other plans for my future here? "

Then you should know where you stand.

[wordsmith]

Do you really have reason to believe they're funneling your real work to some unknown source just so they can stick you in the warehouse? My assumption, too, was that there wasn't enough work to keep you busy. But if you think your work is just being given to other people...why do you think that would be?

[WorkInProgress]

See, that's what no one is paying attention to. THERE IS NO LACK OF WORK. Business is not slow. It feels like I am intentionally not getting any work because they want me to pack boxes. That's what's annoying me. I haven't fielded a tech call in over 2 weeks, I haven't been marked to answer any problem emails, my work is getting redistributed. And then my boss is like, "You don't look like you're very busy, why don't you help them prep the robots?"

Actually, I don't think it's that we weren't paying attention to that. It didn't come off in your posts as though your word was being rerouted. At least it didn't come off like that to me. (Particularly when you mentioned a coworker who is also an engineer who is packing boxes.)

If you really believe you're being downgraded as a worker, why don't you have a meeting to discuss that with your boss, rather than shooting off an email that may or may not come off as elitist?

[Jersey_Steve]

Well, in our defense, you were not clear on that. To me, when your inbox stops filling up, and there seems to be less to do, I don't take it as a personal attack, but rather that there is less work for me to be doing.

What makes you think that your boss has this plot to get you to load boxes?

Where is your work going to if it still exists but isnt going to you? Is someone else replacing you?

No one is replacing me; they can't find anyone for the amount they're willing to pay. My work just seems to be going to the other engineers. Questions that I normally answer, I usually answer questions on the one series of robots, go to a different engineer. Tech calls I usually take are going to other people.

I just think it's a plot because he's ALWAYS mentioning how I'm not busy and how I could be used to help pack the boxes.

Do you really have reason to believe they're funneling your real work to some unknown source just so they can stick you in the warehouse? My assumption, too, was that there wasn't enough work to keep you busy. But if you think your work is just being given to other people...why do you think that would be?

I mean, it's impossible to have concrete proof, but several other people have mentioned that they have gotten a lot of new work. Like the one guy, now he's buying all the technical stuff we need. Three months ago, I was doing that. Everyone sounds like they're so busy and they have all these projects to work on, while I've gotten very little to do.

Then the boss comes to me pretty much every day saying, "If you're not busy, you should really go help Mustafa (the other engineer who is in charge of "prepping robots") in the lab with some of the robots."

I don't know why me. Perhaps it's because I'm a computer guy, and everyone still loves the old computer guy who comes in once a week. I can do everything he can, but it's always like, "We'll have Tom do it when he comes in." When I can do the same thing with the proper access to the server.

[WorkInProgress]

Well, if "your" "real" work is being shuffled around, aren't you concerned that they might be getting ready to let you go? Because if what they're looking for is just someone to pack/unpack/load/unload boxes, they could always hire someone who is less educated than you, probably for less.

[wordsmith]

Well, if "your" "real" work is being shuffled around, aren't you concerned that they might be getting ready to let you go? Because if what they're looking for is just someone to pack/unpack/load/unload boxes, they could always hire someone who is less educated than you, probably for less.

That's what I'm thinking. If you're really seeing handwriting on the wall, I'd definitely address it.

[Jersey_Steve]

Well, if "your" "real" work is being shuffled around, aren't you concerned that they might be getting ready to let you go? Because if what they're looking for is just someone to pack/unpack/load/unload boxes, they could always hire someone who is less educated than you, probably for less.

I'm a little worried, and I'm starting to job hunt again. But I know a couple of things:

1) The company pays crap. We're talking they ignore people looking to make more than 30k. And I know when they interview. So I have a heads-up and some time to work.

2) They don't trust uneducated people to touch the robots. Because they need to be tested and inspected as well. Not just taken out of and put back into boxes. We've gotten help from some people in the shipping and recieving departments when it comes to the heaviest robots, but the owners are paranoid about that stuff.

3) I still can do a lot when the need arises. I can do all the other stuff I've mentioned, and do it with a degree of compentence. They still have me do stuff... just not as often as before.

Between those three, I feel I'm safe for the time-being. Or at least long enough to start getting the resumes out again.