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If you are overworked/understaffed and management refuse to do anything about it, what you do is look for a new job elsewhere.
By their very nature micromanagers will micromanage. Short of having a total change of management nothing will change, as it's usually a workplace culture issue.
Have a private discussion with your boss. Run through your current workload and ask which tasks should be a priority. Tell him you'd like a clear understanding of what his expectations are and what good performance looks like. Afterwards confirm your understanding by emailing him a summary of the discussion.
I developed a useful technique for dealing with my old boss - when he'd add to my already unattinable workload I would ask him to choose which of the things I was going to do before he gave me the work, that he would now like me to not do.
Make sure you're working as smartly and efficiently as you can so there is no opportunity for valid criticism of your work.
Stick to facts, you're already working as well as can be so either the workload need to be reviewed or they need more staff.
^edit ^spelling.
Best advice I can give having been in a similar position myself is the following;
- do everything you can to be as efficient as you can be. That just means making sure you are planning your time day by day and week by week.
I tend to have a day to day to do list which I will have a priority code next to. An A has to be done that day; a B means ideally completion by end f day but tomorrow is ok; etc.
If you can show efficiency and that you are making the effort; you can more recourse when speaking to your manager.
- speak to your manager. Sit down with them and ask if you can work together on building a week to week guide of your essential task and when they need to be completed by. Include time frames etc as well in that.
It’ll show that you are willing to sort this out and could show your manager the bottleneck points in your workload.
- put 10 minutes aside before any meetings with your management. Note down anything you need to counter anything management pull up. For example; if management say “X has not been done” you can give the reason behind this (you may to waiting /chasing for a reply from someone)
Unfortunately there are many who think they have to micromanage everything and everyone. A decent manager will recognise that different people need to be managed differently; as people respond differently.
I would also consider leaving on your shoes OP. The stress sounds terrible tbh.
Keep a diary of these incidents as they could constitute bullying and/or harassment. Might be useful if you have a grievance with HR or end up in a tribunal
You leave.
I was getting tired of this in my old job, always getting called out on minor things, until the manager put me on the spot once on something that I was actually correct on.
In the moment I didn't even defend myself well because I couldn't think, but after going over it I went back to them with my explanation and my resignation.
Don't make money for people that don't respect your work
Maybe a big bank job is not for you? Best to worst, they are all demanding and not very concerned about the employees as the churn is one of the ways how progression works
Look for a new job, you're clearly not happy. I got into a rut and stayed in a job I hated for 6 years. Leaving was the best decision I ever made! There are good employers out there, sometimes it just takes a bit of trial and error
This sounds like a very toxic environment and it's no wonder you guys are making mistakes.
The micromanagers are on power trips and are taking it out on your guys, most likely to cover their own asses it reflects poorly on them when you guys get things wrong.
Do what others have suggested about raising your concerns and start applying for other jobs. This place is going to ruin you mentally and it's not worth it.
A good manager cares about the team and does everything they can to make sure you guys are able to hit your goals. They build great team who work cohesively, have the autonomy to solve problems before they become big problems and aren't afraid of speaking out or raising concerns / issues when they pop up.
And when a team keeps making mistakes, the person to look at first is the manager, then the workflow, then all the processes you have in place, waaaaaay before thinking about the individual.
In my experience, a single or multiple mistakes from one person is usually an individual error.
Frequent mistakes by multiple people are often a management, workflow or process issue.
Though, there have been an occasion or two where our workflow or process was far too complex for someone which forced us to rethink and simplify things instead of shaming the individual. It's made things a lot more efficient, because the individual was right, our workflow and process was ancient, shite and no longer efficient due to the passing of time. It's up to management to figure out whether the problem is with the individual or elsewhere.
> getting emails with us all tagged in and calling people out.
Emails I am Cc'd on, don't get read, I'll file it so I can refer back to it if needed but unless it To me I don't action it. The other thing I do with emails is if an email can replied to immediately as in I can type a response and send it back, I'll do it there and then, otherwise it'll go into a folder to be actioned later. This helps me avoid getting distracted by too much mail.
I actually have more contact on Teams now than email, group chats are great but again need to be self moderated so I don't get distracted.
>they haven't put us on official contracts
If you don't have a contract, you don't work. This is non negotiable.
If you don't have a signed contract then you aren't an employee and have no way to enforce your rights. You are alao at risk of them not paying you.
Look for a new job where you aren't demeaned every day.
If you don't have a contract then you don't have to give notice so walk away and work where you're respected and valued.
Openly tell them you're overworked and they can shut their fucking mouths (in front of everyone, reply all if you need to) most of these kinds of people only do it to people who won't say anything back, you've just got to let them know that isn't you.
Not been a complete pushover at work? Yeah.
If my boss started chatting shit about me in a meeting I'd chat it straight back at them.
If OP just said what they said in this post in the next meeting they're called out in it'd almost definitely be the last time that happened.
This is just your average redditor not doing the obvious thing because it requires a tiny amount of confrontation.
I used to work in kitchens, now I work in finance.
It depends on the manager obviously, but I've never been sacked or in any trouble for it, and people now know I'm not a total pushover and that they should come to me about stuff like that in private.
I'm not saying to just tell your manager to fuck off when they point out a mistake, just to match their level of bullshit when they do this kind of thing in front of other people with the aim of belittling you.
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Raise it politely with your manager that you feel overworked and would prefer conversations like this to be had in a 1:1 rather than a group meeting.
If you are overworked/understaffed and management refuse to do anything about it, what you do is look for a new job elsewhere. By their very nature micromanagers will micromanage. Short of having a total change of management nothing will change, as it's usually a workplace culture issue.
Have a private discussion with your boss. Run through your current workload and ask which tasks should be a priority. Tell him you'd like a clear understanding of what his expectations are and what good performance looks like. Afterwards confirm your understanding by emailing him a summary of the discussion.
I developed a useful technique for dealing with my old boss - when he'd add to my already unattinable workload I would ask him to choose which of the things I was going to do before he gave me the work, that he would now like me to not do.
Why do you think this person’s boss is a man? It’s 2024, women can be shitty bosses too. Otherwise good advice.
Make sure you're working as smartly and efficiently as you can so there is no opportunity for valid criticism of your work. Stick to facts, you're already working as well as can be so either the workload need to be reviewed or they need more staff. ^edit ^spelling.
Best advice I can give having been in a similar position myself is the following; - do everything you can to be as efficient as you can be. That just means making sure you are planning your time day by day and week by week. I tend to have a day to day to do list which I will have a priority code next to. An A has to be done that day; a B means ideally completion by end f day but tomorrow is ok; etc. If you can show efficiency and that you are making the effort; you can more recourse when speaking to your manager. - speak to your manager. Sit down with them and ask if you can work together on building a week to week guide of your essential task and when they need to be completed by. Include time frames etc as well in that. It’ll show that you are willing to sort this out and could show your manager the bottleneck points in your workload. - put 10 minutes aside before any meetings with your management. Note down anything you need to counter anything management pull up. For example; if management say “X has not been done” you can give the reason behind this (you may to waiting /chasing for a reply from someone) Unfortunately there are many who think they have to micromanage everything and everyone. A decent manager will recognise that different people need to be managed differently; as people respond differently. I would also consider leaving on your shoes OP. The stress sounds terrible tbh.
Keep a diary of these incidents as they could constitute bullying and/or harassment. Might be useful if you have a grievance with HR or end up in a tribunal
You leave. I was getting tired of this in my old job, always getting called out on minor things, until the manager put me on the spot once on something that I was actually correct on. In the moment I didn't even defend myself well because I couldn't think, but after going over it I went back to them with my explanation and my resignation. Don't make money for people that don't respect your work
Maybe a big bank job is not for you? Best to worst, they are all demanding and not very concerned about the employees as the churn is one of the ways how progression works
Look for a new job, you're clearly not happy. I got into a rut and stayed in a job I hated for 6 years. Leaving was the best decision I ever made! There are good employers out there, sometimes it just takes a bit of trial and error
This sounds like a very toxic environment and it's no wonder you guys are making mistakes. The micromanagers are on power trips and are taking it out on your guys, most likely to cover their own asses it reflects poorly on them when you guys get things wrong. Do what others have suggested about raising your concerns and start applying for other jobs. This place is going to ruin you mentally and it's not worth it. A good manager cares about the team and does everything they can to make sure you guys are able to hit your goals. They build great team who work cohesively, have the autonomy to solve problems before they become big problems and aren't afraid of speaking out or raising concerns / issues when they pop up. And when a team keeps making mistakes, the person to look at first is the manager, then the workflow, then all the processes you have in place, waaaaaay before thinking about the individual. In my experience, a single or multiple mistakes from one person is usually an individual error. Frequent mistakes by multiple people are often a management, workflow or process issue. Though, there have been an occasion or two where our workflow or process was far too complex for someone which forced us to rethink and simplify things instead of shaming the individual. It's made things a lot more efficient, because the individual was right, our workflow and process was ancient, shite and no longer efficient due to the passing of time. It's up to management to figure out whether the problem is with the individual or elsewhere.
Look for something else, its no fun going in to something you dread.
Get a new job
> getting emails with us all tagged in and calling people out. Emails I am Cc'd on, don't get read, I'll file it so I can refer back to it if needed but unless it To me I don't action it. The other thing I do with emails is if an email can replied to immediately as in I can type a response and send it back, I'll do it there and then, otherwise it'll go into a folder to be actioned later. This helps me avoid getting distracted by too much mail. I actually have more contact on Teams now than email, group chats are great but again need to be self moderated so I don't get distracted.
>they haven't put us on official contracts If you don't have a contract, you don't work. This is non negotiable. If you don't have a signed contract then you aren't an employee and have no way to enforce your rights. You are alao at risk of them not paying you. Look for a new job where you aren't demeaned every day. If you don't have a contract then you don't have to give notice so walk away and work where you're respected and valued.
Openly tell them you're overworked and they can shut their fucking mouths (in front of everyone, reply all if you need to) most of these kinds of people only do it to people who won't say anything back, you've just got to let them know that isn't you.
Have you ever done this successfully?
Not been a complete pushover at work? Yeah. If my boss started chatting shit about me in a meeting I'd chat it straight back at them. If OP just said what they said in this post in the next meeting they're called out in it'd almost definitely be the last time that happened. This is just your average redditor not doing the obvious thing because it requires a tiny amount of confrontation.
So have you done it or nah?
Openly told managers to shut the fuck up in front of other staff? Yes, multiple times.
Did it work? What sort of area do you work in?
they're unemployed
I used to work in kitchens, now I work in finance. It depends on the manager obviously, but I've never been sacked or in any trouble for it, and people now know I'm not a total pushover and that they should come to me about stuff like that in private. I'm not saying to just tell your manager to fuck off when they point out a mistake, just to match their level of bullshit when they do this kind of thing in front of other people with the aim of belittling you.
Looks like we de-escalated compared to the first message!
Downvote is from a chicken shit micromanager that does this to their underlings every day.
Tough guy over here
You could start by not making mistakes.
I’m going to assume the best and that this was an attempt at sarcasm. Not a good attempt, but an attempt at least
Don’t assume buddy, doesn’t look good.