Reply to: Getting paid to do nothing

[singhr]

I have served my time on the bench and know how it feels - I'm not complaining, just wondering how common the phenomenon is. In any case I may have spoken too soon - today I had to go to a meeting for one hour and tomorrow there is another one - things are picking up

[Jog On]

Could be worse - I'm doing lots and not getting paid for it

[Andy2]

Lots of benched contractors would rather get paid to do nothing than
not paid to do nothing. Stop complaining and get down to do nothing.

[s2budd]

Getting paid to do nothing is much better than not getting paid to do nothing which is my case from last November. Don't knock it.

[ratewhore]

What I've also found is the higher the rate, the less work that's actually expected.

WHS. It's more about what I know, rather than what I do.

When I've nowt to do, I go home. If anyone complains, I just ask them what they are waiting on me to deliver. They soon go away mumbling to themselves...

[Joe Bloque]

Here I sit, one month into a three month contract getting paid to do nothing. PM is too busy to give me any work and I have given up asking. Anyone got any ideas to make time go faster? Anyone else working for large corporations surrounded by hundreds of busy people thinking there must be more to life than this?

Just to amuse you..

Lunch Time Reading

[MPwannadecentincome]

What I've also found is the higher the rate, the less work that's actually expected.

Oh how I wish that was true - I'm a PM and I've found that the higher the rate the more projects I'm given to run all at the same time!

[ace00]

........ What I've also found is the higher the rate, the less work that's actually expected.

The art of management..........

Got the top 3!

[Lockhouse]

What I do is do nothing.....right up until the last minute. This way I put myself under some sort of pressure otherwise I'd have absolutely no interest in what I do at all. What I've also found is the higher the rate, the less work that's actually expected.

[Grinder]

Some years ago, project was placed on hold while a new strategy was worked out. We played Quake 2 on the office network all afternoon for 4 weeks. About the 3rd day in a bunch of other peeps joined in from elsewhere in the building. We never did know who they were.

Happy times!

[Fred Bloggs]

I agree with that. At the moment I have a drawer full of documents ready for sign off. But I am waiting to hear if my contract is being extended for the next project phase of not. The documents are staying exactly where they are until they're asked for and I'm whiling away my days looking awfully busy. In the present market, it's self preservation. In better times, I'd have got the doc's signed off early and moved on before the end of the gig.

[original PM]

Boreout strategies include:

Stretch your work strategy: This involves drawing out tasks so they take much longer than necessary. For example, if an employee's sole assignment during a work week is a report that takes three work days, the employee will "stretch" this three days of work over the entire work week. Stretching strategies vary from employee to employee. Some employees may do the entire report in the first three days, and then spend the remaining days surfing the Internet, planning their holiday, browsing online shopping websites, sending personal e-mails, and so on (all the while ensuring that their workstation is filled with the evidence of "hard work", by having work documents ready to be switched-to on the screen). Alternatively, some employees may "stretch" the work over the entire work week by breaking up the process with a number of pauses to send personal e-mails, go outside for a cigarette, get a coffee, chat with friends in other parts of the company, or even go to the washroom for a 10 minute nap.


Actaully looking at this the bold bit is eaxactly what they should do - management however then should accept there is nothing more for them to do an 'allow' the surfing shopping etc - what this means is then you have an employee ready in case any last minute work is needed.

I personally hate those muppets who put everything off, drag it out etc and then get caught with a last minute request (which they obviously complain they cannot do because they are to busy having spent the previous 2 days surfing the web)

But then not everbody will agree with me.

[minestrone]

I my first cotract I got about 2 weeks work in a 9 month gig and used to go for a kip in the First Aid room after the daily pub lunch and hour walk around the park.

Finished my J2EE architect cert and some self training but you do eventually go nuts with the boredom.

I begged to get out the contract in the end which looking back was a bit insane.

[Mich the Tester]

Doesn't it eat into company profits though?

Yes, but if the food and drink's tax deductible, do you care?

[Pogle]

I go to the pub at lunch time. That usually reduces my productivity quite naturally, and makes me feel quite unconcerned about it.

Doesn't it eat into company profits though?