Are You Working Too Much Overtime?

Dave Ramsey Web Site ^ | 10 Jun 2010 | Dave Ramsey

[CSM]

The key to overcoming it is to set healthy boundaries at work.

Dave Ramsey calls the classic book Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend a life-changing book! Many people think that boundaries only apply to unruly children and intrusive mother-in-laws, but this is simply not true—boundaries can work wonders in many other areas of life—including your job.

When I first went into practice, I hired a woman for 20 hours a week to run my office. On her second day in the office, I gave her a pile of things to do. About 10 minutes later, she knocked at my door, stack of papers in hand.

“What can I do for you, Laurie?” I asked.

“You have a problem,” she told me.

“I do? What is it?” I asked, not having the vaguest idea what she was talking about.

“You hired me for 20 hours a week, and you have just given me about 40 hours of work. Which 20 would you like done?”

She was right. I did have a problem. I had not managed my workload very well. I was either going to have to spend more on help, cut back on projects, or hire someone else. But she was right: it was my problem, not hers. I had to take responsibility for it and fix it. Laurie was telling me what that ever-present sign says: “Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.”

Many bosses aren’t so lucky. Their employees take responsibility for their lack of planning and never set limits on them. They are never forced to look at their lack of boundaries until it’s too late, until they have lost a good employee to exhaustion or burnout. Such bosses need clear limits, but many employees are afraid to set them, as Laurie did, because they need the job or they fear disapproval.

If you are in a situation in which you’re doing lots of extra work because you “need the job” and because you are afraid of being let go, you have a problem. If you are working more overtime than you want to, you are in bondage to your job. You are a slave, not an employee under contract. Clear and responsible contracts tell all parties involved what is expected of them, and they can be enforced. Jobs should have clear descriptions of duties and qualifications.

As hard as it sounds, you need to take responsibility for yourself and take steps to change your situation. Here are some suggested steps you may wish to take:

Set boundaries on your work. Decide how much overtime you are willing to do. Some overtime during seasonal crunches may be expected of you. Review your job description, if one exists. Make a list of the tasks you need to complete in the next month. Make a copy of the list and assign your own priority to each item. Indicate on this copy any tasks that are not part of your job description. Make an appointment to see your boss to discuss your job overload. Together you should review the list of tasks you need to complete in the next month. Have your boss prioritize the tasks. If your boss wants all the tasks done, and you cannot complete these tasks in the time you are willing to give, your boss may need to hire temporary help to complete those tasks. You may also wish to review your job description with your boss at this time if you think you are doing things that fall outside your domain.

If your boss still has unreasonable expectations of you, you may wish to take a coworker or two along with you to a second meeting (according to the biblical model in Matthew 18), or you may wish to discuss your problem with the appropriate person in your personnel department. If even then he remains unreasonable about what he thinks you can accomplish, you may need to begin looking for other job opportunities within your company or outside.

You may need to go to night school and get some further training to open up other opportunities. You may need to chase down hundreds of employment ads and send out stacks of resumes. (Consult the book How to Get a Job by James Bramlett for information on job searches.) You may wish to start your own business. You may wish to start an emergency fund to survive between quitting your present job and starting a new one.

Whatever you do, remember that your job overload is your responsibility and your problem. If your job is driving you crazy, you need to do something about it. Own the problem. Stop being a victim of an abusive situation and start setting some limits.

(Taken from Boundaries: When to Say Yes, When to Say No to Take Control of Your Life by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend Copyright © 2001 by Zondervan. Used by permission of Zondervan. www.zondervan.com)

[dawn53]

Yep. I knew an employee who told the powers that be that such and such wasn’t in his job description, and exactly as you said, he was shown the line in his contract that says basically you’ll do what we ask, or you won’t have a job.

My employer is great, we have a lot of flexibility on the job, but we’ve all also had to take on additional responsibilities...I’m doing more but am grateful for a job.

[CSM]

Why would you have left off a kee piece of information from the direct quote that you used?

“Ramsey attributed the duplications to a low-level employee. Ramsey offered refunds to the newspapers affected by the error.”

Do you live a perfect life? If not, then when you make mistakes do you offer to correct them?

You can be a fan or not be a fan, I don’t really care. However you should be very careful in your false slamming of any other person.

[CSM]

Envy much?

[CSM]

With every post, you prove yourself to be a fool.

[CSM]

You make it possible for your hubby to work to much overtime!

;-)

[LomanBill]

>>Envy much?

 

Nope.   The Name it and Claim it "gospel" just leads here:

 

Rom 1:25-26
25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator — who is forever praised. Amen.

 

26 Because of this, God gave them over...
NIV

 

Nah, Shill - Some of us didn't / don't need worms like Dave Ramsey to have common sense.

 

Just a coindikink, of course, a certain subject is evidently never mentioned on the temple steps...

===

===

 

 

It's almost funny how so much of the advertising on so-called "christian" radio is from the debt industry and targeted at what's evidently perceived as a gullible audience ready for the fleacing.

 

Almost - until it becomes self-evident how "Fiscal Conservatism", isn't.

[LomanBill]

>>With every post, you prove yourself to be a fool.

Matt 5:22

 

22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
KJV

Have a nice day.

[LomanBill]

[Why would you have left off a kee piece of information from the direct quote that you used?]

Because I wanted YOU to point out that Ramsey evidently doesn't, necessarily, write "Ramsey's" column.

Thank you.

What does that say about the character of the "show"? Given that history, it's reasonable to wonder what else about the "show" is just that....

Do you get many nibbles by running these commercials on FR?

[CSM]

“It’s almost funny how so much of the advertising on so-called “christian” radio is from the debt industry”

Which of course is not endorsed by DR.

If you have such a hatred of him, why are you on this thread.

[CSM]

Let me guess, you are a whole life insurance salesman.

[MortMan]

As a corollary, I find that any work performed after 10 hours in a day will require revisitation. When one gets that brain-weary, one ceases to be productive, in 95+% of cases.

That, at least, has been my experience.

[LomanBill]

You don't think affinity fraud is a relevant subject when financial advice is rendered in a religious context?  

 

Given the increasingly widespread occurence of it, I'd expect that would be one of the first subjects addressed by someone who allegedly had the financial best interests of members of the Body of Christ in mind.

 

Maybe "Dave Ramsey" - or, as you've so graciously alleged, one of the subordinate employees who pretends to be him whilst writing his column - should write a column about it.

 

[LomanBill]

>>Let me guess, you are a whole life insurance salesman.

 

Nope

"you should be very careful in your false slamming of any other person."

--CSM

 

Good advice that.  Follow it yourself, much?

[LomanBill]

>>That, at least, has been my experience.

Depends. You’re right - beyond a certain point there are diminishing returns; but I generally find I write better code late at night when there fewer distractions.

And sometimes, those diminishing returns work for the benefit of those who build bureaucratic mazes (and obfuscated code) - that systemically corrupt games are run within.

A terrified and exhausted craftsman is a more easily coerced craftsman...

[LomanBill]

[A terrified and exhausted craftsman is a more easily coerced craftsman...]

Most of the time.

[CSM]

It is pretty difficult to commit “fraud” when the advice is free. In all honesty, I was able to follow the advice without spending one dime on any DR product. I have however, purchased a few of his books as gifts. I make those purchases when he has them on sale for $10, so I am not risking much.....

What is your personal problem with Dave? You seem to have enough of one that you have used half truths, unfounded accusations and outright envy in your mudslinging. What is it?

[eclecticEel]

You hired me for 20 hours a week, and you have just given me about 40 hours of work.

So then, it takes two weeks to get it all done. i fail to see the problem.

[CodeToad]

“... elect congressmen who won’t make it so expensive and risky for your boss to hire more people.
“

Exactly. Every new employee now costs significantly more than it used to. This is one reason unemployment is staying down. Every company, even ones making good profit like our, is laying off. We just let 12+ people last week and there will be more to follow.

[LomanBill]

>>have used half truths,

For example?

[LomanBill]

>>i fail to see the problem.

 

eclecticEel's boss: We had to let Bob go because of budget constraints.   Here are Bob's uncompleted change orders. They are now your change orders.  The Company needs these ALL of your change orders (you had 40 hours of work before inheriting Bob's) implemented by the end of the week to make the Widgetware 3.1a release date.  Happy coding.

 

eclecticEel: But there's 80 hours of work there.  No way!  I've got personal commitments and I'll have it done by the end of next week.

 

eclecticEel's boss: This is Mahmud .  Mahmud is gay and has no personal commitments;  we're sponsoring Mahmud's H1B.  Mahmud likes the United States and wants to stay here.  We "understand" your commitments - so Mahmud has agreed to take on your change orders in addition to his own.   Please familiarize him with the system.

 

eclecticEel: Great, thanks Boss - you're so understanding!

 

You familiarize Mahmud with the system; then security hands you an envelop from HR, escorts you from the building, and you receive your personal belongings in a week or so via UPS. 

 

You're Terminated, just like Bob.  

 

Mahmud moves into your cubicle and puts his "partner's" photo where the photo of your wife and kids used to be.

 

That IS how it works in right to work/hire/fire states - ESPECIALLY given the accelerated trend toward the progressive, collective, demoralization of corporate Amerika;   and Daaaaave Ramsey is Full of Fairy Shyte if he pretends otherwise.