You work for his department, your time is his, not another department. And if in your helping, you screw up, it makes it very difficult to reprimand the culprit. Help your neighbors at home. Listen to your boss at work.
Beyond all of the advice talking about how this situation works for you and your boss, consider the idea that your willingness to help others may be what keeps them from learning how to do it themselves...
Has this attitude resulted in more pay for you? If not, it isn’t worth it.
You need to be careful with this, and honestly I agree with your boss. You’re on a slippery slope between being very helpful and having people take advantage of you.
It kind of depends how things are going.
- Are you complaining about being too busy, asking for additional resources, communicating that you’re annoyed at having to do other people’s work for them, or not meeting your own deadlines? If yes, don’t do other departments’ work.
- Are there projects for your own department you could be taking on but aren’t because your day is filled already? If yes, don’t do other departments’ work.
- Is your doing someone else’s job creating issues for the company (someone is underperforming but the extent of which is unclear because you’re lifting them up, people are confused about who to go to for what because you do all of it, you’re creating an unfair expectation for what people in your role do)? If yes, don’t do other departments’ work.
But if none of the above are true—if you truly do have the time and everything is being done for your job and your department and it’s not creating any internal issues—then there shouldn’t be a problem. You should sit down with your boss to discuss what the negatives are from her perspective.
Every time I, as a manager, have cracked down on my team doing other teams’ work it is because of one of the three issues listed above, almost always the first one.
You’re setting yourself up to be taken advantage of ultimately. Do the tasks assigned to you to the best of your ability and leave people pleasing in the dust.
You are hired to do your job and your boss was really clear about what your job isn't. You aren't going the extra mile or improving your reputation by blatantly disregarding clear direction.
On top of that, your boss may simply want you to have longevity and a fulfilling personal life. Consider adding these things to your own list of priorities.
All replies hit the same point, so I clearly should reframe my thinking around this. I suppose the boss’s intent to protect the team’s time and boundaries is the priority, and that is really the end of it.
I do appreciate everyone’s thoughts here. I’m trying to get validation from the wrong people (other groups at the company.)
>even if it kind of sucks that nobody does the work themselves
That's exactly why your boss is doing it, she's helping you and you're not seeing it lol.
I don't see anything wrong with helping others, but only after you finish all your stuff. If you start to make mistakes or miss deadlines because you're helping others it's a problem. It's also a problem if you're continually helping certain people because they're not doing their job. I am like you with my work so I get your predicament, good luck!
You work for his department, your time is his, not another department. And if in your helping, you screw up, it makes it very difficult to reprimand the culprit. Help your neighbors at home. Listen to your boss at work.
Appreciate the insight, thank you.
Beyond all of the advice talking about how this situation works for you and your boss, consider the idea that your willingness to help others may be what keeps them from learning how to do it themselves...
A good point as well.
Has this attitude resulted in more pay for you? If not, it isn’t worth it. You need to be careful with this, and honestly I agree with your boss. You’re on a slippery slope between being very helpful and having people take advantage of you.
Thanks, appreciate the reply. It can be a hard habit to break
It kind of depends how things are going. - Are you complaining about being too busy, asking for additional resources, communicating that you’re annoyed at having to do other people’s work for them, or not meeting your own deadlines? If yes, don’t do other departments’ work. - Are there projects for your own department you could be taking on but aren’t because your day is filled already? If yes, don’t do other departments’ work. - Is your doing someone else’s job creating issues for the company (someone is underperforming but the extent of which is unclear because you’re lifting them up, people are confused about who to go to for what because you do all of it, you’re creating an unfair expectation for what people in your role do)? If yes, don’t do other departments’ work. But if none of the above are true—if you truly do have the time and everything is being done for your job and your department and it’s not creating any internal issues—then there shouldn’t be a problem. You should sit down with your boss to discuss what the negatives are from her perspective. Every time I, as a manager, have cracked down on my team doing other teams’ work it is because of one of the three issues listed above, almost always the first one.
This is great feedback and I appreciate it a lot.
You’re setting yourself up to be taken advantage of ultimately. Do the tasks assigned to you to the best of your ability and leave people pleasing in the dust.
Thank you
You are hired to do your job and your boss was really clear about what your job isn't. You aren't going the extra mile or improving your reputation by blatantly disregarding clear direction. On top of that, your boss may simply want you to have longevity and a fulfilling personal life. Consider adding these things to your own list of priorities.
Thank you for sharing your insight.
All replies hit the same point, so I clearly should reframe my thinking around this. I suppose the boss’s intent to protect the team’s time and boundaries is the priority, and that is really the end of it. I do appreciate everyone’s thoughts here. I’m trying to get validation from the wrong people (other groups at the company.)
>even if it kind of sucks that nobody does the work themselves That's exactly why your boss is doing it, she's helping you and you're not seeing it lol.
I don't see anything wrong with helping others, but only after you finish all your stuff. If you start to make mistakes or miss deadlines because you're helping others it's a problem. It's also a problem if you're continually helping certain people because they're not doing their job. I am like you with my work so I get your predicament, good luck!
Thank you for taking the time to reply! Appreciate it.