My career is taking a back, back seat to everything else.

[Anonymous]

I don't think there's anything wrong with what OP is doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And people wonder why the general public has such disdain for federal government employees. Thanks for confirming that, OP.

Sure. Everybody at private companies/firms are "on" for 7.5-9.5 hours per day, never check DCUM, pay bills, etc.

No, thanks, I don't want to buy that bridge you have for sale.

I am. I'm in a private company routinely work 9 hour days (and then answer email and prep for the next day after I get home). And, oh yeah, can't remember the last time I didn't work over the weekend. There is no checking DCUM, paying bills, running errands or anything else at work.

All of this and, trust me, not only can I get fired, but sometimes the place gets "re-organized" so I get a new supervisor and have all new office politics to navigate.

I bet you get paid at least 2x what I earn as a govt worker. I, too, go to the gym during the day and do home tasks. The difference between me and OP is that I absolutely kill it at my job. I just get my work done faster than others. I have asked for more work, but they dont have any than what I am assigned. So I do my job (well) and then take care of myself. I also am low paid. So there is that.

Define "low paid." A lot of feds seem to think the rest of us are rolling in dough...hardly, especially when a lot of jobs have been cut down to 34 hours so as not to deliver benefits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The 40 hour work week is a crock. Technology was supposed to make our lives easier by streamlining all the stuff that used to take hours. And it HAS -- but we are still expected to "fill the time." I'm sorry, but unless you're a moron, it does not take a full 8 hours to do the vast majority of jobs, nor does it take 5 days a week. Honestly, with technology being what it is, there are a WHOLE LOT of jobs that should be 8 hours 3 days a week, or maybe 4 hours a day 5 days a week.

Technology makes it easier to do many MORE tasks during the day.

That's where we've fucked ourselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think there's anything wrong with what OP is doing.

Seriously? I think even op sees something wrong with it, and that's the first step. I find it hard to respect people, including some of my coworkers, who don't work at work. I don't care about an hour or so but people who warm their seats surfing the web, online shopping, Facebook, and celebrity gossip, etc for more than 2/3 of the working day, esp when there's plenty of work to go around and room to innovate, really get my goat.

Op, when my kids were very young I went through a period of what in retrospect was probably depression. I found it hard to work at work as the rest of my life encroached on the job time. I had a job loss scare and totally turned things around. I now keep a log of my working hours so I can see when I'm slipping. E.g. if I need to make doctors appointments or check my personal email or leave the office to take a walk, I log out on my phone. I tally up my own hours to keep myself honest. It helps that I'm now in a mission oriented nonprofit. I know that when I slack, in cheating or funders and the people we help. I also feel bad about myself when I slack.

If your current job cannot inspire you to do better, look for something else or take on new tasks that might not save the world but will enhance your skill set. It is so so much easier to go to work each day and forgo some time with my kids since I believe in and take pride in my work. It also helps that my kids love aftercare and hate it when I pick them up early. They also have a consistent bedtime finally, which helps to be able to do the run the household tasks at night instead of during the workday.

Good luck, op. I agree with pp that not everyone has to be a work superstar every single day at every stage of life, but give it a true effort, and you'll probably find your life satisfaction improve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And people wonder why the general public has such disdain for federal government employees. Thanks for confirming that, OP.

Sure. Everybody at private companies/firms are "on" for 7.5-9.5 hours per day, never check DCUM, pay bills, etc.

No, thanks, I don't want to buy that bridge you have for sale.

I am. I'm in a private company routinely work 9 hour days (and then answer email and prep for the next day after I get home). And, oh yeah, can't remember the last time I didn't work over the weekend. There is no checking DCUM, paying bills, running errands or anything else at work.

All of this and, trust me, not only can I get fired, but sometimes the place gets "re-organized" so I get a new supervisor and have all new office politics to navigate.

I'm an attorney and make 80k. I think that's very low paid. So, i have zero qualms. Thankfully, my DH makes a ton more. Or else, I'd be resentfull. Instead, I do my job and once Im done I take care of myself and my kiddos!



I bet you get paid at least 2x what I earn as a govt worker. I, too, go to the gym during the day and do home tasks. The difference between me and OP is that I absolutely kill it at my job. I just get my work done faster than others. I have asked for more work, but they dont have any than what I am assigned. So I do my job (well) and then take care of myself. I also am low paid. So there is that.

Define "low paid." A lot of feds seem to think the rest of us are rolling in dough...hardly, especially when a lot of jobs have been cut down to 34 hours so as not to deliver benefits.

[Anonymous]

Lot of real nerds in here. Especially the same guy who won't shut up about his tax dollars and what people "owe" their employer. Get a life loser.

OP, you are fine. Fed work is a joke for a reason. I'm in private practice that requires a fair amount of interaction with certain Fed employees (lawyers) and they are almost universally shitty at their jobs. Achieving even a modest objective or decision requires literally 100x the amount of time a similar issue requires in private practice. Calls are returned sometime next week instead of, say, when the message is received. But... So what? Good enough for government work is a thing for a reason. I work a million times harder and get paid a million times more. Enjoy your leisure time and job security/lack of accountability. You are buying it in exchange for financial compensation, prestige, and having to put up with the kind of people who work for the government. No reason to feel guilty in the least.

[Anonymous]

Default parent.

[Anonymous]

You give government workers a bad name. You are no better than career welfare goddesses sucking the taxpayer teets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You give government workers a bad name. You are no better than career welfare goddesses sucking the taxpayer teets.

Learn to spell before you start with your nonsensical insults. Geez.

[Anonymous]

Op I am soooo jealous. Can you please tell me how to get one of these jobs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lot of real nerds in here. Especially the same guy who won't shut up about his tax dollars and what people "owe" their employer. Get a life loser.

OP, you are fine. Fed work is a joke for a reason. I'm in private practice that requires a fair amount of interaction with certain Fed employees (lawyers) and they are almost universally shitty at their jobs. Achieving even a modest objective or decision requires literally 100x the amount of time a similar issue requires in private practice. Calls are returned sometime next week instead of, say, when the message is received. But... So what? Good enough for government work is a thing for a reason. I work a million times harder and get paid a million times more. Enjoy your leisure time and job security/lack of accountability. You are buying it in exchange for financial compensation, prestige, and having to put up with the kind of people who work for the government. No reason to feel guilty in the least.

Agree with this poster about how hard many fed workers work. When the sequester hit my workload dropped dramatically and so did everyone else I worked with. The difference was they started checking facebook and playing solitaire. I felt like a slacker doing that so I quit, but I had the luxury because my dh makes good money. For those who can't quit it is a prison term. Nobody really wants to have a job that allows goofing off, but there is no choice. Fed managers are the lowest form of human, they do almost nothing, and don't penalize or even know or care that their staff doesn't have enough work to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And I am feeling guilty. I am basically phoning it in at work. Not doing my best work. I think it's nearly impossible to get fired (gov't job), but my mediocre performance is making me feel bad about work generally.
Now that the 2 older kids are school-age, I really feel like I need to be home right at 5 for homework/activities. Plus I have a 2 year old, so I want to hang out with him as much as I can.
So I leave for work at 7 am to ensure a 4:30 departure. So I can't work out in the morning or at night. (Well I could at 8:30 pm, but experience has shown me that I will never, ever do that.) So I go during the work day. Then I do many household tasks at work
- signing up for activities, filling out forms, etc., do I can maximize my 5 pm-8 pm time with the kids.
So I feel like an underperformer at work.
Anyone else feel this way? Anyone have any tips for managing this better?

If you leave FOR work at 7 and depart at 4:30, with a presumed 30 min lunch, you aren't even getting 40 hours a week in, since I guess you don't have a teleport that gets you to work instaneously.

And you ALSO are taking time to work out? And do other personal stuff at the office? WTF?

You feel like an underperformer because you are a complete slacker, you suck, and other people are doing your job.

[Anonymous]

Geez, from the title of the thread, I thought this would be TOTALLY different. Like OP would be a mom who basically quit/put her career on hold in order to allow DH to take on an opportunity that involved a lot of travel, long hours, etc. Which is where I am right now.

OP, suck it up. At least you HAVE a job. I seriously do not see what is so complicated about doing work while you are at work. If you no longer want your job, I'd be happy to do it.

[Anonymous]

I'll take the $80K for working out/paying bills govt. attorney job! Underpaid, indeed.

[Anonymous]

I feel the same way but unlike you I am a high performer. But since I put everything else first... Being a mom/wife/daughter/friend/etc I stopped trying to be promoted... Mommy tracked.

I could do my job and my coworkers job and still do all the stuff I need to do for my family.

It is frustrating.

6 more years and my kids are off to college.

I have already started taking classes online and am studying for my GRE so I can get off the mommy track in the next 4 years.

My husband jumped back in the gene last year.

It's hard and frustrating but I have a job and make good money... So not complaining.