Tips to my younger colleagues

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I look at the repeated requests from the senior management for easily available information as job security for me.

Win, win.

Yep. Lower positioned folks (eg assistants, office managers, etc) have been information hoarders/gate keepers forever in the working world. They have used it as a way to keep their low skilled jobs. Very smart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would never check anyone's damn calendar. I'm not their assistant.

One of our biggest time-wasting VPs will send an email that says "let's meet at x time, is that OK?" When you say yes, he writes back "can you send me an invite?" In the time it took him to type that sentence, he could've added it to his own calendar.

I just ignore him now.

If you need my help to get your work done, you can schedule a meeting at my convenience. I don't need you for anything.

That's funny. It's always the senior-level staff who are asking us to meet -- which is why I said he's the one sending the email.

I would never schedule a meeting with them. They're worthless and spend more time blowing hot air than doing work.

So you report to mid level staff?

VP. They might as well be mid-level. They spend all their time on LinkedIn bragging.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow -- I had no idea there was so much age-related animosity in the workplace! Can't we all just get along?

I think we have a problem of a lack of humility from the younger worker set coupled with an unwillingness to mentor by the experienced crowd.

Agree with this. Older folk need to remember that they didn't have all of the wisdom when they were starting out -- someone had to help them and mentor them appropriately. Younger folk -- you have much to offer but there's no substitute for experience. You may be well educated and technically savvy, but you can learn a lot from older colleagues who have been around the block and learned some lessons the hard way. Every generation has its value.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tips for colleagues -
If I'm looking for something you know off the top of your head, why wouldn't I utilize you as a resource? Seems like a much better use of time if you're right there and I ask you for something/information.

Just a thought!

Because it makes you seem lazy.

No, it's a use of a good resource. If you don't think of yourself as a good resource for a younger colleague, you're a sourpuss and need to get over yourself. It doesn't do anyone any good to resource horde. Of course, if it's something the employee has specifically been given or shown how to do, that's different.
I'm the lowest on the totem pole and people ask me to find things ALL the time that are public information. They sometimes go, "wow, that was fast!" yes, it is the most recent press release on the Senator's web site, but since you're too old to know how the internet works (or you're on a powertrip and like tasking people), you had me find it. In the time it took you to tell me what you were looking for, old person, you could have already had it.

it works both ways!

With this attitude, you will stay on the lowest rung.

not likely, because I happily do all the requests with speed and proficiency. I've managed to triple my salary since moving to DC 8 years ago even through a rough job market, I just work with a lot of inflated salaries and I'm the youngest here, so be default the lowest.

That said, if you don't know public information is easy to find, I'm happy to have that skill make me look better. Because IT HELPS YOU WITH YOUR JOB just like if I don't know where something is, I ask you...and you help me. It's called teamwork. Even if I think your requests are stupid and show your lack of tech savvy, I happily do them.

If you don't like being part of a team, it's not that difficult to work for yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow -- I had no idea there was so much age-related animosity in the workplace! Can't we all just get along?

I think we have a problem of a lack of humility from the younger worker set coupled with an unwillingness to mentor by the experienced crowd.

Agree with this. Older folk need to remember that they didn't have all of the wisdom when they were starting out -- someone had to help them and mentor them appropriately. Younger folk -- you have much to offer but there's no substitute for experience. You may be well educated and technically savvy, but you can learn a lot from older colleagues who have been around the block and learned some lessons the hard way. Every generation has its value.

Yeah, many older colleagues are experts at gaming the system and doing as little work as possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would never check anyone's damn calendar. I'm not their assistant.

One of our biggest time-wasting VPs will send an email that says "let's meet at x time, is that OK?" When you say yes, he writes back "can you send me an invite?" In the time it took him to type that sentence, he could've added it to his own calendar.

I just ignore him now.

If you need my help to get your work done, you can schedule a meeting at my convenience. I don't need you for anything.

That's funny. It's always the senior-level staff who are asking us to meet -- which is why I said he's the one sending the email.

I would never schedule a meeting with them. They're worthless and spend more time blowing hot air than doing work.

So you report to mid level staff?

VP. They might as well be mid-level. They spend all their time on LinkedIn bragging.

So how do you avoid meeting with your boss?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow -- I had no idea there was so much age-related animosity in the workplace! Can't we all just get along?

I think we have a problem of a lack of humility from the younger worker set coupled with an unwillingness to mentor by the experienced crowd.

Agree with this. Older folk need to remember that they didn't have all of the wisdom when they were starting out -- someone had to help them and mentor them appropriately. Younger folk -- you have much to offer but there's no substitute for experience. You may be well educated and technically savvy, but you can learn a lot from older colleagues who have been around the block and learned some lessons the hard way. Every generation has its value.

Happy to mentor, but not for obvious stuff such as always be better prepared than people more senior to you.

[Anonymous]

"That said, if you don't know public information is easy to find, I'm happy to have that skill make me look better. Because IT HELPS YOU WITH YOUR JOB just like if I don't know where something is, I ask you...and you help me. It's called teamwork. Even if I think your requests are stupid and show your lack of tech savvy, I happily do them. "

What about requests that demonstrate a lack of subject matter expertise?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't ask a more senior colleague for information you yourself can track down easily. It makes you look lazy, uninformed and like someone who doesn't realize her time is less valuable than her senior colleagues' time.

Ok, mister/mrs VP, don't you have any VP matter to attend to at this time than venting on DCUM, like really? Why don't you go tell whoever made you post this?? It would benefit them, not us, we don't work for you, and we don't care

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tips for colleagues -
If I'm looking for something you know off the top of your head, why wouldn't I utilize you as a resource? Seems like a much better use of time if you're right there and I ask you for something/information.

Just a thought!

Because it makes you seem lazy.

No, it's a use of a good resource. If you don't think of yourself as a good resource for a younger colleague, you're a sourpuss and need to get over yourself. It doesn't do anyone any good to resource horde. Of course, if it's something the employee has specifically been given or shown how to do, that's different.
I'm the lowest on the totem pole and people ask me to find things ALL the time that are public information. They sometimes go, "wow, that was fast!" yes, it is the most recent press release on the Senator's web site, but since you're too old to know how the internet works (or you're on a powertrip and like tasking people), you had me find it. In the time it took you to tell me what you were looking for, old person, you could have already had it.

it works both ways!

This. I am young and in an admin/office manager position and while my boss respects me, my co-workers often ask me to do things for them that they should and could easily do themselves (with information I have given them). They either just don't want to or haven't bothered to become technologically proficient enough to find what they're looking for. They also think they can task me even though I don't report to them. I go above and beyond for anyone who respects my time, but unfortunately so few of them bother.

I'm well-compensated and like the enviroment otherwise, but it is frustrating because I am assistant to my boss and not to each of them. I also am aware of the time constraints of my boss and try my best to make his life easier - and that's why he respects me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't ask a more senior colleague for information you yourself can track down easily. It makes you look lazy, uninformed and like someone who doesn't realize her time is less valuable than her senior colleagues' time.

Ok, mister/mrs VP, don't you have any VP matter to attend to at this time than venting on DCUM, like really? Why don't you go tell whoever made you post this?? It would benefit them, not us, we don't work for you, and we don't care

Nope, I don't. I'm in an airport. The offending person in question doesn't work for me. She's a junior person in another department.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't ask a more senior colleague for information you yourself can track down easily. It makes you look lazy, uninformed and like someone who doesn't realize her time is less valuable than her senior colleagues' time.

Ok, mister/mrs VP, don't you have any VP matter to attend to at this time than venting on DCUM, like really? Why don't you go tell whoever made you post this?? It would benefit them, not us, we don't work for you, and we don't care

Nope, I don't. I'm in an airport. The offending person in question doesn't work for me. She's a junior person in another department.

Why are you so offended by this? Does this person do it all the time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't ask a more senior colleague for information you yourself can track down easily. It makes you look lazy, uninformed and like someone who doesn't realize her time is less valuable than her senior colleagues' time.

OP, I totally get what you are saying. Drives me nuts when someone asks a question that google, the intranet, or common sense would tell them the answer to. Yes, I may know the answer, but interrupting me reduces my efficiency and looking it up yourself probably wouldn't take you any longer than asking me. Plus, I expect people to show judgment and an ability to problem solve. I certainly don't want them running to the clients when they don't know something--our clients expect us to find the answers! If you can't show the judgment about when it's worth asking something vs looking it up yourself, and you can't problem-solve enough to find out obvious things....well, you can ask me your question, but if you keep doing it I'm going to think less of you.

I would also include in that category the calendar issue and other admin stuff--if someone else can look at my calendar to see if I'm available, why can't they do that and just send an invite? Why ask me to check if I am free? I wish everyone in the office (top down) was responsible for keeping their calendar up-to-date and being able to rely on the scheduling feature to set meetings. It would save so much time and reduce my email by 10 percent, I swear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would never check anyone's damn calendar. I'm not their assistant.

One of our biggest time-wasting VPs will send an email that says "let's meet at x time, is that OK?" When you say yes, he writes back "can you send me an invite?" In the time it took him to type that sentence, he could've added it to his own calendar.

I just ignore him now.

If you need my help to get your work done, you can schedule a meeting at my convenience. I don't need you for anything.

That's funny. It's always the senior-level staff who are asking us to meet -- which is why I said he's the one sending the email.

I would never schedule a meeting with them. They're worthless and spend more time blowing hot air than doing work.

So you report to mid level staff?

VP. They might as well be mid-level. They spend all their time on LinkedIn bragging.

So how do you avoid meeting with your boss?

Simply say "here's where we are with xyz. would you still like to meet and discuss?"

works almost every time because they know it was a bs meeting to begin with.

i'm not scared to call them out on their time-sucking nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't ask a more senior colleague for information you yourself can track down easily. It makes you look lazy, uninformed and like someone who doesn't realize her time is less valuable than her senior colleagues' time.

Au contraire! Seek out a mentor -- carefully, of course -- among higher ups to chat with about what's going on in your organization. Don't obviously "court" anyone -- that's creepy -- but if you can find people at all levels, from the receptionist to the board, particularly in small to midsized organizations that you can have lunch with to share ideas, that will help you now and in the future. The key is to avoid looking needy or pushy. People love to talk.