Message #44019

[tippy]

Multitasking has become an workplace idiom for taking on more work than time reasonably allows.  The use of it as a skill to be admired is propostorous.  It short changes all involved, the employee, the product, and the customer.  Multitasking by employers means a way to save on the number of necessary staff and thus distributing heavy workloads to the remaining work force.  I have seen over the past few years numerous full-time positions be eliminated and never replaced.  Employees are forced to take on the extra work with minimual or no extra compensation or advancement.

Everyone expects to be doing 2 things at once, but the quality of work produced can only be deminished when we increasingly are being asked to do numerous tasks at one time.  There is always the constant double/triple checking to make sure something has not been forgotten or overlooked because your focus was divided.  Home life is greatly affected due to exhaustion, bringing home office work, guilt over taking time off, stress and stress related illnesses.  

But despite the lunacy of this workplace practice it is prevalant in most business.  So after 19 years I've learned to write everything down.  Messages in and out.  Bosses are multitasking and they think they've told you've something when they actually haven't.  Be able to show where you are on everything and why it isn't or is further along.  Needless to say Bossie asking me how a project is coming along when he's never given me the project or knows I haven't been able to work on very much due to other deadlines is my trigger.  My favorite is when I'm up to my eyeballs with several projects and he strolls in, looks at the "to file" box and says you gonna have this filed by >>>>, right?  I find leaving the office for lunch and refusing to eat at my desk helps the most.  Just to get out in to the sun, rain, snow whatever makes me breath easier.  Also despite no pay I find a Venti Latte and playing music after hours makes filing a doable task.