INFORMING IS NOT COMPLAINING
Most people I know continue to work more than ever, as home and office life blur together. The news doesn’t report as frequently on just how many companies are booming, and not just software companies. The pressure is on to hire and achieve profitable growth, or in the case of nonprofit, carry out the mission sustainably, through strong execution of strategic plans.
A few vacations finally seem to be popping up here and there for some people, but it’s been a long haul over the last year. Heads have been down re-forecasting, looking at cash and revenue streams, and analyzing and adjusting to all the processes and procedures impacted by COVID.
Informing your boss and others of what’s on your plate is essential in our still fluctuating times. Sure, it was important before, but life is different not actually seeing people in an office as frequently, or ever. We still don’t have the all-important impromptu catch ups just passing by in the coffee area.
I was following up with a placed candidate in the months after the placement, as is my practice at Colosi Associates, and she mentioned she was working way more than 40 hours a week. Things just came up and needed to be done. She wanted to take care of them, even if not part of her planned tasks. I asked her if she let her boss (my client) know about how much she was working. She said she didn’t, because she didn’t want to complain. I strongly suggested how important informing is, and that it’s not complaining. I wanted to write about this, because I noticed it in a couple of conversations with others as well.
Why are we Hesitant to Inform our Boss?
Why is it that we’re hesitant to increase communication and maybe even start to decrease communication when things are slipping or we’re feeling overwhelmed?
We think we’re superhuman. We want to get everything done no matter how much is piled on. If we don’t, won’t it show weakness or an inability to handle challenges?
We don’t want to bother our boss. Maybe we think that the boss is too busy as well and doesn’t want more problems piled on their desk. Or maybe we even think our boss doesn’t care!
We think it shows we can’t do our job. We probably think “I’m an experienced professional. Just let me get my work done. My informing you so much makes it seem like you don’t trust me to do my job. I don’t want to be micromanaged.”
We don’t have time. We already have so much else on our plate, we don’t want to waste time writing that one additional email or making that one additional phone call.
We think we have everything under control. We just can’t predict everything. I will have days where only a few hours are planned and think I’ll have time to accomplish my to-do list, but the day fills up with important but unforeseen meetings. We may not want our boss to think we aren’t working when the day’s to-do list doesn’t get accomplished, so we work late.
Have Confidence that Informing is not Complaining or Admitting Failure
THE KEY? Informing is not complaining, IF you suggest workable solutions. When letting your boss know you are overwhelmed, come prepared with recommendations on how to remedy this.
Some ideas:
Additional Resources: Could a temporary resource take something off your plate? Could resources be adjusted or shifted temporarily?
Make a Priority List: What can be done later? Is there something that just simply doesn’t need to be done at all? Get someone who is more independent with a fresh set of eyes to help you find those time wasters.
Reduce Meeting Times: I’m not saying reduce meeting frequency as the whole point of this is to increase communication, but maybe they don’t need to be quite as long-winded. Have an agenda and stick to it!
Informing is as much about what isn’t going to be done as what is. It’s not admitting failure if goals/times to deliver need to be adjusted or goals need to be reworked altogether. You must manage the expectations of many, especially in large organizations. It’s complicated.
How are you informing others?
Make sure you have a cadence and style of communication that works for you, your manager, and colleagues. Is it a frequency that works for all parties? Is it a quick email with few bullets a couple times a week or even a couple times a month? Is it a standing weekly Zoom call? What works for one may not work for another, but whatever the cadence, just get something going!
Even when it’s uncomfortable to start informing, it’s crucial, because, well, you just aren’t superhuman!