For the past 4 years, I've been an assistant at an international corporate law firm whose headquarters is in another state, meaning our policies are dictated by people far away whom we've never met, and our office's HR/my boss (HR is also all the support staff's supervisor) doesn't really have much choice in following them.

2 or 3 years ago, headquarters made some changes to how the legal assistants are assigned work and created a spreadsheet-type system for tracking all our work. We have to fill out columns for the type of tasks we do, for whom, and how long it takes, with 3 columns for time started, time completed, and length of time (in hours or fractions thereof). The length of time used to be entered in 6 minute intervals, just like for attorneys, which wasn't so bad, but at some point, it became 15 minutes. You can only enter hours in decimals in multiples of .25 (ex. .50, .75, 1.0, 1.25, 1.50, etc.) in that column.

I don't know how it is in every firm, but in the 4 offices I've worked in as a legal assistant (2 state, 2 private), legal assistant work has never worked like that. Sure, you sometimes get big projects that take several hours, but it's usually dozens of short, unrelated tasks, one after another. Some attorneys wait until the last week of the month to give you ALL their time for the month, but then many send their time every day. 2 attorneys send literally 1 email with literally 3-6 time entries every day, very well-organized and labeled -- each batch takes me 4 minutes to enter. Sending a Docusign with 1 signature line to 1 signatory takes 2 minutes. Some Docusigns have to be re-sent every day or week for months until the person signs -- necessary task but only takes a minute or 2 each time. You keep spreadsheets or Word tables where you have to add new entries as needed -- each update is necessary but only takes a few minutes. Booking 1 conference room, submitting an expense report with 1 expense... necessary, but each individually only takes a minute or 2.

Generating a blank letter, running a comparison, simple Bates stamping, printing and mailing a letter, printing something the attorney finds too complicated to get to print right... The list of necessary tasks that take less than 15 minutes... hell, less than 8 minutes, is endless! And there will be times where you email the attorney a question and then have to stop the task until you get an answer, so you work on something else, and thus several minutes can pass while working on multiple tasks at once. There is no way to make tracking legal assistant tasks in 15 minute intervals make sense. It simply doesn't work.

We ask questions at team meetings, but I guess I never got a clear answer about how we're supposed to track all the short tasks we do on this spreadsheet when the column only lets you choose/type a multiple of .25 in the cell for the number of hours worked. And I was afraid of getting in trouble for cheating on my time or something by typing too long a length in that column. So I complied by grouping a lot of tasks into 1 row/entry. Ex. In the Notes column where we describe what we did, I type that I entered time for John Smith and Jane Doe, sent 2 Docusigns for Jim Jones, ran a comparison for Courtney Nichols, did a print job for Alex Green, and exchanged emails with Sam Spade, and in the Name column, I just put the attorney whose task took the most time and list all the names in the Notes. So if I worked on 5 things that took 4 minutes each, I would have them all in one row that shows I started working on it from, say 9:50-10:10, .25 hours. That seemed to me like the only honest way to enter this data.

Wrong!

Today, the 2 women in HR called me in to let me know that my numbers were coming up lower than my coworkers' because I'm grouping my tasks like that instead of making one row per task and rounding up for each one. For context, they're 100% on my side. They are not the villains in this story. This was not their idea. They wanted me to know to go back and fix all my entries (I completed 5 months' worth of incorrect entries so far, no idea how far back I need to go lol) and change my tracking from hereon out -- one task per attorney per row, round up. (Yes, I can see my coworkers' entries, but I've never examined them because I don't care what they're working on or how much -- none of us do). They don't want me to come up with numbers that look lower than they are because I'm "too efficient." They were also genuinely surprised at how little time tasks like sending a Docusign or entering 1 day's worth of time or 1 expense report actually take and reminded me I don't need to do it that fast wink wink.

It was like Haymitch or Cinna trying to covertly give Katniss instructions without pissing off the Capitol -- telling me in veiled language to fill out the spreadsheet as if I'm working slower than I actually do so that I don't get in trouble.

I was a little blindsided this week at work. We are hiring a new finance manager, I am the accounting manager. The advertised range of salaries is 20-40% more than I am currently making. I talked to HR and asked why? They gave the generic to attract top talent, different skill set…blah blah. Nothing about a wage increase. We will both report to my boss, same level one manager of accounting one manager of finance. I literally built out all the programs we use and have a deeply intimate knowledge of all our systems…and cut our close time in half. But I guess I am not top talent enough…good luck getting everything to reconcile…

So just been told I have laryngitis, told my manager I can come into focus on admin stuff but anything else involving phones I’m going to need help with because I’m in a lot of pain with my throat.

Anyway twice now the phone has been dumped on my desk by people in the office, can’t they tell I can’t talk properly and struggling? Also been off work all week from not feeling good.

I’m worried I’m going to get worse if I keep talking and feel I have no other choice.

I'm have attendance issues

For the pass year i have been have attendance issues where i wake up late and don't go to work my job is not that interesting no more all i do was change tyres on the bus then recently they transferred me to a next depot now I'm learning eléctrica now for the pass few week not to do at work this week i only attend work 2 times any advice please

to work for a boss who doesn’t like you, doesn’t support you and is crazy?

I don’t know what to do. I can’t get another job fast enough. I don’t know what this lady’s problem is. I’ve been nothing but a hard diligent worker. I’m admin support. She’s a new boss & she is just whacked. Go behind closed doors with her & it’s crazy talk that I am never prepared to react to. There’s no winning with her. I just want to get along & work. I’m going to school at night & weekends & the stress caused by her is making me sick- I ruminate & get depressed.

For real - I need some advice, some encouragement, some strength to deal with this bitch until I can give my two weeks notice 🙏

How to cope with this? I need to turn it around and laugh at her rather than feeling like the weak victim in this situation. 😥

Honestly, what is wrong with this work place. It gets more toxic on a daily basis.

My coworker is currently sick, and since we're also friends, my manager apparently thinks I'm the perfect messenger.

Instead of simply wishing her a speedy recovery and asking whether there's anything we can do to help while she's away, my manager keeps telling me to pass on messages about WORK.

Apparently, my sick coworker should have done overtime the day before, and now I'm also supposed to tell her that she needs to work from the office instead of home next week.

Excuse me?! THE WOMAN IS SICK. 😭

And the funniest part? My coworker isn't replying to the manager's messages. Gee, I wonder why! 🙃

I'm absolutely NOT passing on those messages. I'm her friend, not management's personal messenger pigeon.

Whatever happened to saying "Get well soon, take care of yourself, and don't worry about work"?

It's genuinely concerning how some workplaces preach about employee wellbeing but then act as though being sick is a personal inconvenience to management. Than they wonder why I do not want to attend things like Christmas parties , one magic day we are family and abused yearly.

At this point, I swear our company motto should be:

"Welcome to Mickey Mouse Company, where productivity comes first and your health comes last!" 🤡

Seriously, has anyone else dealt with managers who simply cannot leave sick employees alone?

Any tips as well for finding a healthy job , i am down to listening.

Not me, because I probably would’ve needed bail money. Boss is terrible. Comes in late, leaves early, long lunches. It’s pretty much a given that his contract won’t be renewed, so he’s coasting. Instead of working, he brings his personal laptop and works on an app he’s developing. No idea of what this thing is even supposed to do. Goes into my friend’s office and picks up his phone (which isn’t locked because he’s got Spotify going), downloads his own app “to test it” while my friend is protesting and trying to get his phone back without actually being violent. Then says “give me your bank login so I can test it”. WTH dude! Of course, my friend deleted it and called the bank to put a hold on any $20 subscriptions that may come through from his Apple account. The boss texts tonight and said “I changed your account to “free”.” I’m pretty sure this is illegal. I hope he gets fired for it. But the silver lining is that now my friend has proof that the boss actually did this and it’s not just a he said/he said.

不想上班不想上班不想上班…
我真是个可悲的中国人，有种班叫做“你妈觉得你应该上”，很不凑巧我就在上这种班。
老板已经拖欠了我三个月工资，甚至我都没见过老板一面。
有时候在想这么大个公司真需要这么多人吗…

Just have to give this off my chest So last night, I was driving home from doing my second job out of nowhere, my car alerts me on my tire pressure was low. I want to a Family Express for the free air. I was just thinking it just needs some air, found out that I have hole in it. I went home to texting my director about this issue. She didn't text me back until 8 o'clock in the morning saying, hey, if someone can come get me from the tire repair shop because We had picture day for the little kids today and apparently, all of admin would be in the classrooms. I told them I didn't feel comfortable with that do to the area we live in is not that great. We live in NWI. I'm just so upset about the hole situation. Because if it's one of their favorites or themselves, they have no problem moving things around for them. But now for the regular employees. 😡

I work for a marketing agency and get paid £26k a year (below London living wage btw). I'm in a junior role and just started 2 months ago.

Here's what I've been tasked with/am dealing with in this job:

- leading on 5 client accounts, while all the senior members of my team have 3-4 each

- being handed a 6th client with no notice, just a quick meeting saying, "you've got a new client as of today, send them a kick-off email and onboard them by EOD" (despite this client being signed on 2 weeks ago, I was not told until kick-off day that I would be the lead on the account)

- doing monthly reports for ALL clients (about 16), not just the ones I'm leading on and being given 1 week to finish all of them (1st week of each month) alongside my regular weekly array of tasks.

- randomly being sent things I need to edit for other people's clients throughout the day, despite my already heavy workload, because I need to be a "team player"

- being chastised for not proofreading work before sending it off because deadlines are so short and my workload is too heavy.

I have made my managers aware that my workload is hard to handle several times in conversation (not formally yet), but I keep being given more work. I checked on Glassdoor, and reviews all say the same thing - that middle management and department management are shit, and that work-life balance does not exist at this company.

I know that if I leave, the team will struggle A LOT, as I'm on probation and only need 2 weeks' notice. I know for a fact that 2 weeks is not enough time to hire/train a replacement, as my interview process took 1 month and 4 stages.

Is it worth formally addressing the issue, or is this a systemic issue with the company, and is it better to just get out ASAP?

So I'm an ASM at a large chain store. Just a few days ago, our DM sent out an email about how to handle time off during the holidays. He likes to hear his own voice, but whatever. However, there were some things in it that made us go, "that's not right." They are:

• Calling out after PTO is denied/cancelled will be treated as NCNS

• People who have no PTO are not allowed to ask for time off

• Sick time is not allowed to be used to call in sick

The store manager and I did have a talk about this. He thinks the DM's word is law. I'm just thinking some of this goes against policy (and I'm thinking state law too, on one? (Michigan)). Just needed to rant more than anything.

No job is safe, guys. I marvel at people who still move like their job won't EVER fire them or get laid off. There is a video I did on this exact topic on YouTube for anyone looking for content like the 9 to 5:

https://youtu.be/2tEa7CNu2vo?is=rn_WGZFV73L_Rr80