Feeling Stuck at Work: How Can I Stay Engaged and Beat the Boredom?

Hi members. I'm working in a software company as HR. Our company has 30 employees. I'm very depressed in my job because I don't have any work here. I'm left free all the time while others are very busy. I can't sit idle for 8 hours. I told this to my friends, but they all say, "You got a nice job; we have heavy work." I would be very happy if I were engaged all the time with my work, but it's not so. Only at the month-end will I be busy, and I love those days. I also try to engage myself by surfing the net, but one week it works, and the next week I sit idle again. I hate to sit idle. Kindly help me to get out of my depression. What can I do in my leisure time?

Please look on the internet for inspirational and motivational programs. Try to develop the programs for your company. Get ready with a PowerPoint presentation. To start with, I suggest you take some initiatives like 5S and 6S.

Regards,
Arvindarjun

Hi Bharathi, try to organize some employee engagement activities and conduct soft skills presentations for your employees. Implement job satisfaction surveys for your employees, as this will provide valuable insights into the company's performance. Consider making necessary improvements to existing policies, facilities, and benefits.

Regards,
Rajeshwari

Hi friend, thanks for your suggestions. I always try to do something new in my organization. For instance, I implemented background checks for new joiners. I also reported back to my MD, but he scolded me, asking why I didn't ask him first and told me not to do this again. I was really upset and decided to stop doing these things.

Dear Bharathi, take out your company's HR Policy Manual. Read word by word all the subjects. Observe the faults that need to be corrected, revisions that need to be made, redundancies that need to be deleted, and omitted contents that need to be added while planning the revision of the HR Manual.

Think without any tension about innovative ideas to work for your company. However, before implementing any new ideas, seek prior approval from your concerned director or MD/GM, whoever is placed above you in the organizational chart.

Plan for a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) program for a nearby village or school, where you can implement at a lower cost, and your company will also become familiar in that locality.

Arrange for some family get-togethers or outings involving all employees with prior approval from your management, including fun-filled games for a full day every six months.

You can also organize the founder's day of your office and celebrate it on that day with the complete families of all staff.

Never give up your efforts. Make a resolution that no one can hurt you without your permission.

Cheer up, Bharathi. We are born to win, and we will.

Bhaskar has given good suggestions.

And going by what you mentioned - "...sent back to my MD but he scolded me like why you didn't ask me...", I think you made a mistake in your eagerness to get busy. You forgot to look at whatever you are doing 'from the organizational point of view.'

Whenever you do anything new and wish to implement it after informing your boss, you would obviously have to give the details of what you want to do to him. During such an exercise, also remember to do your homework on how it affects the company. If what you implement leads to saving some money for the company in the long run, all the better, since most company heads understand only the language of money (nothing wrong with that per se, since they invested in it). So in all your justifications, try to link some of them to the money saved for the company - and you can take it for granted that your proposal will be approved.

Looking at your situation from another angle, you have a very good chance of learning without any pressure whatsoever - something not many HR people get. Make the best use of it - to do justice to your job as well as grow professionally.

All the best.

Regards,
TS