How Do You Cope When Your Boss's Poor Time Management Affects Your Workday?

Hi all,

A few days back, I was speechless when one of my friends asked me a question, and I had no answer for it.

My friend works in one of the well-reputed companies in the HR department. Her boss is a long-time employee of that organization who has risen to the managerial level. However, her boss is very poor in managing his time. He is someone who can never say no to anyone, never refuse anyone's work, and as a result, he struggles in his own work. This situation ends up affecting my friend's work as well.

She doesn't get time to discuss office issues, nor does she receive much clarification on her work. If some reports are prepared incorrectly, her boss doesn't say anything verbally, but his expression conveys it all. Throughout the day, the boss doesn't communicate much with her, but as she is about to leave for home, he suddenly inquires about the day's work, causing her to sometimes stay late by 2-3 hours.

She is very tense and frustrated because of her boss's poor time management.

It's a common question for all: What should an employee do if his/her boss has poor time management?

Dear Rivti,

The issue that your friend is facing is something that is very common in the industry today, as everyone is trying to impress their bosses or colleagues by taking on unnecessary workload to show how great they are.

Well, about your friend, she needs to speak out the truth and make her boss understand the disadvantage behind the whole scenario. She needs to try to convince him to let go of such practices as indirectly she and the company might be suffering due to such acts. She also needs to find out the exact reason why he is behaving or acting in this manner. Then try to solve it at her level or else the third option is the last resort.

There are different ways for communicating the same:

1. Email the whole scene to him.

2. Talk to him in private.

3. If all this does not work or stop him, then go up the hierarchy to make a complaint to the management of the same.

Well, that's all the info/answer I have for your issue at the moment now. Will try to send you more info as and when I get it. Please let me know the outcome of the info.

You can mail me at: alliance.training@gmail.com.

Thanks,

Regards,

Raghav.

Well, the bosses are always in the habit of leaving the office late due to work pressure. As mentioned earlier, it is a common practice in most companies.

Yes, she must speak out about her problems. She can adjust her work schedule accordingly. Normally, some reports need to be prepared by the end of the month (if that is the case). Set a specific time for this, and also to discuss office issues.

You can also approach the boss an hour before leaving to check if there is anything pending for the day. Or during the day, when her boss doesn't mention anything, just pass by and inquire about any pending issues.

Maybe this advice will help your friend. Thanks, Fay

@Raghavv

There are different ways to communicate the same:

1. Email the whole scene to him.
2. Talk to him in private.
3. If all this does not work or stop him, then go up the hierarchy to make a complaint to the management.

If none of the above works, I myself have experienced this kind of situation, and your third point proves to be dangerous for the employee. No management would believe the word of a 2-month to 1-year employee over the boss with years of experience. Wake up to the truth; we are in India, and know what the management is like. Nothing can be done in this case. If your friend does any of the above, there is a chance that she may lose the job or be forced to resign.

I faced the same situation. I even spoke with my boss in private, but nothing happened. What complaint can you make to management that the boss is working late? You will be counter-questioned and end up in a difficult situation.

Hi,

We all face this problem every time we forget to prioritize work based on its urgency. Regarding the scenario you have mentioned, it appears to be more of a case of a casual attitude towards work. If someone cares about getting tasks done in a day, there are bound to be a few follow-ups throughout the day, not just at the last minute when an employee is leaving for home.

The person can check with the boss at least twice a day - once in the morning and then definitely two hours before leaving for the day. If meeting personally is difficult, send an email around 3:30 or so. For better time management, you may take a look at an article I wrote for Rediff a few days ago: http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2007/sep/21time.htm

Hope it helps.

Regards,
Preeti Bose

Thank you all. I will surely pass on these messages to her and try to motivate her in the right way. Thank you once again. I'll surely inform you of the outcome.

Regards, Rivti

Hi Rivit,

The issue stated is the most tormented, unaware, least tackled epidemic of today's corporate world - Mismanaged Management.

I understand the problem that your friend is facing and also understand that it will be difficult to hint your boss directly about the situation lest he misinterprets.

Now there are possibly two ways to the solution (how I see it).

One is to help your friend leave the office on time, and the other is to help the boss help himself.

1) Your friend can send your boss a daily End of Day (EOD) report (Excel) of daily tasks completed (marked with time), which also mentions the next day's task priorities. By doing this, your boss can have an idea about your friend's work schedule and understand the effort put in.

Now let's look at a scientific way to approach the solution:

2) Adults normally learn through Andragogy, which is self-learning. You can send across a useful PowerPoint presentation for him to realize the importance of the most valuable free gift of God and how misusing the gift is a serious mistake.

For your reference, I am also attaching a Time Management PowerPoint presentation that your friend can possibly send to everyone and just mark a copy to him (so that it does not seem intentional). This presentation is self-developed to tackle the issue at my corporate and branch peoples. It only requires self-discipline, and it worked at my corporate. I hope it also works with one more boss!

Regards,

Handsome