What is the best course of action in this “smonline beaching” situation?
June 30, 2022 9:43 PM Subscribe
Can the hive mind help me sort out what would be best to do in this work connundrum, where a project has turned into a black hole and I’m way burned out? Thank you in advance because I don’t know what to do and I’m annoyed enough that I’ve been amusing myself with thoughts of extravagant malicious compliance.
Since last year I have been working on a teaching project where I was responsible for three weeks of work. I thought I was more than 80% done with that, but then, as a team, we decided that what I had put in could actually fill the gap for the last part, which ended up more like 1.5 times the amount of content.
I’ve done an adequate job despite my post 2020-2021 burnout and now this thing is pretty close to done.
Problem is, I’m still being nagged about adding more content, with a snippy tone. I’m now wondering how much to care.
On the one hand, I could do the extra bits of work and it’s true that a bit more work would make it better. (Maybe.) Doing this would also be helpful for continued relationships with my colleagues.
On the other hand, I don’t want to. My department has been profoundly unappreciative of us despite all we did to adapt during COVID. I’ve already done way more than I was paid to do in this project, particularly since covering the gap at the end required reflowing my prior work, adding to the burden. I also don’t think this type of teaching is necessarily a great direction for our institution - the rational cost/benefit analysis in staff time definitely does not support the value proposition. (The format, cough, rhymes with smonline beaching. I’ll take live zoom teaching any day of the week over this particular modality.) I’m already way burned out and would rather relax before next semester starts. I should also note that I am unlikely to lose my job if I just ignore the emails, although there could be relationship damage with 1 or 2 colleagues that I might prefer to avoid. I could change jobs, and might, but that isn’t a solution for this project.
Here’s where I note that yes, I am self aware enough to realize that the issue it isn’t the actual work per se, which seems unlikely to be more than a few hours max. Although I suppose I do worry that if I say yes to this, that might be a slippery slope to doing even more and more and more. (See above.)
You might ask where my teaching colleagues are in this, and rightly so, but I’m pretty sure they’re hating this as much as I am and doing the best they can. I also really appreciate that fact that they were supportive in my jumping off of the future teaching of this trashfire. Moreover, my teaching colleagues are not the ones who control the purse strings.
Overall, how much more do you think I should put into this black hole project, if anything? If I could go back in time and decline this project, I would, but here we are. I’m interested in all you’ve got as reading these responses is likely to be pretty cathartic. Thank you!
Since last year I have been working on a teaching project where I was responsible for three weeks of work. I thought I was more than 80% done with that, but then, as a team, we decided that what I had put in could actually fill the gap for the last part, which ended up more like 1.5 times the amount of content.
I’ve done an adequate job despite my post 2020-2021 burnout and now this thing is pretty close to done.
Problem is, I’m still being nagged about adding more content, with a snippy tone. I’m now wondering how much to care.
On the one hand, I could do the extra bits of work and it’s true that a bit more work would make it better. (Maybe.) Doing this would also be helpful for continued relationships with my colleagues.
On the other hand, I don’t want to. My department has been profoundly unappreciative of us despite all we did to adapt during COVID. I’ve already done way more than I was paid to do in this project, particularly since covering the gap at the end required reflowing my prior work, adding to the burden. I also don’t think this type of teaching is necessarily a great direction for our institution - the rational cost/benefit analysis in staff time definitely does not support the value proposition. (The format, cough, rhymes with smonline beaching. I’ll take live zoom teaching any day of the week over this particular modality.) I’m already way burned out and would rather relax before next semester starts. I should also note that I am unlikely to lose my job if I just ignore the emails, although there could be relationship damage with 1 or 2 colleagues that I might prefer to avoid. I could change jobs, and might, but that isn’t a solution for this project.
Here’s where I note that yes, I am self aware enough to realize that the issue it isn’t the actual work per se, which seems unlikely to be more than a few hours max. Although I suppose I do worry that if I say yes to this, that might be a slippery slope to doing even more and more and more. (See above.)
You might ask where my teaching colleagues are in this, and rightly so, but I’m pretty sure they’re hating this as much as I am and doing the best they can. I also really appreciate that fact that they were supportive in my jumping off of the future teaching of this trashfire. Moreover, my teaching colleagues are not the ones who control the purse strings.
Overall, how much more do you think I should put into this black hole project, if anything? If I could go back in time and decline this project, I would, but here we are. I’m interested in all you’ve got as reading these responses is likely to be pretty cathartic. Thank you!
Put in writing what exactly you're willing to do, and end with a note to the effect that you will no longer be putting any time into this project for [whatever reasons]. You can always been considerate and offer to help with any questions they may have about your work in the future, but that's optional. A couple of hours of work is a good trade to mitigate relationship damamge with 1 or 2 colleagues, but they have to know that This Time, You're Done.
posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 2:14 AM on July 1, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 2:14 AM on July 1, 2022 [2 favorites]
Whenever I'm faced with trying to sort out whether or not I should push through burnout or unwillingness or general unmotivated uggghh in order to get some obnoxious but apparently necessary task done, I ask myself whether the reward I would get for doing it would be mainly (a) the praise (or, equivalently, avoidance of opprobrium) I'd get from other people as a result or (b) the internal satisfaction of knowing that the fucking thing is not hanging over my head any more.
If it's (b), I'll generally do it. If it's (a), I generally won't.
This attitude has definitely been career-limiting, but given that those limits steered my career along a path that largely remained compatible with mental health and that I'm now relatively financially secure in retirement, it's worked out pretty well.
posted by flabdablet at 2:31 AM on July 1, 2022 [5 favorites]
If it's (b), I'll generally do it. If it's (a), I generally won't.
This attitude has definitely been career-limiting, but given that those limits steered my career along a path that largely remained compatible with mental health and that I'm now relatively financially secure in retirement, it's worked out pretty well.
posted by flabdablet at 2:31 AM on July 1, 2022 [5 favorites]
My friend's school district tries to give its teachers summer work that is not in their employment contracts. The district leans on their professionalism and sense of duty, rather than paying them for work.
I can't tell whether this is that kind of unfunded thing, or if the work needs to get done - either now or later.
If someone wants extra material, could you add a placeholder and let them write it and plug it in, while you get the rest to done?
posted by mersen at 3:51 AM on July 1, 2022 [2 favorites]
I can't tell whether this is that kind of unfunded thing, or if the work needs to get done - either now or later.
If someone wants extra material, could you add a placeholder and let them write it and plug it in, while you get the rest to done?
posted by mersen at 3:51 AM on July 1, 2022 [2 favorites]
Set a hard limit and stick to it. You can word it politely. You can make the hard limit be nothing more than you have already done. You can make it be some defined thing you will do on top of what you have already done. But I think it will be helpful if you can put an end to further requests. For example "I am unable to contribute further to this project [beyond X]. I think what we have put together fulfils the objectives we started with and will be beneficial to students. I have enjoyed collaborating with you." That's a bit stilted as I don't know the people or the work, but basically (1) you're done, (2) the work is good enough, (3) let's remain on good terms.
posted by plonkee at 4:40 AM on July 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by plonkee at 4:40 AM on July 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: I can't tell whether this is that kind of unfunded thing, or if the work needs to get done - either now or later.
Yes, mersen is correct that this is out of the norm. Additionally, I was only paid to be responsible for 3 weeks, not 4.5 that it ended up being with the end material, which doesn’t include the additional reflowing work. Although I pointed out the changed allocation, no additional money is forthcoming, and it’s not like my colleague who started with the bigger allocation is going to give me the part of his salary to square things up. (Again, he’s doing the best he can and it’s clearly a system issue to me.) Hence part of my annoyance is on fairness principles, not just burnout.
Although the burnout is a big part of my lack of interest! Typically our teaching stuff is semester by semester, so this definitely also feels like overreach at a time when I’d normally be done.
posted by ec2y at 4:50 AM on July 1, 2022 [1 favorite]
Yes, mersen is correct that this is out of the norm. Additionally, I was only paid to be responsible for 3 weeks, not 4.5 that it ended up being with the end material, which doesn’t include the additional reflowing work. Although I pointed out the changed allocation, no additional money is forthcoming, and it’s not like my colleague who started with the bigger allocation is going to give me the part of his salary to square things up. (Again, he’s doing the best he can and it’s clearly a system issue to me.) Hence part of my annoyance is on fairness principles, not just burnout.
Although the burnout is a big part of my lack of interest! Typically our teaching stuff is semester by semester, so this definitely also feels like overreach at a time when I’d normally be done.
posted by ec2y at 4:50 AM on July 1, 2022 [1 favorite]
I have struggled with projects that crept like this in teaching. I eventually left jobs where colleagues had the power (or inclination) to assign work, but no ability to actually compensate it. When I was working those uncompensated projects I was always jealous of other co-workers who simply put a vacation message on their email and headed off for summer.
So my advice is to 1) use plonkee's script above and then 2) pretend you are leaving town without email access.
posted by Sauter Vaguely at 8:49 AM on July 1, 2022 [1 favorite]
So my advice is to 1) use plonkee's script above and then 2) pretend you are leaving town without email access.
posted by Sauter Vaguely at 8:49 AM on July 1, 2022 [1 favorite]
To use the idiotic but actually pretty useful metaphor employed by the driver's ed class I had to take to avoid points on my license the time I sped through a speed trap on the way to in-person teaching in a small neighboring town (because a good song came on the radio and I was late, in that order), it sounds like you're "in your parent mode" right now.
The driver's ed class instructor divided all drivers into three sets: children, parents, and adults. Basically, the children are the speeders and red light runners and roadragers. The adults are the ones who don't get emotionally involved at all and drive perfectly for the road conditions no matter what and have an attitude of unflappable benevolence toward all other drivers and pedestrians and inanimate objects no matter what. And the parents are the ones that are all "I know best and you are dangerously wrong and I will make you pay" about it. Like, "I'm going the speed limit and I have a perfect right to this lane, therefore I will ignore your flashing lights and continue at my current pace right where I am, thank you very much, mister hotrod devil-may-care."
You have to achieve zen adult mode so that this stupid extra work you're going to have to do to preserve the peace doesn't feel like an emotional wound. Good luck with that; I never managed it. I am either a child or a parent at all times. Maybe when I'm asleep I'm an adult? IDK.
posted by Don Pepino at 12:17 PM on July 1, 2022 [4 favorites]
The driver's ed class instructor divided all drivers into three sets: children, parents, and adults. Basically, the children are the speeders and red light runners and roadragers. The adults are the ones who don't get emotionally involved at all and drive perfectly for the road conditions no matter what and have an attitude of unflappable benevolence toward all other drivers and pedestrians and inanimate objects no matter what. And the parents are the ones that are all "I know best and you are dangerously wrong and I will make you pay" about it. Like, "I'm going the speed limit and I have a perfect right to this lane, therefore I will ignore your flashing lights and continue at my current pace right where I am, thank you very much, mister hotrod devil-may-care."
You have to achieve zen adult mode so that this stupid extra work you're going to have to do to preserve the peace doesn't feel like an emotional wound. Good luck with that; I never managed it. I am either a child or a parent at all times. Maybe when I'm asleep I'm an adult? IDK.
posted by Don Pepino at 12:17 PM on July 1, 2022 [4 favorites]
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Deal with any slippery slope issues later if/when they arise but do the work to finish the job now and don't let ill-toned emails activate your annoyance.
posted by Thella at 11:41 PM on June 30, 2022 [3 favorites]