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Our project schedule is quite full at the moment, we are basically at the limit for the next three months.

In comes one of our sales people: "Hey, can we squeeze in a little project, nothing fancy just a very basic static web page." (No question mark there, it was not a question...)

I say no, we are full, the deadline is to tight (3 weeks), can't do it.

In comes boss: "Sure you can, just push everything else back." (We won't change deadlines, what he actually means is for us to do unpaid overtime for two months so he can barocke make a few thousand extra bucks...)

So I cave and allow it. It were just 4 hours of work, we can squeeze it in, maybe do a little less R&D this month.

Next day, the project scope changed, suddenly we are not taking about 4 hours but 80. Sure, we can squeeze two extra weeks into the month.

That is when I realized, I don't hate my work, just my work environment.

Comments
  • 2
    Time to ask for a raise or to start searching for a new job. :D
  • 11
    No caving.
    No unpaid overtime.
    Significantly less stress.
    Significantly higher quality work.
  • 4
    Try to implement a more agile way of working. Get your velocity benchmarked, then when stuff must drop in, no problem, you just counter to say the other thing won't happen then.

    Then people start to realise there is a real effect to squeezing things in, and leave it to someone else to establish which is priority. Something comes in, then something goes out. It's that simple, do not bend on that. It is not fair that you should suffer because someone else has made an ill informed promise.
  • 1
    @Root damn right! If you don't value your time, nobody else will!
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