Q: Dear Scott,
I have a work-related problem that I’m just completely frustrated with.
I’m truly blessed to have the job that I have. I work for a really great company that takes care of its employees better than any other company I have worked for.
I love the work that I do, and 90% of the time my boss is a good guy to work for. That is, with the exception of his lack of communication.
It is an on-going problem and affects most if not all aspects of my job at some point. The biggest issue with it, however, is if he asks me to pull certain data from the computer system I usually do that by creating a report.
He asks for basic criteria upfront, I whip out the report and move on to another task. He then comes back around at least three or four times asking for additional information to be a part of the report, which then turns into a more time-consuming thing.
I have asked him repeatedly to write down a list of all needed data initially so I don’t have to go back and tweak things, add, delete, etc. but it doesn’t happen. I literally sometimes work on these reports for days due to changes he realizes as it goes along, therefore, putting me behind on my other responsibilities.
A part of the problem is that he does not even work on the system that I do nor does he know how it works. The sole responsibility is mine to know the system, how it works, doesn’t work and so forth.
While I realize this is huge job security for me, it is the crux of the communication problem. This information was withheld from me when I took the job until I had to figure out on my own that he had no comprehension of this.
Please advise on a proper way to try and handle this situation before it drives me to drink…..even more! Thanks!
– Corporately Frustrated
SCOTT: Keep drinking. Your boss’ weaknesses rely on your strengths and as long as he’s your boss, that’s not going to change.
Every person out there could muster up a complaint or two about their job or their boss, and some have it worse than others, so think of it that way: things could be worse.
Unlike me, you’re probably not going to find that perfect job with a perfect boss – plus it sounds like you’ve got a good thing going and an opportunity to shine in your position – so keep cranking out those reports and do a shot for me.
Cheers!