My peers are dumping on me
At my new job people come to me for advise all the time. It is true that I am more educated than them and that my work position is partially a support for them, but I have my own work too and having people handing me over their assignments means I have more work that I can handle. As I said, I do not deny that they are less educated, but they could try to find answers for their own questions by searching the Internet or reading some Acts. I do not want to be rude or unhelpful, but I do not think it is fair that I work like crazy while they laugh. How can I politely and tacfully stop them from handing over their work to me? Of course I do not want them to go to my boss and tell him how unhelpful I am, but I really feel they are abusing my help because they simply dare to. And this has to stop asap. What should I do?
-Anne
Hi Anne. Thanks for writing. Hopefully I can lend you some useful advice.
What your situation calls for is a clearer definition of job duties and responsibilities. It is not unusual for there to be some confusion over who does what when things are not spelled out.
My advice would be to ask your supervisor for some guidance on defining the boundaries of your responsibilities in order to help you better define your priorities. By asking for guidance instead of complaining, you demonstrate your willingness to be a team player. And yes, it is the responsibility of the supervisor to create the clarity that you need. Given that, you still will need to bring the issue up.
Anne, one final thought (or red flag for me). I’d let go of the “I am more educated” point that you’ve made a couple of times in your description of the problem. You want to bridge the gap between you and your coworkers, not widen it. Look for commonalities, not differences. That is what teamwork is all about.
Lastly, once things are better defined for you, let your supervisor worry about the work ethic of your coworkers so that you can put your energy into your work. That is what he/she is paid to do.
-Dr. Mac
