How do you conduct in job?

[alphacat]

There are many things you need to do in order to be a good worker.
For example, you need to double-check what you do before you reply to anyone.
When you notice a mistake, you need to record it and make sure it was fixed (the sonner the better).
You need to log things that you do so when you're asked about them in the future, you'll easily remember how and what you did at that time.

Could you share how you do all that?

I sometimes feel lost since there are so many things to do at the same time.

Thank you in advance.

 

[smanches]

The most important thing you can do for yourself and your job is learn how to handle expectation management. Managers have a way of taking for granted how much work one person can do. Then when times get tough, and everyone has to do a little more, that person who was already on the edge of doing too much gets overloaded. This leads to burn-out which is the #1 cause of job-loss, both directly and indirectly.

Learn to manage and manipulate (I know that word is going to stir up a bee hive) your managers (and sometimes their managers) expectations. They are not going to manage your time for you, all they want is things to be done. Don't just work harder because it's expected of you. Any software engineer in the past decade will tell you where that leads, and it's not good.

This is a really hard subject to explain, but of every skill I've learned, this has by far been the most important, for both myself and the company I work for.

 

[dougy83]

Keep a diary. In that you record anyone new that you ring (and possibly what it is they do - briefly), any problem/solutions you find (or links to where you've stored more thorough info) and anything that may be of import. How detailed you are is up to you, but even a tiny bit of info you record may help later on - the name or phone number of someone who-knows-about/is-in-charge-of/who-you-were-supposed-to-get-back-to-re xyz can save heaps of time and potentially embarrassment.

 

[alphacat]

@Smanches
You're right but its very hard (as you said) to manipulate your bosses.
Morover, I dont feel that over-loaded, I just think that i can do much better job in being more organized, fixing mistake at the moment i discover them, remembering more quickly things that i messed with in the past, etc.

@Dougy83
Thats a wonderful idea.
Did you adapt that idea for yourself?

Cause I'd love to hear how do you organize such diary and prevent it from being all messed up?

 

[dougy83]

Thats a wonderful idea.
Did you adapt that idea for yourself?

I try to use a diary as much as possible, and generally just write as concisely as possible - just a note or two (it's not an essay that is for others to read (not in my case), so I don't bother forming perfect sentences or starting each page with "dear diary").

Cause I'd love to hear how do you organize such diary and prevent it from being all messed up?

It doesn't have to be neat (but it might help you read it later), it's not necessarily for others to read. Don't write too much fluff. Get one with enough space for as much scrawl as you're likely to put in it.

 

[alphacat]

Hello again.

I used to have a notebook where i wrote everything i learned.
Like, I wrote there circuits which i tried to design, things I learnd on different subjects (PCB, UART), missions left for me to complete, processes descriptions, etc... and it turned out to be a big mess.

Now that you brought it up, i wanna get back to write in a notebook, but i really dont know how i keep it organized, so i'd know what is written there.

 

[tcmtech]

I have worked for a few places that kept a daily service log in the maintenance departments where I worked. I always put forth added efforts to keep my actions well documented.
Its a real butt saver when the boss man screws up and blames you for something and then the service log book comes out showing that the blame is his and his alone.

Also if such a log book is to be kept it would be wise to keep an unknown backup of regular photo copies of the log book.

Years ago at my first real job out of college I had a boss screw the company and blame a few of us in the service department for it. In that same time frame the log book that was chained to the wall that easily pointed out our combined innocence oddly disappeared without a trace despite it was a company policy that if anyone cuts that chain and the book disappears it was an immediate fireable offense.

It seemed pretty strange that the log book disappeared exactly when the maintenance manger F'ed up big time. Even more so that it was well documented by a number of people over a fairly long time frame as to whom was actually at fault for what had happened up to that point!

I still rather wish I would have been smart and kept a photo copy of the log book at that time. Especially when the maintenance departments copier was on a wheeled cart. It likely would have saved my and a couple others peoples jobs while pointing out the real source of the on going problems the company had at the time.

The point is a simple notebook with a chronological record of daily events and related comments as to what you did and what others did every day goes a long ways if needed. Both as a simple referance point and a butt saver if stuff hits the fan at high speed one day!
Its well worth the $2 investment for a note book and five minutes or less of your time each day.

 

[Sceadwian]

Personally I wouldn't use the word manipulate, but there is a translation process that you have to go through. Smanches said it pretty well that managers sometimes lose site of how much work a person can do and how results oriented they are. I'm right there with tcmtech, recording evertying on paper as much as possible is a good thing, it can save your ass, but more importantly it can catch someone else trying to get out of doing something that's required, and if you have a paper trail to show the person it gets much better results.

 

[alphacat]

Thank you very much guys.

@tcmtech
So you recommend on writing things (tasks, processes) in notebook chronologically.
I got a question for you about that.
Say that you started up a process on Monday, and finished it only a week after.
Would you write at the end of each day how far you reached in that process? (meaning, different pages can relate to the same task/process).

Thanks again.

 

[ericgibbs]

hi alpha,

Its important that you plan your day and prioritise your time.
There is no point being 'very busy' if your productivity is low.

Keep a working document file for each project that you are involved in.

Use the working file to record:
Brief notes of the project actions assigned to you during meetings with your immediate superior.
If you get project related instructions from another source, clear them with your immediate superior before carrying them out.

Make progress notes in the projects file together with any problems you encounter.
Discuss the noted problems and suggest possible solutions with your immediate superior, usually the projects manager.

Get into work early, say 15 minutes, prepare a daily task priority list before you start your normal daily routine, ensure that this list is completed by the end of the day.

If you keep a diary, which is a good idea, keep it up to date and Read/Update it during the 15 minute prework time.

 

[tcmtech]

@tcmtech
So you recommend on writing things (tasks, processes) in notebook chronologically.
I got a question for you about that.
Say that you started up a process on Monday, and finished it only a week after.
Would you write at the end of each day how far you reached in that process? (meaning, different pages can relate to the same task/process).

Thanks again.

Basically as I learned it from the more experience guys I first worked with is they had the day to day 'stuff that happened' log book. For me I would do about 1/4 to half a page of fairly detailed record of what I fixed, what was not working right, and who was also working on or with something of issue and related things like that.

Most days it was simply listed as such. I would take a minute or two now and then to fill in my time of service events and comments. Everyone else basically did the same throughout the day as well so on a busy day there may have been two or more pages of combined notes and comments logged in.

My personal log entries where basely like this, with everyone else's mixed in between them along the day.

8:15 AM, Press 1 shut down for no reason then restarted without problem. Bob Smith is running it today. It seems to do this with him more than anyone else.
11:55 AM. Bob did it again.
12:30 PM. Smoke came out of press #1 control box. See service file on press #1 for repair details. I guess Bob is not at fault!
1:10 PM. Jim drove the # 3 warehouse forklift off the loading dock.
1:15 PM. I feel ill and and am taking rest of day off. Shift two has the forklift issue now.
1:30 PM. Manager left before I could and now I cant take day off. I and Gary have the forklift issue for remainder of the day.
6:30 PM. Coroner picked up whats left of Jim. (I think Gary quit, he has been gone since he saw Jim.) Forklift is outside and tagged for maintenance. (See service file on #3 warehouse forklift for repair detail and number of times the bad brakes issue had been mentioned to manager X who said it was fine. Also see signatures of manger X who continually signed off on it as having been repaired despite no actual records show any repair had been done for last 6 months. Also see warehouse log books for entries on forklift issues as well plus related signatures for last 6 months.)
7:05 PM. Police investigation is being pursued tomorrow. (I am glad we have all these log entries and service files with signatures on them! Maintenance personnels butts are safe. I would hate to be manager X right now.)

Thats basically how I learned it. Just keep a running log of daily actions and incidences with notes relating to the what, when, and where along with references to any additional information and where it can be found if needed.

And obviously if something like the forklift situation does happen make dam sure that you have backup copies of everything in place that are not of common knowledge to everyone you answer too!

 

[alphacat]

Thank you very much Eric and tcmtech.

I learned a lot from you!!!!!

 

[alphacat]

By the way, are there any online log books that people share in the internet?

It was very interesting to read about your day in the office, tcmtech

 

[Sceadwian]

Out of personal curiosity did manager X get any jail time? That is absolutely horrible =\ Or was it just an example?

 

[tcmtech]

For me and my experiences it was usually just using a standard issue note book that was simple hand written records of events. The more modern equivalent would likely be a simple word document or even a basic spread sheet based design with columns for the common items like the persons name, time, job or work order description, possible referance material, and general notes about what ever.
But unfortunately computer based stuff can be faked. A well worn and long used notebook carries far more credibility.
But its does not have to be complicated by any means.

My referance day was a bit exaggerated though. The names where changed and the forklift guy actually survived just fine. But he did actually drop the front tires off a loading dock because of bad brakes that went unfixed for far too long due to simple negligence on the large part of a warehouse managers lazy attitude and disregard for reporting general maintenance related issues.
A second forklift just lifted it back up from outside and pushed it back. No harm and no problems but someones butt got severely chewed though. It wasn't mine! I was the new guy at the time. I had not even been trained in on driving the forklifts.

But it was the place where I got fired in a poorly planed attempt by my own manager to hide his major screw up.
former coworkers I talked with afterwords said that the day I was fired was the same day that the log book disappeared off the chain. Which raised a lot of questions with everyone. Especially being that it disappeared after I was let go that day and I no longer had access to the building.
Plus it was well known by the others that I had written a considerable number of entries relating to how I had been cluelessly doing his work for some time and I had thus been writing it down as regular work related log entries like a good little worker was supposed too.

What drew the most attention as I understood it was that the accusations for my firing made absolutely no sense from the companies upper level views. I was accused of doing things wrong that where my managers work and not a lowly junior maintenance workers duties.
Sure I did them and wrongly at times too, but I was a 20 year old inexperienced kid who just happily took on what ever work I was handed. I never knew I was doing much of my mangers job without proper clearances and training.
I just thought that I being given more work since I showed myself to be efficient and responsible. It turned out I was doing a large part of his job while he didn't do much of anything.
Thats where the blaming me issue pointed to it being basically impossible for me to have ever done what I was accused of without his knowing it. The only way I could have been doing the things in question was if he was the one who had shown me how to do them in the first place!

Still it almost makes me sick to think of what I was unknowingly indirectly in charge of at that time and what I was doing wrong and how much worse things could have went because of it when I was there. Years later I still am not sure I would be all that comfortable with having that level of responsibility.
If someone had told me back then what I was doing and what it related to over all I probably would have broke down and cried right on the spot and probably had thrown up as well!

Ever since any work I did for any business has always had some from of log book of my own along with the normal company paperwork as well.

A simple hand written notebook with a few daily entries about what you did and who did what plus general time line references that link to company paperwork will go a long way if you ever have to use it. You never know when you may find out your doing someone else's job and will need proof that you where mislead into doing it!

I hope this gives you some idea of how useful and serious a simple notebook could be.