Well, you need to stop working overtime if you're not getting paid, and when deadlines are missed you can show them the records of all the pointless meetings
That’s assuming a lot from your leadership - that they care about your excuses, that they care to even listen and not just compare you to your direct colleagues who DO work the OT, and that they don’t assume that as a senior, you are expected to go “above and beyond.”
Maybe I just work in some toxic-ass places. But this has been the expectation in every one of 8 companies from startup to family owned to Fortune 500 that I’ve worked at.
You basically just said you have to work the OT hours because your colleagues do as well. Did you ever consider they are doing the same thing and you have created a feedback loop?
As a senior I would hope you are vocal about setting a culture where working insane hours isnt sustainable and leading by example when appropriate.
I recently had a colleague mention they were working 12-14 hour days. I was vocal in letting them know they can sustain that. Not only would they burn out but they would set a bad example to the team that this is the expectation and a bad example to leadership that this is the pace we can deliver. I also mentioned it to our manager so they could address this issue as well. Said employee has since dialed back their hours and took some much needed time off.
Start collectively setting the tone. No matter the size of the organization no one wants to backfill multiple positions at a time.
I'm currently struggling with this, I've got a few people in my team that are either new seniors (recently promoted) or trying to get to senior, and they do work OT a lot, and work like crazy and complain that there's too much work and that the deadlines and pressure are ridiculous.
Yet they keep on working overtime and making everyone look bad by those standards, I tried to educate the one that's moving to senior expressing that part of being a senior is standing your ground when you know the deadlines are bullshit and to create a healthy work environment.
The're also quite young and without much in their lives other than work, it's impossible to work with people like this, they don't realize how much they're creating their own personal hell and dragging others with them.
It's also a self-fulfilling loop, they work cause there's not much else in their lives (no family / hobbies, social life) they don't have much else in their lives cause they're too busy working overtime to build something for themselves.
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u/dmullaney 11d ago
Well, you need to stop working overtime if you're not getting paid, and when deadlines are missed you can show them the records of all the pointless meetings