Re: how to eliminate overtime

[John Posada <john -at- TDANDW -dot- COM>]

>> Hi everyone,

Hi, Candace.



>> Apologies if this is a bit off topic. I do think "how to eliminate overtime
>> from our lives" is as much an issue for us writerly folks as for people
>> working in other types of high tech roles, so I hope you'll bear with me.

I'd like to make this desclaimer right up front so you will understand
where these comments are coming from.

I like the option of overtime, and it is probably the second greatest
contributing factor to why I am a contractor (I get paid for OT).  In
addition, OT was responsible for about 20% of my gross pay for each of
the last 4 years.


>
> I'm on the (currently unnamed) employee satisfaction committee and have
> taken on the issue of "over-time" (paid and otherwise) as my area of
> responsibility. We are serious about finding ways to reduce (unpaid)
> employee overtime, but we have to consider issues of cost and productivity.

Let me explain the scenario of why OT is a large part of my working
conditions.

A large percentage of material that work on is generated by programmers,
engineers, SMEs, and product managers. They are given the task of
writing up some body of information and there is a deadline by which
time the finished information must be presented.

SO....they work on it, they collect data from their people, they analyse
it, they fold, spindle and mutilate it.  Sure enough, they get it done
by 5 without having to use 1 second of OT to get it done.  However, what
doesn't fall in that scenario is that it is due for distribution/draft
review/etc., by the morning of the next day.

My composition is to NEVER miss a committment (not TRY not to miss, but
simply not miss a committment). Do I tell the customer that they cannot
get a proposal/document/instruction because it would have meant staying
late?

In a perfect world, people would plan their day, allocate X amount of
time to address problems, and get those problems done in the time set
aside for it. I just haven't seen it happen.


--
John Posada, Technical Writer (and proud of the title)
The world's premier Internet fax service company: The FaxSav Global
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My opinions are mine, and neither you nor my company can take credit for
them.

  "One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good
poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few
reasonable words.", Goethe
  "Say all you have to say in the fewest possible words, or your reader
will be sure to skip them; and in the plainest possible words or he will
certainly misunderstand them.", John Ruskin