Bumping Heads with the Boss

I'm working now guys. I'm not excited at all because my only objective is to make money while I'm preparing to take on a more fulfilling job. Let me get right into this. I've never been one to come into work just to tell my employer what I was not going to do. I've often taken the position of doing what I have to do in my job even if it was too much. I'm usually the one that bends my boundaries to serve the needs of my job. Well I've grown up and have become a lot more clearer on where my priorities are and who I am. It's funny because I'm being very forthright when it comes my boundaries in terms of my personal life and my work life. I work part-time at a retail store, which I know for a fact that I am not cut out for, and I also am a part-time writer for a non profit organization.

Both jobs are part-time so I have a clear grasp on how many hours I can expect to put in each week. I use my schedule at the retail job to set my schedule for the non profit job. Well just today I hear an announcement that the day I usually have off I have to come into work because truck would not be able to make it in until that morning. Now if I did not have another place to be then working on short notice could just slightly, possibly--with some glimmer of hope if I was feeling nice--may not be a problem. But to be honest it is a problem. Being told that I have to work on short notice is not the issue. It's when the leadership treat me as if I am supposed to comply. A boundary has just been crossed. There are times that I will and will not work. So to look at me like I'm doing something wrong is not fair.

That was my first example today. Now I think that every employee at some time or another did work that lasted beyond the amount of time they were getting paid. There is something about getting a project completed that bring fulfillment. Well in this case my other part time is a means to an end. I do believe that every opportunity, whether I welcome it or not, is a learning experience. Well I'm not sure what the hell I'm supposed to learn here because today I walked away so ticked off that it made no sense. My question for you all is what do you do when you are contracted to fulfill a certain amount of hours and the projects and corresponding deadlines require significantly more time that the contract outlines?

I'm so over wasting my time and I'm so over spending more time at work than I need to so my philosophy lately has been once I hit my time requirement I'm out and on to the next thing. It's so horrible. So I bumped head with my boss today because I put in my hours but he's asking for me to work on the weekends. Uhh negatory. I can get done what I need to get done during the week why is it necessary to work on the weekend. I even got a little annoyed that some of the deadlines he's asking me to meet will require more time than I'm even contracted to do. So I'm a little frustrated. I know that I won't always get along with everyone I work with, but dang this is ridiculous.

I'm not trying to be a pushover. I'm not trying to be too hardcore. I'm just striving for a schedule that works for me and allows me to accomplish what I'm here to do. I'm also seeing the effect of not working in the area of your purpose. The retail job is going to end soon by my choosing. The writing job is ok I just don't care for my boss's work style at the moment. To fix that I'm keeping a record of what is happening for the next two weeks so that I can offer suggestions to work smarter because things are crazy unorganized I can tell. I shouldn't have to leave work wanting to burn a building. So I'll take a deep breath, clarify what I'm angry about, vent carelessly to some unsuspecting peer that has no idea about the situation, get my energy back and keep it moving. It's crazy yall.

Moral of the story. Know what your boundaries between work and your life are. Be clear on them and negotiate in a manner that will work for you.