Working for a boss who has lost interest in the work...

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OK here goes.

I am really seeking an outlet which I'm not finding in my work environment around me, as I've been unhappy for some time now at my job... and have been working to address issues, though I would appreciate any fresh thoughts from experiences working in a small office or similar setting where challenges are still being sought out....

I've been at my present job for a little over 4 years now. I've poured my last 4 years into the job -- but now, clients getting to me, absent boss...

My boss comes in maybe 20-30 hours during the week, while I've worked, 45-60, but usually lately just enough time to get what needs to be done done.

I have felt a little used by my boss. I tend to be ultra-responsible and get things done better than I need to because I take great pride in my work and what I am able to do for others. While he has paid me well and given me a very flexible schedule, this comes at the cost of doing everything he does not do.

I'm a lawyer in a small firm.

Working here started as a personal mission for me. It was easy for me to pour myself into this work in the beginning as we do work on behalf of everyday people and I felt that I could relate. It also helped to have an easygoing and nice boss. I've earned some skill in this area and am well regarded by professional peers.

So while now I've not lost interest in the subject matter, I have grown more than a bit disillusioned with the way my boss goes about it - it is just the way he and the office is. Chances for further professional and intellectual development have been sorely lacking. My boss admits to me that the work no longer excites him after 30 years and his main concern is the bottom line. I have ceased to be challenged in my current job, but have not been able to find yet any alternate environment that would be much better.

We may be moving next year when my husband goes to graduate school. My husband suggests continuing to do all I can where I am to get a good recommendation from my current boss at that time.

Is my husband right - how do I make the most of this time so that I don't grow too discouraged prior to then?

Should I still be looking to make a move now?

Am I to be happy that I work for a nice guy even if I no longer feel challenged by what he does?

Do you think it is possible for people to challenge themselves over long periods of time, without much guidance?

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You have an easy going boss that doesn't hold a passion for his business but IS concerned with the bottom line.

You on the other hand are - to put it blandly - in a rut. Wink

Bored with your existing duties and looking for something a little different.

Any chance of sitting down with thw boss and working out some sort of mutual arangement where you could expand your job into more of a "running the business" type of thing?

That would give you something new to do to fill the next year and may relieve him of doing some things that he isn't interested in at this point at the same time.

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fishin'-
Could you expand more on what you mean by a "running the business" talk?
Any similar work experiences you could share - successes, things to avoid, etc.?

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Well, my boss (he's the President of the company and we have about 120 employees) really hates some of the things he's expected to do and he missed being "hands on" with our product (software).

I was a little bored with my job so when I had my last annual review I asked if I could help out with things like reviewing resumes of job applicants, setting work schedules, working with our outside legal team on contract wording, dealing with customer compaints, etc..

Those are all outside the job I was hired to do and he'd been doing them. He was more than happy to let me do them (on the other hand, he won't let me do anything with billing. Wink

) and some of it, like the contracts, is interesting for me so I'm not so bored any more.

Maybe you could get into more of a sales/marketing role? Dealing with advertising and things like that. I'm not sure exactly what your boss had kept for himself but there may be something he does thathe'd rather not and you might find interesting. You'd have to investigate and see what is there for opportunities.

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If you hadn't mentioned of your move in the near future,
I would have suggested opening your own office, since
you're taking care of the clients by yourself anyway.

Again, considering your future move to another city,
changing jobs wouldn't be a good alternative either, nor
fair to your new employer.

The only solution I can think of is reducing your work load
thus taking on fewer clients. It won't help your clients if
you are overworked, and frustrated over office politics that
have nothing to do with them per se, yet they might feel
the impact thereof. I'd rather take care of fewer clients
in a mutually satisfying manner as opposed to juggling too many things at once and not being able to go the extra mile.

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Well I have been trying some new things in my line of work with some caution but the fear is overextending myself and finding my boss not being very interested or lack of support otherwise. The challenge is figuring out how to balance this best and not get so blue in the meanwhile.

I guess changing now does not make a lot of sense, as mentioned, but there is still the possibility we may not move if he goes to school here or decides on another course? So there is some uncertainty due to that...

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Right there with you on the disillusionment and absent boss!
I'm a reporter and photographer at a small daily newspaper, which as you can imagine is a job that pays little, takes a lot of passion and is easy to burned out on.

My boss has a long-standing reputation for being indifferent and lazy and dishonest and it kills me to keep working here. One thing she did recently is badly misspell a headline that appeared over one of my photos. Browsing for books appeared as "Bowing for boods." The next time I walked into the school where I took the photo, the principal and assistant principal started yelling at me on sight! All I could do is explain I don't write headlines, but when it comes down to it, the only name on the page was mine....

What I do is the best job I can for the community I serve AND for myself, I plan for the future. Even though I can't imagine how I will ever afford to go to law school, I'm studying for the LSAT. Mostly, it's a way to focus on a better future and not get tangled up in how much it hurts to be here now. Despite the negatives, there are a great deal of positives, as I'm sure is the case where you are too.

I have a flexible schedule, make my own appointments, support from my boss and her boss to put my family first, get to wear what I want, time for community service and the opportunity to choose my projects - I just have to avoid looking at the printed paper to keep from being crushed by the terrible editing, misspelled and unrelated headlines and all the things my lousy boss has control over and I don't!

My thought is that the key is to focus where you have control - yourself and give up on resenting your boss. I just wastes your valuable energy.

I struggle with this all the time. I hope it gets better for you.

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Working for a boss who has lost interest in the work...

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