RE: techwr-l digest: April 19, 2001

["Mike Starr" <writstar -at- wi -dot- net>]

Well, time for me to chime in with what's sure to be an unpopular opinion.
The digest rolls in here about 2AM so any responses to me won't be read
until Saturday morning at the earliest unless you cc me in the reply.

I've said for years that it's my obligation as an employee to do whatever
my boss instructs me to do as long as it's legal. If my boss asks me to
shine his/her shoes, so be it. If my boss asks me to serve coffee so be it.
My boss has to justify his/her actions to his/her boss. If I'd rather not
do those sorts of things I can take great comfort in the fact that I'm
probably the highest paid shoe-shiner in several counties if not the whole
state. I've always figured I'm an employee of the company... hired to do
what the company wants me to do. Every job description I've ever seen has
had ".... and other tasks as directed." or some such phrase.

Having said that, I find it difficult to believe that there's really a
dearth of tech writing projects at any company. I've always had my eye on
around a dozen projects that I figure need to be done when there's time. My
advice to you is don't just sit there and wait for projects to be handed to
you. Find some things that need to be done and do them. Show some
initiative. Document something. Make sure the boss knows what you've found
that needs to be done so that you get credit for your initiative. 

Mike

---
Mike Starr                            WriteStarr Information Services
Technical Writer  -  Online Help Developer  -   Technical Illustrator
Graphic Designer    -    Desktop Publisher   -       MS Office Expert
Office:  (262) 697-6333 - Pager: (414) 318-9509 - Fax: (262) 697-6334
Home (262) 694-1028 - mike -at- writestarr -dot- com - http://www.writestarr.com

>Subject: NEED HELP..PLEASE RESPOND
>From: John Mathew <techwriting4me -at- yahoo -dot- com>
>Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 08:12:38 -0700 (PDT)
>X-Message-Number: 26
>
>Hi Twinners,
> 
>Just wanted your opinion on  how I should handle this problem. My boss 
>feels that there's a very thin line between a tech writer's job and a
secretary's 
>job and he keeps dumping all kinds of nonsense on me like keeping a track 
>of the Daily Activity reports of developers in my company, and making the 
>resumes of other employees. I feel very underutilized and misused, but I
don't 
>know how to tackle this problem. One reason is also that the organization
is 
>facing a dearth of projects involving real tech writing work and I am,
technically 
>speaking, on bench right now.  It's not so much the time that these tasks
involve, 
>but more the feeling of not being respected and violation of my rights.
And I am a 
>person who lacks assertiveness. If there's no tech writing work, I'd
rather that I 
>spend that time honing my tech writing skills and learning more about tech 
>writing, instead of doing these silly jobs. 
> 
>Do I need to justify the salary that my company is paying me, by doing all 
>this, just because I am on bench right now? Please tell me how I should 
>tackle this problem.
> 
>John
> 



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