Friday, October 18, 2013

The Call to Work


I have been working on a large project at work. Somebody messed up and set the schedule too short. I brought the issue up. The resolution was that I was going to get another guy to help me with the task. That guy is quitting the company today. So I have been hustling to try to get the project done on time.

Another group on my project had been asking for help. They were trying to test out some software that the guy who is quitting wrote. They were having major problems. I told them I was behind schedule, and could not help them unless my due date was shifted.

I got a manager on the phone. He told me this other team's work was priority. He said I could have more time on my large task. That's all I needed to hear. I figured out their problem and went back to my own job. Then this other team encountered more problems. I told them the same thing as before - I did not have time to help.

So I called up the manager and asked whether I should continue to help this other team. He gave me the go ahead. Yesterday after leaving work, I got a call from the manager. He was wondering how long it would take to resolve their latest problem. I said a couple days. He told me they needed it done in one day to meet their deadliness.

Nomrally I do not work hard to meet a deadline unless I was consulted in the first place to set the schedule. But sometimes you need to be a bit flexible. I told the manager that I would come in early today to try to get things accelerated. I start work at 4am, cut some corners, and got the team rolling again.

I do work early or late from time to time. But when I do, I don't work overtime. I just leave early as well. Therefore at lunch time today, I am declaring it the weekend for me.