HR problem waiting to happen: The perpetual volunteer

Managers love the ever-giving over-achiever — if that person can get the job done. The problem lies with the person who volunteers for everything but then never makes things actually happen. I’ll talk about both types here.

Some employees volunteer for new duties and are great at making things happen and producing results. And too many managers will lean on this person excessively. (If my email and the discussion posts are any example, most managers lean heavily on these people.)

Some people just get charged up by being extremely busy and challenged, but there are those who only do the extra stuff out of fear of repercussions. I know this is asking the impossible, but managers need to wise up and figure out which is which. If you have a person on your team who consistently takes on any new duty, you need to make sure that there isn’t some underlying issue that drives that. Otherwise, that person could one day wind up in the nearest clock tower with a sniper rifle and you in the scope. (I just had a mental image of that scene, but with a manager on the ground yelling into a bull-horn, “Do you have your laptop with you?”)
The perpetual volunteer

Lazy managers love a bottomless well of productivity. That is, until they see that things aren’t actually getting done. Often the person who is the first to raise his hand to volunteer has no idea of how to do the assigned task. He is a little delusional as to his own capabilities or time availability. So all of the things that are dependent on the tasks he volunteered for have been pushed back and then the manager has a real and ongoing mess to clean up.

So there is an in-between. You want to be seen as dependable and flexible but you don’t want to take on duties that you can’t possibly fulfill. Also, you want to avoid being pigeon-holed by your manager as the place where all little responsibilities go, because, whether consciously or unconsciously, that manager will use you up until you’re as tired and overworked as Lindsay Lohan’s probation officer.
How to get out from the hole

So what do you do if you’ve gradually and almost imperceptibly become the receptacle for all extra duties? I”m being optimistic here, but maybe your boss really doesn’t realize what a burden the extra projects are for you. In that case, you should have a chat. If not, I would try gradually weaning the boss away from depending solely on you. The next time a project comes up, say, “I’m covered up right now. I don’t think I could get to it in the time you need it.” That might be a wake-up call for your boss.

But then, it might not be. Your boss may turn on the Mafia death stare or threaten you with firing, if he or she is a real jerk. If the person is really that unreasonable, then it’s time to look for another job.