What do you enjoy the least about the job that you have?

I have worked for Verizon Wireless for 19 years. I enjoy a lot of what I do so this is a challenging question. One of my least favorite things about my job is when I see potential in others but I am not able to motivate them to see their own potential. I realize most days that I can inspire and encourage but they have own their own career destiny.  Advice; listen to the people that believe in you.

I did not like that my supervisor had failed to train up half of the staff that had been there several years. I was capable of doing any job in the office, but the others were very limited. This resulted in my supervisor pulling me out of areas that I enjoyed working in, and reassigning me to other areas when other people quit. It was not my fault that he had not trained the others and that they were not knowledgeable enough to be transferred to other areas. I was doing an outstanding job where I was at. This ultimately led to me quitting my job.

How would I fix it? Have better supervision of the supervisors. The manager NEVER talked to the staff to get a feel of how the supervisor was doing. There was no way for staff to make this information known. Implement 360-degree performance reviews of the supervisors, where staff is allowed to have input on the supervisor's evaluation. If employees are incompetent, get rid of them - this supervisor was afraid of discrimination complaints. Have supervisors learn proper documentation procedures for writing up poor performance to minimize the likelihood of a valid discrimination complaint.

(this was a government job - at the state level)

Good question!

For the first time in my 25 year career, I find this questions a little difficult to answer. I've been with PwC now for hour and a half years, the last two years as a permanent employee, and have never enjoyed a working environment more.

However, I've already answered a questions that talks about the things I enjoy, so I will address the topic at hand.

The thing that I enjoy least is that there is not enough time in the day...or so it seems.

At PriceWaterhouse Coopers (PwC), in addition to fulfilling the primary responsibilities of the role you were hired for, you are expected to take on / participate in additional side projects, all of which have validity for the future and are genuinely interesting. However, this does put some pressure on time and becoming more conscious of my own time management skills was something I had to adapt to, and it was definitely a challenge for me. As this is a firm that is a big supporter of a healthy work/life balance (for most of the roles at PwC, with a few exceptions depending on circumstance), we are encouraged to enjoy our lives outside of the office, our down time, if you will.

Now, occasionally these side projects do stretch the boundaries of work/life balance, but it is so seldom I almost feel it's not worth mentioning, and the better you become with your own time management, the easier it becomes to fulfill both your roles primary responsibilities and also your side projects value too.

A "next step" suggestion is to start working on becoming disciplined with your time. Allocated time for everything you do on your calendar, including breaks and down time, doctors appointments and airport runs. Everything. Then, do absolutely everything you can to stick to it. If you find it impossible then review your time and make sure you are allowing sufficient time to achieve the maximum achievement you can. Set yourself up for success rather than setting up a calendar that is impossible to fulfill.

If you allocate time for everything, even taking lunch, or checking email or voicemail, then your brain will start to factor in the timeline as soon as you start your day.

Of course, you are going to have situations arise that will potentially force you to change your priorities, but this will be rare for the most part. But things sometimes happen unexpectedly, so just roll with it as that is life sometimes. If you work for a decent employer and Manager then your best will be good enough, and if you have established trust with your teammates and Manager, and have a reputation for integrity, then you will be supported at every turn.