Moral dilemma at work

Personally, I would consider the employers decision to keep you on staff even with the lack of much of a workload--to be his choice. You are not the one who parcels out the case load.

The fact that you might not be able to perform if you were to get a full load is another matter, but since you think you might be able to manage it--or that the company will not give you a really full load for some time--I would wait until that happens in order to decide.

I assume that your superiors are aware of your non-existent workload. If that's so and if they're okay with it then I don't see a problem here. As long as you're honest about your situation, there's no harm in it in my opinion.

Frankly though (and this is totally a personal thing on my part), I would go insane if all I could do was sit around all day doing nothing. No offense to you is intended by that. But how you've described the way you spend your time there would most assuredly send me over the edge.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm using vacation time today to do some personal things. So if advice from a possible hypocrite is in any way helpful for you, I'm glad to have helped. Otherwise, feel free to disregard everything I've said here.

Porpoise said:

I've been stuck on this issue for quite a while. So I have a job and I get paid for full-time work, but there is almost no work for me to do because I have hardly any clients assigned to me. I have been working here several months and it's still like this. I am getting paid to sit in the office and kill time browsing the internet or doing sudoku puzzles.

It is costing the company over $700 a month just to keep me employed like this. I don't know why I was hired if there weren't clients for me. But let's assume they're expecting that there will soon be more clients, and let's assume there will be.

The other problem is that I have a chronic illness which I have had for years that affects my ability to work. Based on my own assessment of my symptoms and impairments, I think it is very unlikely that I would be able to handle a full caseload of clients, or any full-time work for that matter.

But I want to be optimistic. I mean, I haven't tried it yet. I haven't had a full caseload yet. And what if my illness gets better by the time I get more clients?

I am also facing social pressures. I would feel really guilty if I didn't work, even if I have a legitimate reason. I don't think others would approve of me not working, even if I am unable to work.

So considering that I am getting paid full-time for almost no work, that I am costing the company a lot of money to stay like this, and that I think it's unlikely I will be able to manage a full-caseload with my illness, am I essentially stealing from the company by remaining in this job for as long as I possibly can until I can't go on and have to quit? Or, on the other hand, if I were to quit now, would I be wrong for giving up too soon and not trying hard enough? And if I did decide I truly can't work, I would then become a burden to my family who would have to take care of me. So I am costing others money no matter what I do.

What should I do?

Click to expand...

If your work situation is working out for you ... then let your employer decide if it's working out for them.

In a 40 year career, I had periods of heavy workloads vs. times of lighter workloads. It's all about going with the flow. Perhaps your employer has invested training into you, which they don't wish to have to repeat in another employee.

Unless you find a working opportunity which will work better for you, ... I would stick with where I am.

Porpoise said:

About that...They don't know I have this condition, and if I told them, I think I would probably be fired. I have told them I have some kind of illness that causes fatigue and memory problems, but I think what I have is either clinical depression or some other medical condition that causes depression-like symptoms. (I have already been seeing doctors, have seen therapists, have taken medication, etc.) I think if they knew exactly what I have and the full extent of my symptoms, I just can't see them keeping me. How can I help my clients as a therapist if I myself have depression?

Click to expand...

Well, this I cannot say. But I believe your employer has a right to know of any conditions or circumstances which might affect your ability to do your job.

I'm not sure where you live. But in my area, an employer generally cannot terminate an employee simply because of a medical condition. If your condition is manageable and if it's protected by law (and you might be surprised by how many conditions are protected by law) then I believe there is an ethical obligation to inform your employer of your situation.

Obviously I cannot predict the outcome of that. But for me, anything is better than living a lie.

thecolorsblend said:

Well, this I cannot say. But I believe your employer has a right to know of any conditions or circumstances which might affect your ability to do your job.

I'm not sure where you live. But in my area, an employer generally cannot terminate an employee simply because of a medical condition. If your condition is manageable and if it's protected by law (and you might be surprised by how many conditions are protected by law) then I believe there is an ethical obligation to inform your employer of your situation.

Click to expand...

Yes. My first thought upon reading that addendum was that it does change things.

You are under no obligation to tell your employer about medical conditions unless it negatively affects your work. In this case, it doesn't, since you are twiddling your thumbs anyway.

In my experience, there is no job where you need to sit being idle. In any business there is plenty to do. Why not ask your coworkers if you can help them out and lessen the burden for everyone?

Each of your follow-up posts is causing me to second-guess what I said in my initial reply, I'm afraid. On the one hand, the ethical choice seems to be for you to come clean with the employer, and who knows what his response will be? He may be OK with it. Or maybe not.

But I also keep thinking that $700/month is not a hefty salary. Is the employers intention to use you only in some sort of limited capacity (which, fortunately, you would be able to handle)? That might make a difference, too.

Porpoise said:

So instead of bringing in profit for the company, I am ultimately costing them.

Click to expand...

I think that's for them to work out. They'll either resolve it with additional caseload, or eventually they will cut the position if they don't have the caseload for it. I don't think you should feel obligated to leave or disclose medical conditions unless they are verified impacting your ability to work. Being a therapist with depression shouldn't be a problem. You can identify with your clients. I'd rather have a therapist who can at least identify with mental illness on some level (since I have it myself) than one who was 'normal' and didn't have some idea personally of what I was going through.

Porpoise said:

What should I do?

Click to expand...

Use your time fruitfully. Browsing the internet and doing sudoku (two things I've wasted time on myself) are ultimately not productive. Pick some subject or skill you want to learn (perhaps related to your job or career) and spend that time studying and practicing.

In a previous job, I was good at what I did (and was the only person in the company who could do it) and could knock off my work in about 15 hours per week. My colleagues were fine with that because I could usually drop what I was doing to immediately help them when they needed something. There was no way I was going to tell our management (on another continent) about my time usage or I'd have been swamped with meaningly busywork that ultimately would have affected my ability to do my actual job.

I spent that time learning more about computer algorithms and entering online programming contests. As it turned out, those new skills turned out useful for later work that showed up. It was also fun.

I agree with those who say it is the company's job to decide whether you get paid for doing nothing or not. Also agree that you don't have to disclose any health issues, especially since you are no way sure they would affect your performance.

However, I think it is way not wise to be getting on the internet randomly, and playing games at your desk. That would seem very likely to inspire some resentment from fellow co workers. As someone else said, ask around if you can be helpful to others. Since you can get on the net, maybe particularly ask them if there is any research they would like you to do. DON'T sit around doing nothing productive.

Maybe you can do some research on you own about the company. Maybe find out some statistics they haven't learned about, some kind of demographic information. Ask them what they would like to know more about.

Porpoise said:

I've been stuck on this issue for quite a while. So I have a job and I get paid for full-time work, but there is almost no work for me to do because I have hardly any clients assigned to me. I have been working here several months and it's still like this. I am getting paid to sit in the office and kill time browsing the internet or doing sudoku puzzles.

You be paid for doing your job, if need be you can be reviewing reports or assisting another co-worker, or be doing something that be related to your job.
Is it possible for you to be put on a part time employee?

It is costing the company over $700 a week just to keep me employed like this. I don't know why I was hired if there weren't clients for me. But let's assume they're expecting that there will soon be more clients, and let's assume there will be.

Hmm...let's not assume...lets work with the information we have....
You told them you suffer from fatigue and that you have memory problems... so they be accommodating and that be good.

The other problem is that I have a chronic illness which I have had for years that affects my ability to work. Based on my own assessment of my symptoms and impairments, I think it is very unlikely that I would be able to handle a full caseload of clients, or any full-time work for that matter.

But I want to be optimistic. I mean, I haven't tried it yet. I haven't had a full caseload yet. And what if my illness gets better by the time I get more clients?

Then be optimistic...because you not being optimistic when you keep throwing
out negatives so much more than optimism.

I am also facing social pressures. I would feel really guilty if I didn't work, even if I have a legitimate reason. I don't think others would approve of me not working, even if I am unable to work.

Many jobs be available that require typing on a computer, my neighbor do life-coaching and prepares taxes on his computer mostly and some video phone calling...he's a young man confined to a wheelchair.

So considering that I am getting paid full-time for almost no work, that I am costing the company a lot of money to stay like this, and that I think it's unlikely I will be able to manage a full-caseload with my illness, am I essentially stealing from the company by remaining in this job for as long as I possibly can until I can't go on and have to quit? Or, on the other hand, if I were to quit now, would I be wrong for giving up too soon and not trying hard enough? And if I did decide I truly can't work, I would then become a burden to my family who would have to take care of me. So I am costing others money no matter what I do.

What should I do?

Click to expand...

It seems to me that if you told them you suffer from fatigue and memory problems ,then the company is making it so you can be employed.

Or if you like, you can ask about if the job could be reduced to you coming
in as a part time employee?
Not to mention work-from home type jobs such as consulting, tax preparer,
paid blogging etc.

In America, you are not obligated to tell an employer anything about your health conditions, and I urge you not to, because information, even partial information, can go against you worse than no information. All they need to know is your capability or incapability to do your job. If it were necessary to explain why you can't work, I'd leave it at just "health issues." The details and why it affects your work is none of their business. It does mean that they wouldn't have the opportunity to do you any favors if they wanted to, but overall, what I said is the most protective for your future. Most of the time company's feelings about helping an employee out have a limited time span. If anyone objects, for example, they may have to retract what they did. (Americans are pretty big on equal treatment rather than special treatment according to our needs.) Being paid for work is a simple arrangement that, in general, can create intractable problems by mixing in one's private life. Some kinds of problems can last a long time even after one separates from the company.

$700 sounds like a great salary, depending on where you live and what you do. Do you have health benefits with your employment? When I found out that I had depression and was not able to do any work at all, I resigned from my job. However, in retrospect that was an awful thing for me to do. The company pays a benefit provider a lot of money so that employees can have a safety net. The benefit provider has agreed to a contract for benefits that you should not dismiss. I had health benefits obligated to me that would have lasted quite a while. Do not resign, but rather look into the options you have due to long-term illness. You may need an official diagnosis from a doctor to take advantage of any of them. But if you may have depression, you need to be seeing a psychiatrist and/or psychologist, anyway. Depression can keep getting worse for decades if it goes untreated.

As for what you can do at work: anything that helps the company or their investment in you. Can you raise your skill level for the kinds of things you do in your job? It's a good self-educational opportunity. You, perhaps, might figure out if there's anything you can do even with depression (which sometimes feels like burnout, btw) and self-train in case you need to look for another job in the future.