‘Nobody at work knows I do nothing’: Employee has no work to do for over 3 months while boss fails to notice, until they get told to either talk to management or leave the job

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Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Oct 24, 2024 9:00 AM EDT

While doing nothing at work and still getting paid sounds like the best thing ever, many people will tell you that it is actually a curse in disguise. It might be nice for a day or two every once in a while, but spending months at a job where you have nothing to contribute can seriously cause you to slowly lose your ambitions, skills, and mind.

This story is the perfect cautionary tale when it comes to finding yourself in a workplace. It tells the tale of an employee who found themselves with no work and no guidance for over three months. While it was nice at the beginning, getting to watch YouTube videos while getting paid, the employee quickly grew tired of the situation. Now they are in a bit of a tricky situation, as they might get in trouble if they confess to their boss they have nothing to show for those three months, but if they don't say anything, then nothing will change.

Keep scrolling to read the full story and the helpful advice that followed. After that, check out this story of an employee who quit their toxic job after 6 years.

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  • 01
    "No one ever checks in on me"
    via aliaksandrbarysenka

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    Nobody at work knows that I do nothing
    via Longjumping_Safe_923
  • 03
    I got a job half a year ago as a software developer in an industrial plant at a big company with thousands of employees. I'm in my mid twenties and this is my second job. I created a couple
    via Longjumping_Safe_923
  • 04
    small applications when I first stared but then my manager ran out of work for me. I asked the senior dev if there was anything for me to do and he suggested I rewrite this old program just to
    via Longjumping_Safe_923
  • 05
    stay busy. My manager thinks I report to the senior dev now and the senior dev thinks I still report to my manager so no one ever checks in on me. Long story short
    via Longjumping_Safe_923
  • 06
    I haven't gotten anything done in the last 3 months. I'm starting to feel guilty/bored not doing anything, as my day consists of watching youtube and looking for jobs on linkedin. The longer I
    via Longjumping_Safe_923
  • 07
    procrastinate the deeper the hole I am digging myself. But I am afraid that if I reach out to someone I will either get in
    via Longjumping_Safe_923
  • 08
    trouble for not getting anything done or get a bunch of actual urgent work dumped on me. What should I do?
    via Longjumping_Safe_923
  • 09
    Vendetta547 Hi, I'm you from the future. Please immediately address this. Either go to them and tell them or change jobs. I am the example of what happens when you let something like this fester.
    via Vendetta547
  • 10
    I've been in that same situation for at least 4 of the 7 years of my career. This has happened to me in every single one of my career jobs so far (3). I let my skills deteriorate because I wasn't being asked to use them. I should have worked on side projects to keep them sharp.
    via Vendetta547
  • 11
    At first it was cool (free money!) but then I started getting paranoid all day every day. "What if this is the day they fire me?" "What if this is the day I'm exposed?" "I'm really not developing my skillset at all." When you spend 40+ hours a week thinking those thoughts it REALLY gets to you. Felt like I was living on borrowed time.
    via Vendetta547
  • 12
    The being bored . The being guilty also s ks. I got paid really well to do nothing while I saw family and close friends struggle to make ends meet. I felt like a selfish
    via Vendetta547
  • 13
    My confidence in my skills. dropped significantly. To the point that I stopped applying to other jobs because I didn't think I was qualified. I'm taking a three month unpaid leave starting next week because this has absolutely wrecked my
    via Vendetta547
  • 14
    mental health. I don't feel like my field is for me anymore. It feels like I've learned nothing over the years. I don't even know that I'm truly interested in it anymore. Considering a career change and it's stressing me the f out. Granted, there are other problems in my life that helped it build up to this point, but the job issue was at least 70% of it.
    via Vendetta547
  • 15
    Longjumping Safe_923 OP I needed to hear this
    via Longjumping_Safe_923
  • 16
    akorn123 Got nothing done in 3 months? Those are rookie numbers. I think you should set clear goals and work towards accomplishing them but hard deadlines aren't necessary. If I were you, I'd play video games and casually look for another job if this goes on for more than 6 months.
    via akorn123
  • 17
    Longjumping Safe_9... OP Lmao, you think I can make it until the end of the year?
    via Longjumping_Safe_923
  • 18
    akorn123 I went over a year. I got pretty nervous by that time and seriously looked for something else. Since | went a year with it, I was able to use it as a year's worth of software dev experience.
    via akorn123
  • 19
    OneofLittleHarmony You can get a way with a lot in your current situation but you should spend a period of every day reviewing the current software for the company. You should never get in the situation where you don't do anything. Always have some work product even if you
    via OneofLittleHarmony
  • 20
    only work a third of the day. If all else fails, learn the intricacies of whatever code your company uses or learn a new programming language that could help.
    via OneofLittleHarmony
  • 21
    The_Old_ The real reason why you are still "doing nothing" is the fact that the company has literally nothing for you to do. Because this is a second job, and you are seeking employment, I think that you are golden until you find a new job.
    via The_Old_
  • 22
    Express_Turn_9492 Get a second online job you can work remotely at your normal job and collect two incomes. Your normal job will think you're doing work for them and your remote job won't be any wiser. And you won't be bored at work any more?
    via Express_Turn_9492
  • 23
    3Grilledjalapenos I've been in this situation, sort of. You need to do at least something every day, and possibly use some of this time to build your skills. It's hard, but be your own boss, if maybe a pretty kind one.
    via 3Grilledjalapenos

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boss workplace-stories employee manager job tales-from-the-workplace software reddit story boredom workplace Reddit company funny quitting
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