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I finished a job which was supposed to take me about 1 month but I did it in less than two weeks. My boss was happy and sold the application as expected. The problem is that I didn't get more work since that (one and a half week).

Should I ask for something, or should I just wait, because I made all that was given to me? I am bored and I don't like to be doing nothing.

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  • Is he sitting in the same office with you? Or are you a remote worker?
    – FooTheBar
    Sep 24, 2019 at 7:43
  • @FooBar He is in front of me and I asked him last week already
    – maryrio7
    Sep 24, 2019 at 7:47
  • Then write him a short mail and ask what to do. (This way, you have proof that you asked in case he forgets)
    – FooTheBar
    Sep 24, 2019 at 7:50
  • @Bebs, I don't think it's a duplicate, as the most important thing here is checking that there really is nothing to do. It's certainly related though.
    – Robin Bennett
    Sep 24, 2019 at 8:33
  • It's funny you ask strangers on the Internet before asking your boss.
    – dan-klasson
    Sep 24, 2019 at 9:00

2 Answers 2

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Yes, of course, you should definitely ask for something to do. Maybe your boss just forgot to give you work, or worse, you missed a mail with your new task.

Even if there is no project, you can still ask if and what you should learn for the next task.

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  • He told me that when he talks with X company he will give me something. But since that I never got any email or something. I mean my work was supposed to take me 1 month but I finished in 2 weeks, so maybe they dont have nothing until that?
    – maryrio7
    Sep 24, 2019 at 7:34
  • Possibly. But you have to ask and in the best case get a written confirmation (e.g. mail) that you don't have a task.
    – FooTheBar
    Sep 24, 2019 at 7:41
  • Also, you should ask him what you should do when he hasn't got a task for you. Does he want you studying? Or is he happy for you do twiddle your thumbs?
    – Gregory Currie
    Sep 24, 2019 at 9:13
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    Suggest to your boss, after you find out that you really don‘t have a task to do, that you‘d like to work on some tech (up to you to decide) that you think would be beneficial to the company, while you‘re waiting. It will give you an excuse to learn something new for yourself, and show your boss you‘re invested, and not just sitting around doing nothing.
    – DrMrstheMonarch
    Sep 24, 2019 at 11:11
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This is a great time to follow the doctrine of completed staff work. Rather than asking for more work, identify a project yourself. Then let your boss know that you have completed your assigned work and you plan on working on this project until you receive more. All your boss has to do at that point is say "yes" or just ignore you.

Ideas on identifying projects:

  • Spend a few minutes with your co-workers, ask about their pain points
  • Is there a tool that would have made your last job easier or more efficient?
  • Is there a skill that you don't have but would like to. It sounds like you might be a developer. If so this is a great time to dip into machine learning.
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