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My boss assigns me additional duties when I'm already overloaded and insanely behind target - then, he asks why I am not meeting deadlines.
He lately has asked me to take on additional tasks, then, assigns them to others and tells me I have enough on my plate. I feel like I'm being set up to fail - any tips on turning the table?
Document everything. When he assigns you a task verbally, send a follow-up email saying "As per our conversation, I am taking on the responsibility of [xyz]"
If you start to get behind, send emails before it becomes an issue. Likewise with additional tasks.
"As per our conversation, I am taking on the additional responsibilities of [xyz], however, I am concerned that since my attention to [ABC] is taking up the majority of my time, this may put me behind schedule. Please advise as to which has top priority".
Similarly, if a task that has put you behind schedule is then taken away from you after you are already behind schedule, document that as well with an email.
"While I appreciate the task of [xyz] being reassigned to my coworker, as I expressed in my concerns on [date] this has already severely hindered my ability to complete task [abc] on time"
An email trail prior to things going off the rails is the best approach
I never accept a task without making sure my boss knows what other things are on my plate and which one(s) will be lowered in priority to do the new task. Anything lowered in priority gets an email sent to the stakeholders to let them know the deadline is moving. It helps if you have a list of what you have been tasked to do with the priorities and you can get him to slot it into that list during your initial conversation. Sometimes bosses are not completely aware of everything on your plate, it helps them to see it.
Your boss has the right to set priorities any way he wants, but you need to make sure they are set when there is more work than you can do and you need to make sure those people depending on the the task that was lowered in priority are informed of the delay. Let your boss deal with any fallout from that.
Could be a test. Alot of bosses want to see that you are able to say "no" to the extremely high workload and simply want to see if you can ask for help when you need to.
Seen alot of people come and go at microsoft, believe it or not, the ability to asses your workload and capabilities yourself is a very needed trait.
