How much autonomy do you have at work?

[Phoenix84]

How much independence do you have in performing you work? Are you able to prioritize your own work tasks? How closely does your management keep an eye on you?

I read that an indicator of a professional is a high degree of autonomy/independence.

As for me, I'm largely free to prioritize my own work tasks and pace myself. Management doesn't seem to watch too closely, so I'd say I have a high degree of autonomy.

[Abby Normal]

Most of them here have no idea what my job even entails.  So they just leave me alone until they need something.

[andi9899]

I'm completely independent. As long as I bring in money and don't do anything unethical, I'm good.

[billisonboard]

Total independence and prioritizing.  I have to work to get the person above me on the organizational chart to assist me when I wish guidance.

[shanendoah]

That depends on your definition of autonomous. State budget is due when state budget is due. I have to meet that deadline. Performance reviews have to be done prior to the state giving us a budget so that staff can get performance raises. I have a ton of deadlines set that I have to meet.
I do need to be able to work with the college Dean's office and the University in general, so there are some deadlines I get (the Dean has to have time to review something before it goes up the chain, etc) that come before the big state deadline.
But as the department administrator, I run the business side of the department, so I have complete control over how I organize my work and the other deadlines I set (like when I provide financial report outs to faculty).

[flamingo]

I'm mostly autonomous. My boss will give me tasks to get done, but usually it's big picture type things and I handle the details of it as I see fit and can mostly set my own deadlines on those details. I manage my own department, and I have control over how I manage it. I ask for her input on things when needed, but I have other managers within our division that I ask input of as well.

As long as my work is getting done, and I'm not missing meetings, no one seems to really worry about me/my department. Others managers my boss managers, may not see things the same way, however!

[swamp]

I am management.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Mar 30, 2015 15:37:17 GMT -5 swamp said:

I am management.

So if you have a complaint do you talk to yourself?

[emma1420]

I work in an organization that is team-based, so while I have a good deal of autonomy, I'm not completely autonomous.  There are deadlines that I don't set that I need to meet.  There are meetings that I have to participate in that I don't get to schedule, etc.

However, my day-to-day work life I work independently, and I don't need permission to start a new project or create a new service (although sometimes I do need to wait until we work on budgets each year so I can budget the appropriate monies needed).  I just need to keep in mind how the work I do will impact others, and determine if there are deadlines established by others I need to meet.

[swamp]

Mar 30, 2015 15:39:02 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

Mar 30, 2015 15:37:17 GMT -5 swamp said:

I am management.

So if you have a complaint do you talk to yourself?

Yes. I don't listen very well.

[mroped]

Damned boss is shadowing me all over the place! 
Oh! Wait, that's my shadow! I am also the boss! (Except home!)

[kittensaver]

The highest-ups know exactly what I do - - and because none of them want to do it, they leave me alone to get it done .

[Tiny]

I'm independant - I'm not sure if anyone in my department knows what exactly it is I do.    I don't have much 'authority' - I've got the lowest level title/job class for my group, but I'm the only person who does what I do.  I'm with a bunch of other such 'misfits' (doing our own very individual and very different stuff) reporting to a manager who doesn't have a good grasp of our day to day stuff.  Our manager actually 'manages' and stays out of the day to day stuff.  I generally don't bother my manager unless there's something out of the ordinary (so he isn't surprised when someone mentions it to him)  OR  I've gotten the heads up on some poop that's gonna hit a fan (to get him in the loop because I don't have any authority for dealing with the Big Wigs and to brief him so he's not taken by surprse and can look good (understand the problem, maybe have some solution options) when he's dealing with the Big Wigs).    Yeah,  I manage my manager - but it works out really well for both of us. 

I actually work with a bunch of managers/staff in a couple of different departments who's IT applications I support.  I also deal with a handful of outside vendors (who all seem to think I'm someone important).     I'm not sure if the other department managers know who my manager is...     I deflect the outside vendors back to the department manager(s) when there's issues since they have the final word (and not my actual manager). 

I've also had co-managers in the past.  I even had 2 part time managers (I guess that equalled a full time manager) back in the past.

I'm good at quietly amusing myself at work AND getting work done - so I'm not a high maintenance employee.

[msventoux]

I review the work of other, others review my work so everything is interrelated to some degree or another.  But I pretty much set my own pace.  I know the clients that I need to work on, when I'll probably get their stuff, what issues they have that might take more time, etc.  My boss may give me surprise projects that need to be done quickly, but I've never been micromanaged. 

I'm pretty much left to my own devices.  My boss hasn't had to swoop in to save the day since I haven't dropped the ball with any clients, so he's happy to leave me alone and micromanage others.