Thank you for writing and posting this, Karla. I think this impact assessment is 1) really well-written and well-explained and 2) a really valuable addition to the forum.
I don't feel like I see lots of impact assessments on projects that don't go the way we might expect or want them to and it would be good to see more so that we, as a community, can update and others won't end up trying something too similar in future without considering these results first.
It also seems important that the project team got value out of doing this which itself shouldn't be understated; the lessons you've learned and the thoughts you share in the 'What next?' section seem right to me and I think it's a really solid example of someone in the community updating in response to evidence.
Looking forward to seeing what you go on to do next!
Kind of random question if you see this: in your role, how many meetings do you expect to have in a typical week and what is the nature of these meetings? Are they long/short, can someone book a meeting with you at any time during your working hours?
Thank you, Michelle, for your detailed answer! It’s comforting to hear that you’ve felt this but currently feel good about where you’re at, gives me some hope!
Your general thoughts are extremely helpful, you’ve really hit the nail on the head:
I have wondered if this issue might be quite closely tied to the fact that I’m a student and most of everyone I’m working with is also a student. I’ve found it difficult sometimes to get buy-in on certain norms and think this would possibly be easier in a context where people are actually employed as opposed to volunteering and somewhat obliged to comply with norms set (or at least try them/work around them).
I’m quite keen to look for more junior roles within orgs going forward rather than a community building role. If you happen to see this (or if anyone sees this and has advice), do you have an opinion on how far this should make me update how suitable I think I am for management type roles? One of the reasons I pursued this role was to gain some experience in management-esque work, knowing that the EA community needs more talent in that area (at least, last time I checked). I’ve learned A Lot that I think I could take forward in future but I’m now wondering if management is something I should pursue long term (quite confident I won’t be pursuing this kind of thing in my next career step, I have some exploration left to do!). My uncertainty around how strong a signal this should send to me is related to me not really knowing how far my experience in a student group really maps onto the experience of someone employed full time doing management at an org (where my guess is that there would clearer ways to show your colleagues you’re not in work mode, such as being outside the workplace, assuming you’re not remote).
Thank you, Moritz, for your answer! I'd agree that I don't really see this as anyone setting hard expectations - for this reason I think that at least part of an effective solution for me here is to do some personal work; why do I feel some sense of external pressure even though when I ask most EAs, they're supportive of healthy working habits? It's possible some part of me (maybe the part responsible for impostor syndrome) has over updated on the opinions of very few people about how much I should be doing and ignored the vast majority of EAs who encourage a healthier approach.
P.S.: thank you for offering this, if I can figure out the whole anonymity thing, I may well reach out!
Thank you, Kaleem! If you see this comment and are ok with sharing, what was it that prompted your manager to ask you to stop working as much? Was it just the sheer number of hours flagging to them as above "normal" or are there some concrete signs we can use to tell when others should take a break of some kind?
Thanks so much for your answer! It's quite reassuring to hear and also, I have thought about being quite forthright with employers as you've suggested, but have kind of squirmed at the thought of actually doing it - this is a little confidence boost to exercise some agency for me, so very grateful you took the time to answer!
Thank you for writing and posting this, Karla. I think this impact assessment is 1) really well-written and well-explained and 2) a really valuable addition to the forum.
I don't feel like I see lots of impact assessments on projects that don't go the way we might expect or want them to and it would be good to see more so that we, as a community, can update and others won't end up trying something too similar in future without considering these results first.
It also seems important that the project team got value out of doing this which itself shouldn't be understated; the lessons you've learned and the thoughts you share in the 'What next?' section seem right to me and I think it's a really solid example of someone in the community updating in response to evidence.
Looking forward to seeing what you go on to do next!
Thank you, Gavriel!
Kind of random question if you see this: in your role, how many meetings do you expect to have in a typical week and what is the nature of these meetings? Are they long/short, can someone book a meeting with you at any time during your working hours?
Thank you, Michelle, for your detailed answer! It’s comforting to hear that you’ve felt this but currently feel good about where you’re at, gives me some hope!
Your general thoughts are extremely helpful, you’ve really hit the nail on the head:
Thank you, Ben, for your reassuring two cents!
Thank you, Moritz, for your answer! I'd agree that I don't really see this as anyone setting hard expectations - for this reason I think that at least part of an effective solution for me here is to do some personal work; why do I feel some sense of external pressure even though when I ask most EAs, they're supportive of healthy working habits? It's possible some part of me (maybe the part responsible for impostor syndrome) has over updated on the opinions of very few people about how much I should be doing and ignored the vast majority of EAs who encourage a healthier approach.
P.S.: thank you for offering this, if I can figure out the whole anonymity thing, I may well reach out!
Thank you, Kaleem! If you see this comment and are ok with sharing, what was it that prompted your manager to ask you to stop working as much? Was it just the sheer number of hours flagging to them as above "normal" or are there some concrete signs we can use to tell when others should take a break of some kind?
Thank you for your answer! Quite encouraging to hear (what in my opinion is) a really healthy attitude coming from the top down at RP!
Thanks so much for your answer! It's quite reassuring to hear and also, I have thought about being quite forthright with employers as you've suggested, but have kind of squirmed at the thought of actually doing it - this is a little confidence boost to exercise some agency for me, so very grateful you took the time to answer!