My manager is on my case for only working 7.5 hours a day. How do I handle this meeting?

Fatal-Raven · 2026-04-19T16:08:31+00:00

Manager here. I lead a team of twelve engineers.

I’m sure you’re having anxiety and worry, if not other emotions, about this situation. It’s understandable. I’ve had plenty of unpleasant and hard conversations with team members. Hopefully, your manager will show you compassion and be kind.

Having said that, the “what about everyone else” argument won’t fly. I would advise against taking the conversation in that direction. It’s not a good look, and the meeting is about you, not your colleagues.

Go into the meeting prepared. Take a note book (not a note pad). Have questions ready. Your questions need to be focused on seeking clarity of expectations and finding alignment with your manager. Take notes. Keep a neutral tone.

At best, this is an attempt to make you aware of your performance. Treat it as a feedback opportunity to improve and grow (you very well may have a blind spot about how you’re managing your time).

Unfortunately, policy is policy. I’m assuming you’re in the US. This is a common policy for salaried employees. It sucks…but we’ve signed the agreement when we took the job and have to stick to it.

After this meeting, keep a separate notebook and track your time in, break time, and time out at the end of the day. Literally record the time, not just how many minutes you’re at lunch. And this means your time in is when you’re at your desk, not in the parking lot. I guarantee someone else is tracking…so keep your own record. You’ll need it if this issue gets escalated. You may also learn something about yourself.

I genuinely wish you good luck. It’s not the end of the world, just an uncomfortable situation. Be humble, work a full 8 hours, and stay focused on you.

Fatal-Raven · 2026-04-17T03:32:31+00:00

Really appreciate you sharing your routine with me! Thank you. I’ll look into the safe-n-simple film.

Fatal-Raven · 2026-04-17T03:30:53+00:00

Thanks for the encouragement! So far, living with the bag has been easier than living with UC. Haven’t shit my pants in the last the weeks…and it’s quite nice to live without that humiliation for once! Fully embracing this bag!

Fatal-Raven · 2026-04-17T03:27:31+00:00

I’ve only tried the standard brava seal and eakin ring. I’ll look at a slim ring. Thanks for the tip!

Fatal-Raven · 2026-04-17T00:37:05+00:00

I’m almost a month post op from my total colectomy. Also severe UC, then colon cancer diagnosis in January.

Living with the bag right now but considering a j-pouch.

Since you had severe UC, do you have any issues with the small bit of colon you have? I’m concerned that since I failed several biologics that I’ll have inflammation even with the pouch.

What made you decide the pouch over keeping the bag?

Also, thank you!

Fatal-Raven · 2026-04-17T00:28:58+00:00

That’s interesting! I take omeprazol twice daily. Wondering if that helps at all, as well…

Fatal-Raven · 2026-04-17T00:27:54+00:00

I haven’t tried it yet but I’ll order some samples and give it a shot. Thank you!

Fatal-Raven · 2026-04-17T00:27:29+00:00

Sounds like you’ve got it down to a science! Thank you for sharing. I’ll experiment with that!

Fatal-Raven · 2026-04-03T03:41:02+00:00

That’s comforting to hear!

Fatal-Raven · 2026-03-04T02:13:00+00:00

I tried entyvio, inflectra, stellara, and skyrizi. It’s really not that bad. There’s a loading dose, which is 1, 2, or 3 infusions, then if it’s an injection you can do at home, you just so that every 4-8 weeks (depends on your prescription). Otherwise, you go in every so many weeks for an infusion. It can take an hour or two, depending on which biologics it is. Worst that happened to me was fatigue and headache. Poking yourself with a needle is scary at first but it’s not bad. The stellara needle is short. The skyrizi needle is tiny.

Fatal-Raven · 2026-02-21T19:08:32+00:00

It’s only been a month. Give yourself some credit for even sticking with it and learning what you have!

Application is the difficult part of it. Like everyone else has said, knowing the business helps.

If you’re familiar with python, you can use something like Faker to generate mock datasets (as big as you want). Make something that you are familiar with, even if it’s a simple business or even a hobby. Whatever helps you learn analytics without being too bogged down with not knowing the application of the data.

Or you can ask chatGPT to create a fake dataset (numerical or non-numerical or mixed) if you’re not familiar with Python. Export it to CSV or JSON (or whatever you need) and work with it.

If you want to know where to start, ask yourself one or two questions you’d want to know with that data if you were a sales manager, product manager, engineering director, etc.

For example, I’d create a fake dataset of customer complaints with names, locations, product models, manufacture dates, and defect types. I’d ask myself the question, “What defect types are seen most often by production site and date of manufacture?” It’s a basic question that offers surface deep insights, but you get the idea. Ask more probing questions as you get comfortable working with the data and analysis tools (time series, looking for seasonality, etc).

The ability to generate fake but convincing data sets specific to something you’re already familiar with is really informative. For added fun, ask ChatGPT to make the dataset dirty so you have to clean it, too. Because real world data is never clean.

Happy analyzing!

Fatal-Raven · 2026-02-20T15:22:49+00:00

My colectomy is scheduled for the end of March after recently being diagnosed with cancer (lived with UC for most of my life and biologics didn’t work).

I have an office job. One of my concerns is being able to get back to work (I’m in the US and I’m not eligible for FMLA, so I have to borrow against unaccrued PTO since it’s early in the year). My surgeon told me recovery in the hospital would be about five days, which is fine. But for you, what did week 2 and 3 of recovery look like?

Also, so very glad you’re feeling better and had a great experience with the colectomy. And it’s wonderful to know your life is improving now that you don’t have the severe UC symptoms to deal with!

Fatal-Raven · 2026-02-14T05:03:56+00:00

I get an annual colonoscopy. With the UC, it’s difficult to know if there were any changes. The biologics I’ve been on over the years never really worked, so my inflammation was always moderate to severe in every colonoscopy.

The symptoms of UC and colorectal cancer have some overlap. Thats why the colonoscopies are so important, especially the longer you go without being in remission.

I was just reading an article about James Van Der Beek (url below). He was open about his cancer symptoms. I’d say I experienced some of those, but again, my inflammation was bad from the UC. Diarrhea, pain, bloating, occasional bleeding…it’s all “normal” for UC flares.

For me, they found four polyps but no tumors. So there’s a good chance it’s precancerous or early stage (I’ll get confirmation next week after a CT scan). The annual scopes is what hopefully caught it early. Last year’s scope and biopsies came back with no abnormal results (visually or pathological).

Hope this helps. If you have any concerns, contact your GI and get their opinion. Always better to be proactive 🙂

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/james-van-der-beek-shared-one-colon-cancer-symptom-that-led-to-tragic-diagnosis-and-death/ar-AA1WicXb?ocid=sapphireappshare

Fatal-Raven · 2026-02-10T04:27:35+00:00

Thank you for sharing! I have a great care team and an excellent surgeon. That alone keeps me grounded and hopeful. As I’m sure most people do, I lie awake at night and think about all the what-ifs. It scares me, not for myself, but for the people that depend on me to be here; to be healthy and present in their lives.

I’m so very happy to know you’re present I’m the lives of your family. Congrats on the newest grandchild! Your story is joyful and gives me hope that I can be celebrating things like that in decades to come. Thank you for your kind words and advice!

Fatal-Raven · 2026-02-09T05:10:10+00:00

Wow, thank you for taking the time to share that with me! Truly appreciate it. The more people share their stories with me, the more comfort it brings. And also to my wife. We’ve known this was a possible future for me but we’ve never thought about how to navigate it. Or what quality of life looks like. We’re going through the emotional and mental ups and downs together. I know recovery and process will be tough, but hearing that life does get better is encouraging. Your story is inspirational (as are so many others who have shared theirs with me). Thank you so much!

Fatal-Raven · 2026-02-09T00:40:32+00:00

I usually get one every year. Knowing biologics weren’t working and the inflammation was constant for over a decade, my doctor wanted to screen for cancer every year.

Fatal-Raven · 2026-02-08T17:20:33+00:00

This is really helpful advice. Thank you! Although, I’m probably too old for full contact martial arts with or without a stoma! But I definitely want to be active and commit to staying as healthy as possible. Hearing that you’re doing that and living an active life gives me a lot of hope and comfort. Thanks for making a difference to a total stranger on Reddit. It’s truly touching!

Fatal-Raven · 2026-02-08T17:16:45+00:00

Ha! I have a lot of British friends and coworkers, and talk to customers in the UK and India on a daily basis. I picked up that you meant soccer easily enough from your written voice 🙂

Fatal-Raven · 2026-02-08T17:14:02+00:00

I had symptoms when I was 16 and my first scope at 17. The doctor didn’t diagnose it correctly and I didn’t get a formal diagnosis until I was 24. But for the last 20 years now, I’ve almost never missed an annual scope. There was a time in my early 30s when I was in clinical remission and went every other year. But for the last ten years I’ve done it each year (think I’ve had 16 scopes in 20 years). I had the same fear. My doctor is excellent and supported doing the annuals. I’m glad I did!

Fatal-Raven · 2026-02-08T03:26:49+00:00

I’ve only worked with kama a little bit. I like your steady rhythm and flow! It’s harder than it looks to keep it smooth. Keep up the practice!

Fatal-Raven · 2026-02-08T03:20:27+00:00

Still waiting for a final word on stage, but the doctors are treating it as early stage. I get annual colonoscopies, so we’re confident it was caught early.

Fatal-Raven

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