How to deal with outrageous demand?

At work, we often meet all kinds of needs. Some requirements are reasonable, others are outrageous and even make people laugh and cry. In my working career, I have also met some outrageous demands. Let's share them.

The first outrageous request is about handling file formats. Once I received a request from a superior leader to convert a PDF file into Word format and ensure that the format remains unchanged. This is a simple requirement in itself, but the problem is that many words in this PDF file are scanned and need to be entered manually, and there are also many tables and pictures. This requirement is undoubtedly very outrageous, because PDF and Word are two completely different types of files, and the consistency of format cannot be completely guaranteed, especially for the content that cannot be edited, such as scanned documents.

The second outrageous request is about statistics. On one occasion, I took a task of data statistics, which required to be completed in an afternoon. But the amount of data is huge, and there are still many columns and rows to sort and filter. In order to finish the task as soon as possible, I used several special tools to make the statistical process go on quickly. However, after the statistics, the leader asked me to check every data manually. I can't submit it without many verifications. This requirement is also outrageous, because if you want to check every piece of data completely manually, you can't guarantee to complete the task in the shortest time.

The third outrageous requirement is about impossible version control. I once participated in a team project, and every time I modified the code, I had to submit it to the version control system. Once, a team member mistakenly deleted the code base of the whole project and could not recover it. However, the superior leader asked us to submit the latest code as soon as possible and ensure the integrity of the project. This requirement is outrageous, because once the code is lost, it can't be recovered, and the integrity of the project can't be guaranteed, so it can only wait for redevelopment.

The above three situations all involve very outrageous requirements, which may be because the relevant leaders don't know enough about the workflow and tools, or because of some emotions and unreasonable decisions.

But no matter what the reason is, as employees, we need to calmly assess every need and communicate with leaders as clearly as possible to ensure the smooth completion of the task. In addition, we should strive to find more efficient and practical solutions and give full play to our professional knowledge and skills.

To sum up, there are various needs and challenges in the workplace, some of which are even outrageous. But no matter what challenges we encounter, we need to think positively and try to find the best solution. Only through continuous innovation and learning can we remain competitive and succeed in the workplace.