It must be that horrendous time of the month as something is bothering me far more than it normally does. ¬†I think I mentioned in the past that my predecessor at this job has returned. ¬†She (H) left the company about 5 months before they hired me. ¬†She came back a year later this past spring. ¬†Now my boss (J) pulled me aside before announcing to the group at large that she was returning, to assure me that my role wasn’t changing.
When i took the job it was a combination of production support and new development, along with bug fixes. ¬†Unfortunately, since H has been back, it has become far more production support with very light development, even as we enter a phase of completing rebuilding the product. ¬†I also hear alot of “When I did that job I had not only that production support, but also the coding. ¬†I had alot to do”. ¬†Add in the “this is how I did it” crap. ¬†Its like they broke the position in two when she came back, giving her all the plum developer things and left me with the crap. ¬†I’ve been asking for more to do, even going so far as to put in my self-assessment that I’d like to be busier. ¬†Still, i get the crap work and i feel my C# coding skills getting rustier and rustier. ¬†The project plan is out for the next release which takes us to June and honestly, I don’t foresee must in the way of real development for me while the rest of the team gets to code away. ¬†I’m like a footnote on the development chart. ¬†Again.
It doesn’t help that she treats me like a very talented admin. ¬†”Change that process so it runs every 15 min and send out an email to the client services team”. ¬†What? ¬†I know that if I change something that affects them to let them know. ¬†I’m not stupid. ¬†I might not be a “Lead Engineer” but I’m not your secretary. ¬†
Honestly, I don’t know what to do about it. ¬†Do I talk to my friend in HR? ¬†In her HR role or as a friend? ¬†(Don’t want to burden her, she’s getting married this weekend.) ¬†Do I talk to my boss? ¬†Do I talk to H and ask her to quit treating me like her assistant? ¬†Do I ask her what the hell her game is? ¬†Do I just ignore it and wait for this time of the month to freakin pass so it doesn’t bother me quite as much? ¬†Shit.
I do like the company. ¬†I do like the people I work with. ¬†I like the product. ¬†I just don’t like sitting around babysitting an automated production process, tweaking it every now and again, and being sent the crap work to fill up part of the day. ¬†Oh yeah, that part of the day is after business hours when the load is off the system, so much of it is done at night. ¬†At home.
Ugh.. y’all don’t come here to read that. ¬†Sorry.
I snapped this on the way to daycare/train this morning.  Definitely going down, but the next car will be a hybrid, what with all my local driving!
Even better, I get to pay that AND keep my arse in the car 
I’m back to working on Kauni after taking most of the weekend off from knitting. ¬†The second sleeve is progressing, and amazingly enough the color sequence is just one shade off from the first sleeve.
I have a nice warm lap full of wool on the way to work now.
Craft on!
12 responses so far ↓
1 Lizzy B // Oct 21, 2008 at 11:44 am
Hmm. I don’t think the time of the month passing is going to make this situation any better. I would sincerely sit down with your boss and ask him/her what your future is with the company. Tell him/her you feel like a footnote and that most of your busy time happens after hours at home. Maybe they will work with you to change your hours or let you work from home, or perhaps they will re-invent or re-tool your job so that you are happier.
Don’t let this fester as they won’t know unless youtell them you are upset.
2 Eva // Oct 21, 2008 at 11:52 am
Yep, I agree with Lizzy… talk to your boss. Remind him (in a nice way) that they said your job would not change, but that it did. That H treats you like her assistant and that you’re left with what ‘you’ feel are the crumbs of the job you did before. Life’s too short to be dealing with situations like this.
Cheers Eva
3 Nancy // Oct 21, 2008 at 12:21 pm
I agree talk you your boss with one caveat, wait until you TOTM is finished. It will be easier for you to trust your instincts then and it will probably be a productive discussion.
We’ll be hitting IKEA on Thursday I see we’ll be getting gas as well;)
4 Tina M. // Oct 21, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Emotionally a bad situation is still a bad situation, it’s just amplified right now. In my workplace we’d have a sit down with your boss and perhaps the HR rep, and explain your issue. The great aspect of this is that you’re actually ASKING for more work, and I assume your record is great. (I’ll add in here that I work in HR) Explaining your concerns and laying out what you’d like to see happen is a positive step, not whining, and allows them to see you as the professional you are.
Good luck, I hope you’re able to head this off at the pass before you start to hate working at a job that you really do enjoy.
5 Helen // Oct 21, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I think, yes, you should talk to your boss. It might be a good idea to write down very specific things/situations on a piece of paper so that you have it to refer to. BUT you should also update your resume and think about starting a job search, because this situation may not resolve (even with repeated meetings with the boss) and you deserve better.
6 Ina // Oct 21, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Sounds like there’s a bundle of stuff to take up with J. I don’t think H needs to be involved unless you report to her.
7 Kim // Oct 21, 2008 at 1:34 pm
I’d let this time of the month pass and then when you’re not so hormonally adled, I would talk to your boss. I would not talk to H. She seems to be trying to build herself up at your expense and make you her butt boy (excuse the french). Rise above her bullshit cause she ain’t shit. A knitted voodoo doll couldn’t hurt either.
8 JessaLu // Oct 21, 2008 at 2:39 pm
I agree…wait, then talk. ;o) oh and Kim might have something there… hehehe
9 --Deb // Oct 21, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Yep, I agree with everybody else–wait a few days for the hormones, but then have a chat… Voodoo doll isn’t a bad idea, either!
10 Suzanne // Oct 21, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Yikes, I would wait, then talk. Your sweater looked great at Rhinebeck. I was sitting on a wall and after you were past me I figured out it was you. I was too tired to run after you.
11 Carolyn // Oct 23, 2008 at 12:15 am
That is a crappy situation! I agree with the general consensus: definitely have a talk with the boss, next week. Take some time to think about what you want, what you want to be doing in 5 years, and put it out there. Also, I would look around to see what other opportunities are out there, just for leverage/confidence building.
I would be too chicken to do this, but a talk with H about her treating you like an incompetent admin would be good. She needs to see you as an equal, don’t let her continue to treat you like that.
Now, if only I could take my own advice! I can’t get more to do at work and sit on my ass most of the day.
12 cathy // Oct 25, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Hmm not a pleasant situation! You re lucky you can talk conscructively if you need to! Glad its sorted itself out,maybe the boss has whispered in her ear? Me ? Im in the opposite position,my assistant was getting bossy with me,and the worst thing is that my boss sided with her as they didnt realise the persons job description was as I had pointed out,a hard spot as I had written her criteria to help her get the job,poor fool me!
Best advice ,keep a diary>