I told you so...

An employee who is loyal, talented, works hard and at times even pulls off the impossible, is lauded by some of the colleagues, but does not seem to get the promotion. It is someone else who gets the raise and promotion and soon the person in question finds himself or herself working under a person who is nearly half of him or her in qualification, experience and talent, and even whose loyalty is questionable.

But today, I was vindicated.

The Upper Management in our office are inept, spineless and ineffective. They pretend to enforce the corporate standards, only to rescind it a week later because someone complained. I believe that some of it comes from the fact that raises for the Upper Management are based on a survey their employees take, so they're afraid to upset anyone because they might get a bad score and subsequently a crappy raise. There is no way to effectively manage employees if there is no respect.

During some feedback given to me, I was told that I "needed to work on how others perceive me." Apparently, someone was offended that I told them that they "Might want to sit down and start working." This person complained...and since management doesn't want anyone to be upset, they had to make sure that I knew I was not a Supervisor and therefore should not be providing this kind of feedback. Never mind that this statement came from a person who had been repeatedly warned to sit down and do their job.

From that day forth, I sat down, shut my mouth and ignored all of the abuse around me. I began pretending that I was happy in my job. I would smile and say all the things that were expected, all the while gritting my teeth so hard that my jaw would hurt. I worked hard, met or exceeded the expectations for any goal that was given to me, and played the office politics....but no matter what I was passed over for promotions time and time again. Each time I was not selected for a promotion, I was given feedback like "Be more of a team player" and "Perhaps you should ask for assistance when you need it."

Needless to say, I have been feeling really disgruntled for a while. Coming home stressed and exhausted day after day, I began snapping at the family. I needed a change, and bad.

In November, I applied for yet another position within my corporation, but this time the department I was applying to was located in Chicago. I had my first interview in December and was called back for a second interview at the end of January. Never before have I received the type of comments given during the second interview process. One of the interviewers stated to me point blank "I have been with this corporation for 17 years, and this is the best interview I have ever had the opportunity to conduct."

Today, they offered me the job. Beginning March 17th, I no longer report to the local management.

Now the management who kept telling me how much I needed to change is freaking out. All of the goals for them this year were based on the fact that I was going to be training my peers....and now I'm leaving. I'd like to think that maybe they have learned a lesson and stop taking things for granted, but I doubt it.

I'd like to end with a couple of quotes that express how I feel today:

"Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted."Aldous Huxley

"A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him."David Brinkley

"Success in almost any field depends more on energy and drive than it does on intelligence. This explains why we have so many stupid leaders."Sloan Wilson

UPDATE:

I might have forgotten to mention that although my new management is based out of Chicago, I will still be able to work out of the Rockford office!!

Yep, that's it for me...

I was always under the impression that if you did a good job, met every goal that was set for you (regardless of how impossible it seems) and maintained a positive attitude that you would be adequately compensated.

It's always been that way...it's why I work so hard (60 to 80 hours a week) and put up with a lot of shit.

How stupid was I to think that my outstanding performance over the last year was worth anything...apparently no one else thought so.

When I indicated that I felt as though I was getting slapped in the face and that I felt I deserved CONSIDERABLY more than was given, I was told that it wasn't because of my performance, but that there was nothing more they could do.

Translation: "Just suck it up and be glad you have a job. Just remember that we will continue to use you and abuse you and we don't want to hear any bitching."

It's been more than a week and my mood has NOT improved. Imagine that.

Ways To Uplift the Workplace

Believe it or not, this was distributed in our office last week! I particularly like #8!

1. Page yourself over the intercom. Don't disguise your voice.
2. Find out where your boss shops and buy exactly the same outfits. Wear them one day after your boss does. This is especially effective if your boss is of a different gender than you.
3. Make up nicknames for all your coworkers and refer to them only by these names. "That's a good point, Sparky." "No, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to disagree with you there, Cha-cha."
4. Hi-Lite your shoes. Tell people you haven't lost them as much since you did this.
5. While sitting at your desk, soak your fingers in Palmolive liquid. Call everyone Madge.
6. Hang mosquito netting around your cubicle. When you emerge to get coffee or a printout or whatever, slap yourself randomly the whole way.
7. Put a chair facing a printer. Sit there all day and tell people you're waiting for your document.
8. Every time someone asks you to do something, anything, ask him or her if they want fries with that.
9. Send e-mail back and forth to yourself engaging yourself in an intellectual debate. Forward the mail to a co-worker and ask her to settle the disagreement.
10. Encourage your colleagues to join you in a little synchronized chair-dancing.
11. Put your trash can on your desk. Label it "IN."
12. Feign an unnatural and hysterical fear of staplers.
13. Put decaf in the coffee maker for three weeks. Once everyone has withdrawn from caffeine addiction, switch to espresso.
    

WARNING - Work Post

I worked hard to get the job I have. I worked my tail end off to prove myself. I was given a nearly impossible deadline, and I met it. Even after the entire server CRASHED AND BURNED two days before the deadline and I had to put everything BACK into the system manually I still made it.

I had been working 10 to 12 hours a day to get everything done. I asked for help, pleaded for help, and then downright begged for help. I provided documentation showing that an average work week to get all of the expected duties done for me is 80+ hours....I was told that "I need to prioritize better".

So I stopped asking for help, and I stopped working all the extra hours (I'm salary, whether I work 5 minutes or 12 hours I get paid the same). Things weren't getting done, and suddenly they wanted to know why. I wanted to say "Because I've taken some advise and prioritized better, and YOU are not on the priority list!!" but instead I simply provided the same documentation about my daily duties that I have been trying to get someone to pay attention to for the past year.

"We need to get you some help" was the response.

Wha?

Did I just hear that right?

After a year of everything NOW they want to give me help?

Maybe it's because they found out that I've applied and interviewed for a different job within the company. One that pays more. One with a completely different downside...a lot more traveling. It's one of the jobs I aspired to have when I started at the company 9 years ago.

I don't know if I should stay where I'm at and hope that help is really on the way, or hope I get this other job.

Time Off!!

I have worked from my employer since January of 1998. Every year I have requested the week between Christmas and New Years off....and I have never been approved for it.

You see, we have what is called PTO, or Paid Time Off. When you request your PTO time for the year, your Supervisor will approve all PTO time requested based on seniority. Because of this, every time I got promoted, I was the least senior person in the unit and was never approved for this week because someone with more seniority than me had already requested it, and depending on the size of the unit you are in, depends on how many people the Supervisors can approve PTO time for on the same day/week.

I attribute my lack of being able to get this time off due to the fact that 95% of the people I work with have no ambition or drive to promote, so they've been in their positions FOR LONGER THAN I HAVE BEEN WITH THE COMPANY!!! I on the other hand am currently holding my 5th position within the company in almost 8 years.

Finally, for the first time ever, I HAVE THE WEEK OFF BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS!! I can stay home with my kids and let them enjoy all of their new stuff, get the house clean, and do all those things that I haven't had time to do!

One more week of work and then I'm off until next year!