Do you complain about things that bother you at work? (sort of advice thread...)

Sort of an advice thread but feel free to just use this to talk about work.

So I mostly love my job, great office, love the people, interesting place to work. But since getting promoted recently I feel like I've been managed really badly and it's really annoying me.

EG after 2 weeks in the role I've had to train in someone who also went for the role and didn't get it, whom I used to work alongside in a lower position. They're just giving her some experience "so there won't be any bad blood" but training someone in who wants my job when I haven't even been trained in myself (I am just using common sense to learn, and doing fine really I guess) feels so weird and wrong. I try and tell myself "okay this means they think I'm able to do the job" but actually I think it's just carelessness. And it's so fucking awkward...

Secondly I am being rotaed onto one incredibly tedious/easy shift for several more weeks than is usually the case, again probably due to an oversight but with the added irritant of the same person who didn't get the job covering the main interesting shift for the same period.

I mentioned to my boss I'd like to do a normal rota and he said it was just an oversight and would sort it out, but I know I'll have to bring it up again this week. I hate having to make an issue of something that should be just a given.

My question is, when do you actually highlight to someone senior in work that you feel hard done by? When I emailed my boss I kept it super breezy, eg "hi there, I'll work whatever shifts you need me too but wondered if there is a mistake as I am on (boring shift) for 4 weeks and I feel I'm really learning a lot and contributing on the other shift, it'd be great if we could work around this, i'll help to train others at (boring shift) if that helps"

I just feel I'm being treated quite badly, I've got a contract till May 31st so I'm v conscious of trying to show how much I can do in this job, but if I am dumped on this tedious shift for way more than my fair share then it's extremely hard to do that.

So yeah...when do you actually really raise something as an issue as opposed to the sort of email I sent above? eg do you ever explain you're personally a bit disappointed with something or just stay in business talk, even if you like your boss and get along?

I just feel a bit like if I explained how I felt without getting annoyed or something, they might actually agree I've been treated badly....

It depends on the situation. I get along very well with my boss, and we have mutual friends outside of work. If it's something where there doesn't seem to be much in the way of flexibility, or things are being done because that's the way they've always been done, then I'll stick to "business talk" and present the changes I'd like to see made in an impersonal rational manner. If it's something that's arbitrary, I will say "this frustrates me" or "my personal inclination would be to ..." or even mention personal goals and interests. Most of the time my boss is receptive and accomodating.

Do you think you've been treated badly badly, or just treated carelessly?

I think prob just carelessly, I think it's like I got the job and they haven't really thought about me much since then, whereas before I was prob overqualified in my role and it was clear I wanted promotion.

It's almost worse that it's carelessly tho, like the random machinations of the office are to blame, how do you even raise that?

If it were me, I'd just say, I really want to work the interesting shift, and maybe specificy some reasons why. It sounds like carelessness to me.

yeah that's sort of what I did. and to sweeten it up a bit I suggested some ideas I had for the boring shift which would make use of my skills...just so I don't come across all hating on one shift which is a part of my job.

just still feel frustrated about it...I hate having to ask for shit as if I'm being demanding.

is this the first time you've had to something like this at this job?

yeah...probably at any job...i'm not experienced in this sort of office scenario

Any way you can spin it into that _the company_ is getting more by letting you do this work is good.

I find whenever approaching business contacts with something that you personally want, the key is to think of it in terms of what's best for the company AND you. Ie, they hired you to do a certain project or task -- if you're working "boring shift" that someone else could do, is that the best use of your time & their money?

You might work another one or two of them and then bring it up again, as it is clearly not in the company's best interests for you to be moldering away. Perfectly defensible.

xp see?

In general, expressing enthusiasm for an aspect of your job is rarely seen as objectionable by bosses - approach it from the standpoint of "I would like to do this and have ideas for it." as opposed to, "I've been stuck doing this for too long."

As easy as it is to give advice, boss confrontations can be really intimidating, i had one friday that took me all week to "nut up or shut up" over.

Absolutely. But it's easier if you don't feel like you're asking for selfish reasons alone. Of course you kind of have to actually MEAN what you say about the company's benefit -- or else it's obv that you're being facile.

yeah it's weird...I hope just keeping it on the shift level will be enough to change things, I do feel v weird about the other issues with training in the other person too, but maybe best to let that stuff pan out for now.

sounds like you're handling it pretty well as is tbh, just need to await response?

or is the delay/lack of response the problem at this stage?

In general, expressing enthusiasm for an aspect of your job is rarely seen as objectionable by bosses - approach it from the standpoint of "I would like to do this and have ideas for it." as opposed to, "I've been stuck doing this for too long."

― sarahel, Monday, January 25, 2010 10:37 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I have found the exact opposite. "Having ideas" is the kiss of death in most places I've worked. You get labeled ambitious, uppity, or insane. Ideas also tend to be met with enormous resistance because it requires other people to change the way they do things or reveals how incorrectly they've been going about something in the first place. It seems to be more about negotiating ego and inflexibility than proving profit or process improvement. The only way to get an idea implemented is to plant it subliminally and allow your bosses to think they came up with it themselves. They then take all the credit but at least you get to do all the work for it and then wait patiently, grinding out the days, until they leave, retire, or finally succumb to the poison you've been secretly adding to their coffees.

I left my last job because the one aspect that was exciting enough to keep me there involved an idea I had. I managed to get some very difficult people onboard, got the money in place, and implemented it. But then everyone involved fought me at every turn (not fought, just obstructed, really) even when the benefits were obvious for everyone (basically I was doing all their work for them). They would rather do things the old way, I guess, rather than have anything to do with something "the new guy" came up with. I left a couple of months later.

^^ this has happened to me more than once as well. i've learned my lesson. most academic departments are more internally competitive than mine, and i really like my immediate coworkers, so i try to stay on their good side first. we usually use a group spokesperson to talk to the higher ups about our needs as a department. this seems to work. i think it works not only because we are a tight group, but because the responsibility is diffused. not sure if this option would suit you, but it has worked for me.

it was weird the first few years i was there, but now things are pretty good and i like my situation. as i said, though, i learned my lesson about having ideas and i think any damage that was done was fleeting. i think?

darragh, no I'm hoping it probably will get sorted, I'll remind my boss tomorrow, he's forgetful but I get along well with him. I guess I just wanted to see what people thought, like to what extent you'd complain in this scenario. as it is I just raised the issue as an oversight and nothing more. I guess for now I'll just see what my boss does, he did say he'd change it, and leave the bigger worries for another time, see how other stuff pans out.