Covering for absent manager

realBabelfish said:
i take it you have never had to put up with severe stress? oddly it makes you very sick. stress is linked to intestines so when you get it very bad it can make you physically sick. puking like you have food poisoning etc.

having said that many people dont have this severe stress and just feel a bit down.
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Stress isn't linked to the intestines but it can have a range of physiological effects including vomiting and can be quite a serious illness.
 
Zethor said:
Off sick with stress for a month and possibly longer? Since when is stress a sickness?
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Since a long time - it's a recognised condition. A rather serious one at that.

omnomnom said:
Just do it for the money you get paid. It only looks good on you anyway. The whole "well so and so's off i should get x and y " is kinda lame, just help out...good work ethic and all that.

Obvs if it goes on for a long time, that's different.
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I find that attitude laudable. And most probably one I would follow.

However, it has to be fair - if the OP is going to be working many more hours, and if it does or may affect his work/life balance, he needs to be recompensed for it.

However, he also needs to show that he can step up when he needs to without being a princess about it. There could be others that would snap fingers off for a chance of a bit more responsibility or at least gain an understanding of what it is like to be the manager of that department/product.

Personally, I would see it as a L&D opportunity - as long as you're given the understanding/knowledge required to do the role.

What I'd recommend is, give it a go for a couple of weeks, see how you get on. Then, on your 1-2-1 or review (which I would hope would happen weekly in this situation) let them know how you're getting on. Be honest, if you're struggling, tell them, if it is affecting your personal life tell them. However, at the same time, dig deep and see how you get on - if you feel like you are being exploited long-term then of course do suggest some sort of compromise.

I wouldn't bring it up before even starting the role as it is all likely to be done unofficially. Undoubtedly if the directors/bosses are any good, they will acknowledge your efforts and offer some sort of discretionary reward. I know when I've stepped up as an interim manager in certain roles it went recognised and whilst I didn't stay in that role, I was given a nice extra bonus that year.

Don't be greedy, but at the same time don't be taken for a ride - it's a fine balance.

Ultimately you could potentially end up with the role if you do as good as or better job - but for that you need to grit your teeth and go for it, and not whine or worry about it. We've all done months of long hard stints of work in the past to get things done - it's not easy and you do have to make sacrifices, but you know what? It gets noticed and if anything helps to develop you as a person too.
 
Carry on doing the job on your own & do it better than the guy before, Also make sure you phone the Sick guy & tell him that you are managing on your own really well & think the Boss will probably just lay him off. This should increase his stress levels ten fold making sure one way or tuther you get the job. (Insert evil smiley here)

Or you could just carry on covering for the Guy who obviously needs a good friend/work college at the mo. ;)
 
Zethor said:
Off sick with stress for a month and possibly longer? Since when is stress a sickness?
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It depends, I mean if your kid is dying from cancer I'd say that's stress, take as much time as you need.

But if you're just going mental at the management because you hate your job and you're just miserable as ****, it's a day in the life, if all the unhappy people went home the country would grind to a halt.

You can't know though, who knows. It's one of those vastly situational thing, is the guy a dick or is he genuinely having some sort of crazy situation outside of work.

Anyway, check your employment contract OP, I would be entitled to more money for doing a higher up's job for a while, you may not be. Did you even read it before you signed it?
 
Freefaller said:
Don't be greedy, but at the same time don't be taken for a ride - it's a fine balance.
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I think this is the key - I'm actually coping fine, though obviously I'm much busier than usual, but it's the open-endedness of the situation which is annoying, as I've no idea how long he's going to be off for...and some recognition would be appreciated !
 
pitchfork said:
It depends...
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Yes it does but not in that way. It depends on a lot of factors, some people are more prone to mental health issues than others.

A lot of people who suffer stress have a debilitating illness but because systems don't often show in a physical way. It's also for the lay person who doesn't understand mental illness to write off depression, anxiety et al as somebody being weak or not "pulling their socks up"

A lot of people suffer and don't get the support they need because society still has a backwards attitude.
 
Let us know who that works out for you.

The CEO can't fire your manager while he's signed off sick for stress or he'll be done for constructive dismissal / breach of HR policy.

This means he can't promote you as your manager is still on the payroll.

Enjoying working harder for free until your manager returns or quits.
 
As the IT support guy you aren't the IT support manager. I presume you don't have the experience, skills or knowledge the perform the latter role. If you do, then I'd suggest you seek a role like that. If not, then consider this a fantastic opportunity to learn, develop and demonstrate value. I wouldn't dream of asking to be paid for it.
 
Terminal_Boy said:
Let us know who that works out for you.

The CEO can't fire your manager while he's signed off sick for stress or he'll be done for constructive dismissal / breach of HR policy.

This means he can't promote you as your manager is still on the payroll.

Enjoying working harder for free until your manager returns or quits.
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Any company worth its salt would have a system in place to pay for ad-hoc duties. If I cover a manager that is off, I get the stand-in rate.
 
Terminal_Boy said:
Let us know who that works out for you.

The CEO can't fire your manager while he's signed off sick for stress or he'll be done for constructive dismissal / breach of HR policy.

This means he can't promote you as your manager is still on the payroll.

Enjoying working harder for free until your manager returns or quits.
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Unless OP copes fine without an IT manager, and company decides the role is no longer required and makes IT manager redundant?
 
You'd be surprised by the number of huge multi-nationals that continually fail to get this right.

I've personally worked for at least 5 where HR was utterly useless.
 
wozzizname said:
I think this is the key - I'm actually coping fine, though obviously I'm much busier than usual, but it's the open-endedness of the situation which is annoying, as I've no idea how long he's going to be off for...and some recognition would be appreciated !
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What I would do in that case is ensure that you get frequent updates from whoever your current line manager is and air your concerns with a positive slant on it.

"I'm coping with the extra responsibility, however, it's rather disruptive to the rest of my work.... would you be able to offer me some time scales?" or maybe

"I'm enjoying the new challenge I have been offered, however I'm concerned about how what the long term implications will be..."

"I'd be keen to formalise this temporary transition to something more long term have you been happy with my performance and are there things I could do to allow me to progress?"

I don't know.. just some ideas to open up a conversation on the subject.
 
Freefaller said:
What I would do in that case is ensure that you get frequent updates from whoever your current line manager is and air your concerns with a positive slant on it.

"I'm coping with the extra responsibility, however, it's rather disruptive to the rest of my work.... would you be able to offer me some time scales?" or maybe

"I'm enjoying the new challenge I have been offered, however I'm concerned about how what the long term implications will be..."

"I'd be keen to formalise this temporary transition to something more long term have you been happy with my performance and are there things I could do to allow me to progress?"

I don't know.. just some ideas to open up a conversation on the subject.
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"When are you coming back 'cause I'm losing my **** right here."
 
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