Stabbed in the Back at Work.

0neAnd0nly · 12 Mar 2011 at 12:42

Any of you been some what betrayed at work ?

I was hired to take over first line support and maintaining equipment, so the current technician could move higher and work on a new project. Everything was great, he was showing me the ropes and was a decent bloke, but lately I've been getting decent feedback from a lot of staff and higher management for the quality of my work and response time. I felt great, thought, finally, all the hard work is paying off and I'm clicking with the right crowd . . .

Then I got called into HR for a meeting on my progress, which was fine, as it was supposedly just a normal check up meeting. Basically I got slated, saying that HR had been getting low feedback, saying I was working too laid back and acting like the job was too easy for me and that I refused to do some tasks that he asked me to do! This is so wrong, I really do love my job, made some good friends and it felt good when people were thanking me for all the effort. She even brought up how I was 10 minutes late for work because of the train strike (Not advertised train delay) Since I've worked there, I've deliberately gone in 20mins early every single day!!

I confronted the guy I'm taking over and he said that he knew what she said as it was him who was getting the bad feedback off people and that I only do 10% of the work he does and that I have no idea what the job involves . . . . this hit me as such as shock because I got on so well with him the passed month and thought I was working hard

(Currently working 48 hours per week minimum wage + overtime thats no payable even though they expect it and no bonuses, I'm 19, working hard, working in steel toe caps as there is CAD/CAM on site and coming home every night sweating and tired.) :mad:

Its really ****ed up my confidence working there and game plan (Which is work hard and get noticed by higher management) I really feel paranoid, do I work bad, do the departments really think I'm bad at my job, do they want me gone . . . so I don't know what to do, I really don't.

Any one else experienced anything like this at work ?

"andy" · 12 Mar 2011 at 12:45

well for a start did you tell HR this ?

sounds like hes been slacking in his job and isnt happy that your making him look bad...

is there way to get evidence of this bad feedback ? dont they have any sort of stats that show the amount of work your doing ? get them to compare it with what he was doing if you really think they have got it wrong

MrMoonX · 12 Mar 2011 at 12:45

just do your contracted hours and no more then leave

Dolph · 12 Mar 2011 at 12:51

You need to speak to your line manager for an open and honest discussion about your performance. Most people think their in work performance is awesome, but that doesn't mean it always is. Get proper feedback, take it on board and work to improve if there are areas for improvement.

Don't just assume it is some conspiracy or backstabbing attempt as a means to make yourself feel better, at least until you've done some more research into it. You'll only make things worse in the long run if there is a genuine concern about your performance. I'll also point out that working long hours isn't the be all and end all of hard work.

[/Mr Unpopular]

matthab · 12 Mar 2011 at 12:53

Feel for you mate, I really do. Ive been there before and in the end I left for a better career and a happier life.

The way my current employer does progress reports and performance reviews is to use a review system. So I select 3 or 4 people and they write a bit about my performance etc. I then get the meeting and we sit down and discuss my performance based on the reviews and other matters.

If it was me I would speak to HR and maybe your boss and also people who you have done work for. Collect the info via email or get it in writing so you can go to HR and explain the remarks aren’t true.

I believe what hes done can be a sackable/disciplinary offence?

0neAnd0nly · 12 Mar 2011 at 12:59

"andy" said:
well for a start did you tell HR this ?

sounds like hes been slacking in his job and isnt happy that your making him look bad...

is there way to get evidence of this bad feedback ? dont they have any sort of stats that show the amount of work your doing ? get them to compare it with what he was doing if you really think they have got it wrong

Well at the time with HR, it came as such a shock, my heart was racing and I couldn't feel my hands. I was so angry and ****ed off, I kept it short and sweet so I could go before I made a fool of myself or swore which would have made me look worse. I'm the type, I need five minutes to come to terms and get some sort of plan on what I should say (If this makes sense)

And also I the person who was saying this was almost my age, got into this HR position straight out of Uni and spoke to me like I was in school and she was better than me. I'd rather speak to someone that is higher up and acting knows me, my personality and how hard I work. I could see, the HR meeting was a one way warning, anything I could have said would have been a waste of time.

As for stats, we use Spiceworks to add tickets etc but most people ring or email me, I'm barely ever at my desk to note everything on spiceworks. The only thing I can do it go to people I know has thanked me and give me a lot of good feedback and ask if they have my back in anything comes of this? But again this could effect my professionalism.

MrMoonX said:
just do your contracted hours and no more then leave

Thats the problem, I'm still in my probationary period, I still haven't got much stakes in the business.

jp_bl_68 · 12 Mar 2011 at 13:02

MrMoonX said:
just do your contracted hours and no more then leave

Sounds like really bad advice to me.

Sankari · 12 Mar 2011 at 13:02

0neAnd0nly said:
Currently working 48 hours per week minimum wage + overtime thats no payable even though they expect it and no bonuses

Sod that. Even a junior role isn't supposed to involve slave labour. I wouldn't get out of bed for your job. Hell, I wouldn't even set the alarm clock.

Richdog · 12 Mar 2011 at 13:07

Evangelion said:
Sod that. Even a junior role isn't supposed to involve slave labour. I wouldn't get out of bed for your job. Hell, I wouldn't even set the alarm clock.

Sure, you wouldn't get out of bed or set your alarm... *yawns*

However, some people with more backbone and less opportunities than other have realise that at some point in there life, to get ahead in their chosen career, they are going to have to do ****ty jobs that may not be the best paid, or the most pleasant.

FishThrower · 12 Mar 2011 at 13:11

Job sounds like too much hassle for min wage.
See if it's better after a month and review the situation, if it doesent improve, leave and seek employment in a decent company.

I remember going to a interview and they had some clueless bint from HR ( who wasn't no older than 21), Gr has far too much power in companies, thankfully I didn't get the job and got something much better down the line.

0neAnd0nly · 12 Mar 2011 at 13:23

Evangelion said:
Sod that. Even a junior role isn't supposed to involve slave labour. I wouldn't get out of bed for your job. Hell, I wouldn't even set the alarm clock.

The company I work has a lot of potential and I haven't got much experience in corporate/CAM I.T. so this would look good on my CV. I've been close to leaving but a group of system analysts have been hired to restructure the whole company and develop better policies. One approached me after I did a lot of work getting them up and running, he said that hes been there 6 months and out of 5 I.T. staff, he only knows my name because of how hard I work.

He said that there has been a lot of people impressed with your performance and that to stick it out until some of our changes come to play. It give me the motivation to work hard until now :/

Dolph said:
You need to speak to your line manager for an open and honest discussion about your performance. Most people think their in work performance is awesome, but that doesn't mean it always is. Get proper feedback, take it on board and work to improve if there are areas for improvement.

Don't just assume it is some conspiracy or backstabbing attempt as a means to make yourself feel better, at least until you've done some more research into it. You'll only make things worse in the long run if there is a genuine concern about your performance. I'll also point out that working long hours isn't the be all and end all of hard work.

[/Mr Unpopular]

The problem with my job is that I go around a lot of departments and most of my calls come directly from the staff via phone or email, there is no way to prove my skills and performance until my manager asks them personally.

Another problem is that due to the probationary period, I've been reporting directly to the technician I will be taking over and haven't spoke to my managing director once yet!

I won't be digging any bigger holes for myself, I'm just going to see what the issues are (although I couldn't really get a proper answer off neither HR or the guy I told her) and see what happens.

One good thing is that I have a lot of **** on the guy who's doing this to me, so I'm slowly writing all the stories and jokes he's made about management and his director (Some really offensive and personal stories only he knows) and I will hand them all over to the staff if I'm backed in a corner again.

jp_bl_68 · 12 Mar 2011 at 13:24

FishThrower said:
Job sounds like too much hassle for min wage.
See if it's better after a month and review the situation, if it doesent improve, leave and seek employment in a decent company.

He's 19 and, presumably, just starting out in his career. As Richdog said, there will be hard work and ****** jobs from time to time. You'd be a fool to leave a job just because of that.

Sankari · 12 Mar 2011 at 13:29

Richdog said:
Sure, you wouldn't get out of bed or set your alarm... *yawns*

Damn straight. I've turned down jobs before, and I've walked out of jobs that turned bad. Why should I hang around? No point in being kicked like a dog every day just for the privilege of saying "Yeah, my boss takes advantage of me and I do nothing about it. Hooray for me."

Fortunately the OP is not doing this. He's taking the right step by trying to resolve the problem and rise above the obstacles in his way.

However, some people with more backbone and less opportunities than other have realise that at some point in there life, to get ahead in their chosen career, they are going to have to do ****ty jobs that may not be the best paid, or the most pleasant.

"More backbone"? Turning down a job (or walking out of one) requires backbone.

I've worked for the minimum wage on two occasions because nothing else was available, and moved on as soon as a better opportunity arose. I've worked as an administrator, a builder's labourer, a warehouse stock controller, an account manager, a mail officer, and many others.

But unpaid overtime? ******** to that. I'm not a charity; I don't work for nothing.

bigredshark · 12 Mar 2011 at 13:35

0neAnd0nly said:
The problem with my job is that I go around a lot of departments and most of my calls come directly from the staff via phone or email, there is no way to prove my skills and performance until my manager asks them personally.

Well I don't think it's possible to judge this without knowing you but from that alone part of your issue is you should be ticketing stuff if the system exists, if the previous guy was getting through 100+ tickets a week and you're doing 10 because you doing everything 'off the books' then that's an issue. The system exists for a reason, part of which is so that managers know what you're doing without having to go round conducting a survey. They should be giving you feedback on specific areas of concern and agreeing actions in any event though.

0neAnd0nly · 12 Mar 2011 at 13:36

matthab said:
Feel for you mate, I really do. Ive been there before and in the end I left for a better career and a happier life.

The way my current employer does progress reports and performance reviews is to use a review system. So I select 3 or 4 people and they write a bit about my performance etc. I then get the meeting and we sit down and discuss my performance based on the reviews and other matters.

If it was me I would speak to HR and maybe your boss and also people who you have done work for. Collect the info via email or get it in writing so you can go to HR and explain the remarks aren’t true.

I believe what hes done can be a sackable/disciplinary offence?

Sounds great, I was considering this as I have been getting some great feedback off important staff

Maybe a normal outcome he could get sacked but due to the poor structure of the company, he has a big stake when it comes to how the servers have been set up and how all the wiring has been done in the switch boxes etc (See I have been thinking very similar

)

FishThrower said:
I remember going to a interview and they had some clueless bint from HR ( who wasn't no older than 21), Gr has far too much power in companies, thankfully I didn't get the job and got something much better down the line.

I'm glad its not just me who thought this when it comes to some HR staff !

jp_bl_68 said:
He's 19 and, presumably, just starting out in his career. As Richdog said, there will be hard work and ****** jobs from time to time. You'd be a fool to leave a job just because of that.

Yep, I've got a plan and I'm going for it. I've got a degree level job as I will slowly be introduced into the networking side if they keep me on and they might even put me through CCNA, which will help me so much in a good career in the future and I'm working in industrial IT along side it, so I'm hoping it will long good to possible employers in the future.

Muban · 12 Mar 2011 at 13:39

0neAnd0nly said:
As for stats, we use Spiceworks to add tickets etc but most people ring or email me, I'm barely ever at my desk to note everything on spiceworks.

This is a mistake, one that many technicians make because they don't think it's an important aspect of their role. All your work should be on it, even the small jobs. Least of all the benefits is documented evidence of your workload and the sort of work you are doing. You should also keep your own record of feedback and particular occasions when you feel you have really achieved something.

If they think you aren't doing the job and that you don't know what the job involves then you need to have them document what is expected of you. You need to have a clear understanding of what is expected. It could be that there is more that you need to be doing that you aren't aware of, or it just could be that he has a problem with you. Being clear on your role and being able to evidence your work is the way to go.

0neAnd0nly · 12 Mar 2011 at 13:42

bigredshark said:
Well I don't think it's possible to judge this without knowing you but from that alone part of your issue is you should be ticketing stuff if the system exists, if the previous guy was getting through 100+ tickets a week and you're doing 10 because you doing everything 'off the books' then that's an issue. The system exists for a reason, part of which is so that managers know what you're doing without having to go round conducting a survey. They should be giving you feedback on specific areas of concern and agreeing actions in any event though.

The problem is it uses a server based form of Spiceworks and its very slow and usually says server is too busy. I have half hour for lunch but a part from that I'm constantly dealing with issues people have. Most people don't use or don't even know about Spiceworks that work there, I've started using spiceworks to add tickets that I've already done but here is so many to add in a very short about of time left after I finished my dinner.

Most people ring or email, what can I do, tell them to use spiceworks and spend half an hour showing each one how to use the program ! I think I'd get a lot worse feedback by doing that personally.

Muban said:
This is a mistake, one that many technicians make because they don't think it's an important aspect of their role. All your work should be on it, even the small jobs. Least of all the benefits is documented evidence of your workload and the sort of work you are doing. You should also keep your own record of feedback and particular occasions when you feel you have really achieved something.

If they think you aren't doing the job and that you don't know what the job involves then you need to have them document what is expected of you. You need to have a clear understanding of what is expected. It could be that there is more that you need to be doing that you aren't aware of, or it just could be that he has a problem with you. Being clear on your role and being able to evidence your work is the way to go.

I totally agree, I'm trying to save emails but there are a lot of people who don't reply after the job is fixed due to busy roles themselves. They usually thank me on passing or buy me a coffee haha.

Any idea how I can document everything ?

piggeh · 12 Mar 2011 at 13:43

bigredshark said:
Well I don't think it's possible to judge this without knowing you but from that alone part of your issue is you should be ticketing stuff if the system exists, if the previous guy was getting through 100+ tickets a week and you're doing 10 because you doing everything 'off the books' then that's an issue. The system exists for a reason, part of which is so that managers know what you're doing without having to go round conducting a survey. They should be giving you feedback on specific areas of concern and agreeing actions in any event though.

+1 You should make sure it's all logged. Our work IT dept. are quite anal about doing so but they need to evidence what they've been doing with their time.

Having been through similar things, try and ask for more regular feedback. I went onto weekly performance reviews (why is a long story) and it helps to sit down on a regular basis and go through any issues or praise from that week to show a)you're not a slacker b)that you are willing to work positively to resolve any problems.

HamZilla · 12 Mar 2011 at 13:47

Possibilities:-
Your 'mentor' could be jealous from positive feedback you are getting so soon after being there and is twisting it around.
Perhaps he isn't enjoying the 2nd/3rd line position and wants his old job back.

Certainties:-
HR role is solely to look after the company's interests, never an employee.

Advice:-
Rather than noting down mentor's anecdotes and remarks, keep a diary of what you do, what is being done to you, how you feel/react.

Stick it out until at least your probationary period is complete, try looking for another job in the meantime. Worst come to worst they let you go but at least you are prepared.

Rich1988 · 12 Mar 2011 at 13:47

even in your probationary period to fire you they still have to follow the standard dismissal procedure as far as Im aware, as im in a similar situation myself although working more than 48 hours a week!