Why am I upset with my employer? I should be glad to have a job!

[Deja Q]

The dept head has, on several occasions, threatened us with layoffs and wanted us to cut back on our hours.

Then she promotes a small handful people (9% of our total staff, which is a lot and especially in financially difficult times...).

One of those three is now the lead for my group (PC workstation/Helpdesk support) despite having no experience here what-so-fucking-ever and being only so-so with his regular work. We've had no lead in the past apparently, though we actually DID - but she was worthless as our lead (though great at her primary work). He was also one of the people who made a stupid decision about "standardized hardware" that costs our departments money but nobody will back away from it because, *gasp*, that might make our department look bad. (there's a licensing issue that seems suspect as well, but I'm staying out of that too. And for licensing it's better to be overzealous than not.)

My supervisor has recently hinted at promotions within our group and wants to hire more people to be stationed at remote locations (which is strange, but I'll accept that for the time being). He knows I've hinted at "What can I do to get promoted?" and my last couple of reviews have been SPECTACULAR.

When it isn't getting utterly mixed messages from management, I feel like I'm being teased - they don't want me to go yet I'll be the second to go if there are layoffs.

I know that my new group lead is big buds with a co-worker. I'd bet real money that this co-worker is going to get promoted and, despite the hard work I've been doing (which includes a LOT of above-classification work that I've been documenting), I'll be shafed. This part is conjecture, but that's how I feel. This same co-worker also rated me as being mediocre in the past as well. Just because I'm different doesn't mean I'm not better than him. J.F.C., I've trained him and taught him on things in the past and he NEVER EVER listens to anybody. He always does what he thinks, even when listening might have saved him some time. Very annoying and disrespectful. He's an oddity all right. He also has a penchant for bitching and whining about whoever happens to be management in the department and I've come close to telling him to his arrogant snotty face to either shut up about the management or find employment elsewhere. (But I've never gone to management because I don't want to be branded the troublemaker, I'm actually quite the opposite of that epithet. Besides, I agree with him on some issues with the new management so I'd be a hypocrite if I did complain, although his history of whining is far longer and encompasses several regimes... Fortunately, he stood up for another co-worker to the dept head in a staff meeting and got slammed behind closed doors in return, hehe. Yes, fortunate! For once his snotty arrogance got the better of him and I wish it would happen more often, heartless as that sounds.)

Thanks for reading, it's just been a long day.

[Darth_Kitten]

1. I feel for ya......

it is so beyond comprehension why slackers and whatnot get promoted over decent, productive individuals.
You would think that the people who make the department WORK would be rewarded.

This is truly a sick world. :(

[Deja Q]

2. Thanks,

But despite his problems, he's actually a good worker for the departments he covers. I have to be honest on that. It's just his double standard that drives me nuts.

Assuming the supervisor isn't playing mind games, meaning that nobody gets promoted in the end.

I dunno. It's a weird situation to be a part of. :-(

[Darth_Kitten]

3. Don't sell yourself short......

EVER. it's not worth it. :)

Best of luck. :)

[Interrobang]

4. I know what you mean.

I work for a small, somewhat dysfunctional company (I think there are 7 or 8 employees), which does the majority of its business providing a fairly essential service to a Really, Really Big MegaCorporation, and at least one of its major subsidiaries. Because I was hired as a technical writer and because I have lots and lots of varied skills, I wind up being the company's "utility infielder." There really isn't enough work for me to do in technical writing, full-time anymore (although if they let the software our "programming department" -- all two of them -- is developing go out the door without my name on the manual, I'm going to be really, really pissed!), so I wind up doing a lot of "billable hours" scutwork for the RRBMC. This usually involves doing monotonous, repetitive tasks which, while I'm perfectly capable of doing, are boring as hell and beneath my skill set, and also the thing I hate worst, which is spending a lot of time on the phone, talking to -- more often than not -- some of the stupidest people on this green earth. For this, I make $12/hr., which is great money for a data entry clerk, but not for someone with a Master's degree and $12 000 in student loans to pay off.

I feel your pain...and watch as our bosses inflict more and more of it.

Pardon me; I'm in an extremely misanthropic mood today, after being attacked at work today by three giant piles of paperwork to deal with, and one sadistic corporate troll from the RRBMC. Bleah.

[Duncan Grant]

5. Your workplace is toxic to you...

consider getting some support to get out of there -- the sooner the better.

HypnoToad, I understand that you're probably just letting off a little steam but this rant sounds like something you've been living with for far too long (why suffer? -- it's sooooo overrated). I'm sympathetic to your situation but do yourself a favor and let go of the resentments (they're only hurting you and not anyone else).

If you really want to stop suffering around all this, try to:
1) forgive and forget
2) get your attention off yourself
3) try doing a little volunteer work or something(you need a change of pace)
4) seek out a career counselor or 'head hunter'

Mind if I ask; are you experiencing insomnia?, lack of energy, or a generalized malaise? If so, this job is not worth it -- it's time to move on. No offense intended, I know that I have no idea about the pressures you confront in daily life. I just want to support you to make the difficult choice to improve the quality of your professional life. Not all work environments are toxic or painful.

[Wcross]

6. Same here

Nepotisium (sp) runs rampent. My department manager is a snake, brings in a family friend with a newly minted marketing degree and four years later she is manager of quality engineering. She is managing engineers with 20-30yrs experience and she is so far over her head it isn't funny.
As a coincedence, the staff personal manager has two sons that have moved beyond thier abilites.
The place has not made a dime for the past twenty years, or so they tell us. I guess they have to justify the lack of pay increases.