What to do? 4

[mot98]

Hi All,

I have found myself in a situation at work where I am not really sure what to do next, and thought I would pick the brains of my fellow IT community.

I am currently working for a manufacturing company doing I.T support. In all I have 5 years I.T experience and (Even though it doesn’t mean much anymore) I am an MCSE. When I was originally hired 2 years ago, the position was called “Systems Technician” and my job description entailed helping maintain the MRP/ERP system and performing standard network help. My boss was the I.T Manager and would perform all the Sys. Admin duties as well as all other major Network functions, and all management duties.

Over the last year, the roles have become somewhat reversed. I am performing all of the Sys. Admin duties and Network maintenance,while my boss has taken a backseat and appears to be taking it easy. I don’t normally really care for “Titles” or status, but the pay scale is what really bothers me. I am making well under 25G less than him, while I do all the work.

Everyone that I talk to at the company keeps on asking me why I am the Supervisor, and how he keeps his job. To this I have no answer.

I am thinking about approaching management to talk to them about this situation, and discuss the possibilities of either changing my job description and pay, or taking over his position.

Has anyone else had a situation like this? If so, how did you approach it without causing a political war?

Thanks for any input….


mot98

"I'd rather be dead and cool..then alive and uncool."
---Harley Davidson & The Marlboro Man

 

[svanels]

Yes your boss has done what a manager is supposed to do, manage people. He delegated the sysadmin to his IT Technician and has to make sure that the systems are running. If your boss was or is the IT Manager then he is also part of Management? or does that title only means managing computers?

Steven van Els
SAvanEls@cq-link.sr

 

[CajunCenturion]

Couple of things I notice,

First of all the phrase, "appears to be taking it easy", is key. Appearances can be deceiving, so the first thing I would do, as quietly as possible, is to remove the uncertainly and find out for sure just what he is doing. Maybe he is taking it easy, and if so, then certainly avenues of consideration come into play. But then again, maybe he is doing something else under direction of senior management that you're not aware of, and in that case, maybe you should just sit tight. In either case, first course would be the find out exactly what he is doing so that you don't trip over yourself by taking any action based on appearances.

You also said, "Everyone that I talk to at the company", just who is everyone? And are these "everyone" in a position from which they can make an objective evaluation of the overall situation?

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[mot98]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the responses.

I realize that appearances can be deceiving, and would never be even thinking about these things unless I had made an informative decision on it.

svanels:
I do realize the functions of a manager, and perhaps to a degree he is performing those functions. However, if any strategic meeting regarding Network,Telecommunciations,Software upgrades, or any other project comes up, I am the person who is the point man. I meet with all the vendors and suppliers and have basically implemented all new projects over the last 8 months without much input from my manager at all. In fact over the last 2 months I can honestly say that I have probably talked to him 5 times in total. I once went a whole 2 weeks without him ever approaching me to see what was going on. Attempts on my behalf were met with an empty cubicle, or an e-mail saying that we will meet later.

CajunCenturion:
When I said "Everyone that I talk to at the company", I mean basically everyone. Sales managers, Accounting Managers, Production managers etc. As far as him undertaking projects from the other managers, unfortunately that is not the case either. Any projects over the last 6-8 months have been brought directly to me.

I really want to stress that I am not trying to jump the corporate ladder here. Besides from the lack of communication and feedback from my manager, I think he is a decent guy. As I stated before, I really do not care about "Titles" or "Status", as I get my satisfaction from the employees and customers that I deal with, however I really do think that the pay scale should reflect responsibility and workload.

Again I thank all for any input.




mot98

"I'd rather be dead and cool..then alive and uncool."
---Harley Davidson & The Marlboro Man

 

[CajunCenturion]

mot98 - "When I said "Everyone that I talk to at the company", I mean basically everyone."

If everyone already knows the situation, then who are going to talk to? After all, if they already know the situation, then you'd be wasting their time by informing them of that which they already know. Therefore, if this is the case, (and only if this is case), then simply go to the appropriate person and tell them what you want.

Are you sure you mean everybody?

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[mot98]

Again, thanks for the comments.

I have a feeling that the head manager of our department is already aware of the situation anyways.

I just did not know if it was appropriate for me to bring up the subject yet or not. As I preffer the less confrontational approach, I will just sit back and see what happens for now.

Thanks again...

mot98

"I'd rather be dead and cool..then alive and uncool."
---Harley Davidson & The Marlboro Man

 

[AIXSPadmin]

"I just did not know if it was appropriate for me..."

No.

 

[tj63069]

I was in a similar job/situation in my last job. I inherited all the duties like you did. I was also the "report guru". He was overloaded and that's why they hired me.
At times it appeared that my boss was laying back but he was doing what managers do and I really didn't want any part of that. I also know that if I screwed up, he was expected to take the heat for it and he did on several occasions. His confidence in me was why he delegated the responsibility and I appreciated that.
By the way, when the company started cutting back guess who stayed. He's doing it all again.

 

[KornGeek]

What he is doing with his time is completely irrelevant.

What matters is the work you are doing and the value you are providing to the company. If based on this you feel you should be earning more money, then you should ask for a raise. If not, then don't.

Comparing yourself to him and comparing your salary to his is nothing but a recipe for disaster. That is exactly why companies try to keep salary information quiet. It only leads to the attitude of "If this person is making this much, then I should be making that much."

If he isn't doing any work, management is probably already aware, and will deal with it in time. Don't worry about what others do or don't do. Worry about what you do or don't do.

 

[DoubleV]

a star goes to KornGeek

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Goals are dreams with deadlines
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http://www.nimlok.com

http://www.orbusinc.com

 

[miniramamurthy]

Hi,

I fully agree with KornGeek's views.

I should say that you must be very happy to be so heavily relied on. It is definitely a confidence booster.

Also worrying about his pay and comparing it to yours is going to lead to War of thoughts and finally disaster as KornGeek rightly says.

I also face the same situation in my office. Very frankly we dont have a chance to negotiate on our pays as it is pre determined by the Govt. and we would have to wait till new policies apply to have a revised pay.

What matters the most is whether you feel good at the end of the day by accomplishing the tasks (money matter aside !)

If you do feel good at the end of the day and strongly feel that you deserve something better monetarily, then you should definitely talk to your higher ups for a raise!!

Rgds
Mini