Posted by pegasus on July 14, 2006, at 22:35:20
I got back from a two week vacation on Monday, and 15 minutes after I arrived at work, my boss came in and asked me to take a different job that I didn't want. I made some generally encouraging optimistic sounds and said I'd think about it. Later that day I asked him about a couple of details, such as whether I could continue to work 70% time (no problem) and whether I'd have to travel (it could be a no travel position).
The following morning (Tuesday) I told him that I was having a hard time being excited about the job. We had a conversation during which I started to realize that they weren't offering me the new job, they were assigning me to it. I said, "Am I not welcome to keep my current job?" He said, "We never discussed that." But they had already offered my job to another person, who had accepted, and her job to another person who had accepted (while I was on vacation).
So, my boss and the CEO had a conference call with me where I explained why I wasn't interested in the new job. I said, "Why don't you offer that job to the person who is lined up to take my job?" The result of that meeting was an agreement that we would come up with another way of splitting the duties.
So, I go into my normal one on one meeting with my boss the next morning (Wednesday), expecting to do some brainstorming about jobs. Instead, he hands me two job descriptions: they've taken my job and added some responsibilities to it, then they've created a subordinate position to support that job. They offered me the subordinate position, and the person who was lined up to take my job was offered the other position, and will now be my supervisor. I started crying in the meeting, told my boss I didn't want to quit, but I wasn't sure that I could do this. Then I left and went home.
That afternoon I sent my boss an email explaining that I'd been caught off guard, and asking him to please postpone any permanent decisions until I'd had a chance to think and perhaps suggest some other options. He wrote back and said, essentially, no.
I went into his office the following morning (Thursday) and said that I wanted the lead position, and thought it would be better for the company if I had it. He told me that because I wasn't full time, and had difficulties traveling, I couldn't be. They were not willing to create to parallel positions splitting the responsibilities, because they wanted one point person in charge of the whole project, for some new management reason (that they apparently thought of on Tuesday).
They announced the change to the whole company later that morning. They thought up the jobs on Tuesday, and they announced the change to the company on Thursday.
I've been at this company for 9 years, always getting excellent reviews. I've had my current position for 5 years, and everyone has been happy with my work. I just finished a wildly successful project before I left on vacation. I have a Ph.D. in this field. The person who now has my job has been with the company for 3 years. She has a Master's degree. She has never worked in my department.
I'm devastated. I feel so betrayed. This morning (Friday) my boss told me that I could make a counter proposal for my job, but that the lead job is finalized, and the job description for that cannot change. So, what am I left to propose? Her job description has her being the lead for all of the things that a person in our department would do.
I cannot sleep, cannot eat, cannot work. I can't socialize, can't play with my daughter. I cry all the time. I can't seem to pull it together. I have a history of bad depression, and I feel it coming on. I'm paralyzed. I need to jump start myself and figure out how to propose something for my job that makes this doable. But I can't even bear to think about it. The new person with my job is going to get a chance to establish the whole tone of this transition and our relationship, because I can't function enough to do what I know I should do and just make this position what I need it to be. Why is my brain abandoning me now, when I need it most? How do I get it to do what I need it to do?
I'm just screwed.
peg
poster:pegasus
thread:667185
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20060703/msgs/667185.html