Being jerked around, or just moving desks?
May 9, 2017 8:56 AM   Subscribe

I'm being moved to a new desk at work, with plans for a second move, and I feel a bit like I'm being treated poorly. However, I'm having a hard time articulating why or understanding if it is really a problem. Unhappy at this new job for a variety of reasons so it's unclear if the feeling is just a symptom of that or is really a problem I should address.

I'm a manager and I don't have an office and I am the only manager in the company that doesn't. I'm a new manager and didn't think to demand that. However I also don't have direct reports, but do coordinate with contractors and have some responsibility directing people outside the company.

I've been at the company less than 6 months. 3 months into my tenure, my boss quits. One week later, someone decides they need the cubical I'm in, and make arrangements to move me. I get the overall sense that this was something they did because I no longer had a boss advocating for me, but didn't know for sure and went along with it because like now, I didn't know how I should feel about it.

The desk they wanted to move me to was broken, and no one seemed to care. I hit peek annoyance and moved into the now vacant office of my old boss. There was a bit of a dust up because of office politics. It turns out that cubical with the broken desk was not supposed to be my final place either, they planned on moving me again in a couple months. And the desk wouldn't be fixed for a couple weeks. So they wanted to move me into someone's cubical who was on maternity leave, but she'd be back in 3 weeks. A new cubical area was being developed, but that wouldn't be done for a while. I said nope, staying in the office until I have a place.

Now, a couple months later, the new boss is starting, and they want me to move into another temporary cubical, all the way on the other side of the building, away from my team. I understand there is literally no place else to move me until the new system is built. Logically, I am annoyed. I feel like the effective leaders I know would put their foot down and say this is bullshit. I can't seem to figure out why I should be though, or if I should be. I am somewhat annoyed by the lack of office, but more annoyed by just feeling like the company doesn't care about inconveniencing me and has no respect for my time or ability to work.

Complicating matters, I'm overall dissatisfied with the way the company interacts with me, employees in general and other issues with the work environment. There doesn't seem to be a lot of respect for the employees. Promises were made when I started that have not been kept. I want out, but I also expect finding something new to take a while because it's a small market and I don't want to jump into another bad situation.

I also tend to struggle with doubting my own feelings for reasons, and often capitulate if I can't have some sort of outside verification the feelings I have are correct, hence this question. I fear being told I'm over reacting or am emotional. Yes, I'm a woman.

An outside perspective would help, and any thoughts on how to address this if I should.
posted by [insert clever name here] to Work & Money (22 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Response by poster: Oops, I meant " . . . have some responsibility directing people who aren't my reports."
posted by [insert clever name here] at 8:57 AM on May 9, 2017


Best answer: It sounds like you need to find a new job. Probably better to do it on your own schedule rather than waiting for them to lay you off.
posted by empath at 9:05 AM on May 9, 2017 [15 favorites]


You should make a list of all the things you need to be able to do your job effectively, like being close to your team and not moving desks every 3 months, and present it to your supervisor. It's reasonable to expect stability and support. I'm a woman, too, and I have anxiety, so I understand your feelings about being too emotional about the situation. Anytime I walk into a conversation like this, I try to walk in with a smile on my face. Not in a gross "all women should be smiling" way, but because it helps me stay positive and allows the other party to feel less defensive about the situation, I've found. Be firm and confident about your needs. You deserve a permanent office.
posted by ancient star at 9:21 AM on May 9, 2017 [2 favorites]


It doesn't sound like things are on a good path there. I would start looking around.
posted by Miko at 9:21 AM on May 9, 2017 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Run. Run like your hair is on fire.

The company doesn't care about inconveniencing you and has no respect for your time or ability to work.

This is unlikely to get better.
posted by fullerine at 9:22 AM on May 9, 2017 [11 favorites]


If you don't have an office or direct reports, you're not really a manager, which is one reason they aren't treating you like one. They hired you because they had a vacancy (presumably) but they have no idea what to do with you, hence all the bouncing around. I'd get out ASAP.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:25 AM on May 9, 2017 [20 favorites]


I would leave but in the meantime I wonder if you can ask for the timeline on fixing the desk to be moved up, for another employee to be found who can move to the far-away desk, for teleworking flexibility, or for some support to get a temporary office in a more comfortable location offsite. Something to make you feel that you're not being completely disregarded and work together to find a solution to support you to do your work.

I wonder as well if there's some political side to this. Is there anyone who could play the role your former boss did of looking out for your assets? A friend who sits at a decision-making table? Another woman who might be sympathetic to the dynamic?

As you prepare to leave, also consider that your worth and value are not informed by the decisions this company makes about where to place you. They're missing out on your value by not supporting you and your work. That's about them, not you. Their bad decisions will affect them in the long run. Take what they give you, to an extent, while holding your head high and knowing you are doing all you can to move to a place where your skills are valued.
posted by ramenopres at 9:36 AM on May 9, 2017 [2 favorites]


Of course you have a right to be annoyed! Here are some reasons to help validate your feelings:

- If you are being moved away from your team, that is absolutely guaranteed to reduce your efficiency, because of the longer communication and decision-making times (more email, less face-to-face is inevitable with more physical distance)

- A broken desk ought to be fixed, and it seems pretty symbolic that the company didn't just get that sorted asap. But whatever, if that is your only option for working at, it is a H&S concern and therefore potentially a legal one. Not to mention at a basic level also guaranteed to affect your productivity.

- I'm assuming that you work from a desktop computer and with a permanent cupboard/drawer unit? In which case, packing your stuff up and unpacking every few weeks is a waste of yours and the company's time. (If you work from a laptop, suggest you start working from home more).

- Being moved around often is also not going to help people to find you, who need to speak to you. Another reduction in productivity.

I'm putting all this in fairly company-orientated language (can you tell it's my job) because that's sometimes the only way you can get them to listen.

Let me translate it into a more human dialect: omg get a new job asap and stop wasting your time getting annoyed at these clueless idiots who don't know how to look after their staff.
posted by greenish at 9:38 AM on May 9, 2017 [5 favorites]


You can be a manager without having W2 direct reports. Sounds like a project management role, whether the company understands what that is or not. Unfortunately, a company can have a VERY clear expectation of what they expect you to be doing, while being less clear about your having the tools to do it.

Agreed that this is super-crappy. I've worked for companies that have management vacuums that allow territorial BS to go on like this, characterized by upper management/ownership just "letting things work out" so that the biggest kids in the playground get what they want and people like you have to make a lot of noise to get what they need.

Two possible approaches:

- you mentioned a new boss. Is this person likely to be an agent of change, or just new-boss-same-as-the-old-boss? I'd be talking to him or her extremely soon about the situation. I get a picture of an office that is really strapped/ineffective on furnishings. A broken desk in a cubicle that can't be fixed for 2 weeks? If you get a commitment from them, put a post-it on your temporary cubicle wall and start counting the days (meanwhile, updating your resume, looking for another job, etc.). Keep after boss for office space you need.

- I'd make this the company's problem as much as you can. Work from home whenever you can. Make people come down to your cubicle; don't go to their office. You know what lines you can cross and which ones you can't, but there's no need to be accomodating about your poor accomodations.
posted by randomkeystrike at 9:43 AM on May 9, 2017 [3 favorites]


Remember how they kept moving Milton's desk in Office Space?

Even if you're not being purposely jerked around, the company isn't making any effort to accommodate you. Maybe they don't care, maybe they're incompetent. The end result is the same.

You are right; this is not a good work environment. I don't think you can make it better. Hang in there until you find a better one.
posted by Metroid Baby at 10:19 AM on May 9, 2017 [2 favorites]


One part of adulting that I really don't care for is sticking up for yourself, even when other people aren't acting like adults. The squeaky wheel really does get the grease sometimes. You can be respected a little more when you get angry (which I don't quite understand myself, being a nice person; I think there's a thread or two here devoted to this concept), and as long as you don't have a screaming tantrum in the hallway, it's perfectly acceptable to say, "Hey, I don't care if I'm a new manager, I'm still a manager, and your jerking me around is unacceptable. Do something about it." Unless they're morons, they will stop for a second and say oh, right, we need to think about this person's needs too. But then of course, they could very well be morons, so good luck.
posted by Melismata at 10:43 AM on May 9, 2017 [2 favorites]


Plan you next move.

Meanwhile, put your head down and do good work. Do the best you can with what you've got.

Let the office thing go for now. Their next move is to label you "not a team player."

Do good work. Then, whenever there is a project or result that they really need, draw for them a clear connection to what you need. The bigger their need, the bigger your ask.

"I can absolutely get that done. I can see it's important to you. What will really help it get done better and quicker, is X." Start with something small - a new phone, a new computer, whatever. This gets somebody into the habit of saying yes to you. This also lets you "probe" different people to see who will take you into their group.

Take what you've learned here and apply it in this job or the next. Surviving in a corporate environment takes more than good work. People in corporate environments travel in tribes. You have to tie yourself to a tribal leader and suck up to them. Find someone who likes you, and velcro yourself to them. Your actual job isn't to do good work - it's to make your boss look good, so that they can acquire more resources for the tribe.

In the American corporate ecosystem, unless you're in a position to write your own ticket, you will have to suck it up. You will have to clean up other people's messes. The corporate teat is, in many ways, a lovely thing to suck upon - the health benefits, the dependable paycheck, the sick and vacation days. Just be prepared for suckage at many levels.
posted by metaseeker at 11:01 AM on May 9, 2017 [3 favorites]


If you don't have an office or direct reports, you're not really a manager, which is one reason they aren't treating you like one.

There are lots of cases where this isn't true. And even if you weren't a manager it's ridiculous to treat an employee as you've been treated.

The problem is, though, that you don't want to get a reputation for being difficult over this. It's terrible treatment but it's also the kind of treatment where it's easy to make you sound unreasonable for objecting.

I would go to your new boss and explain the situation, using the list of things you need to do your job as suggested above. Be prepared for a wishy-washy unhelpful response, though, and keep looking for a new job.
posted by winna at 11:07 AM on May 9, 2017 [1 favorite]


I agree with everything winna said and would add, if it's possible, approach your new boss with a solution too if you see one. (It should be a logical solution, not just "boot X from this cube because I want it" but one that supports your list of reasons why you need an office or cube near your team.) A lot of the time people don't like to do the work to figure out a solution or they don't know what would make you happy--presenting a solution you like makes it more likely to happen imo.
posted by purple_bird at 11:16 AM on May 9, 2017 [1 favorite]


Who is the "they" making these decisions to move you? Is it possible for you to just arbitrarily decide to move yourself somewhere else and let them suck it up? And if they come back to you about it, say, "This desk is broken and makes it impossible for me to work effectively, and I certainly think it doesn't make sense to locate me all the way across the building from the rest of my team, don't you?" At the very least, you could make them feel really uncomfortable about it.

I mean, if you're at the point where it might be time to look for a new job, then you may as well mess with them a little.
posted by Autumnheart at 11:18 AM on May 9, 2017


If it's a good job otherwise, I'd stick with it, but I'd make sure HR knew I was pissed. Being moved to a broken desk is inexcusable, but probably accidental. Taking weeks to fix a desk is not a sign that they give a shit.

A reputation of putting up with inconvenience and still getting the job done works both ways. Try to make it work in your favor.
posted by SemiSalt at 12:25 PM on May 9, 2017 [2 favorites]


If you don't have an office or direct reports, you're not really a manager, which is one reason they aren't treating you like one.

There are lots of cases where this isn't true. And even if you weren't a manager it's ridiculous to treat an employee as you've been treated.


I concur! I should have been clearer- manager or not, they're treating you very poorly, and it probably has nothing to do with you personally, but even so, it's not fair to you.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 1:23 PM on May 9, 2017


Yeah, they're jerking you around.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that whenever someone asks if their job is jerking them around, the answer is yes.
posted by kevinbelt at 3:51 PM on May 9, 2017 [1 favorite]


Re the above suggestions that you try to work from home: I wouldn't in this situation. I'm a huge advocate of remote working in general, but right now you don't have a boss who will advocate for you or a team who reports to you, and the company is already treating you as a low priority. If you're not regularly 'in their face' and visible as an existing and valuable part of the organisation, you might end up being seen as superfluous.
posted by une_heure_pleine at 8:08 PM on May 9, 2017


"I'm working from home until I have a suitable permanent office to work out of. If you need me, I'll be available on my cell, email and ___."
posted by AppleTurnover at 9:27 PM on May 9, 2017 [1 favorite]


A company that I worked for did similar things when they didn't really like an employee that much. He was a work to live type instead of a live to work type and his personality didn't mesh that well with the owners of the company and/or his subordinates. They were hoping he would leave on his own, but they eventually ended up firing him.
posted by Blue Genie at 9:35 PM on May 10, 2017


Response by poster: And for those of you who called it, I was let go from my job on Monday, after being out on a vacation I planned months ago. The reasons were vague. I was taken by surprise but should not have been. I have it on good word that the decision came up rather suddenly towards the end of the week prior (while I was gone) but clearly the desk issue was just one sign of a broader problem. (I'm happy to be out, so it's okay. Relief was the first feeling afte the surprise wore off.)
posted by [insert clever name here] at 12:50 PM on May 26, 2017


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