Same job, sister company. Stay or go?
April 6, 2010 1:56 PM Subscribe
Same job at sister company--should I stay or go?
I've been with my current employer for over 5 years. I'm happy with the salary, benefits, and I honestly like my job. The problem here is that I'm going nowhere due to high management turnover.
When I was hired, it was to help out my boss going on maternity leave. I had more experience than her. She left in a week after I was hired and I led our massive web project by myself. Management doesn't understand the web, creative briefs, etc. Nor do they honestly care either.
So I'm leading our corporations major web project and two weeks later, my executive director leaves. A week after that my coworker moves to a different division. So in essence the entire corporate's site is run by me. And I run with it with enthusiasm. It launches sucessfully and my new boss comes along half way (promoted in the company). He was awesome!!!!!!
So for nearly 2 years I excel. I was promoted six months into the job (non manager). Everyone thought I would get the official title of manager but they cut out the position. Usually if you're running a corp website all by your self because your boss' job is really just to be a figurehead for sign off, one would think that you would officially become manager. Well it didn't happen.
Then he left. He made sure I would transition to great bosses and did some negotiations. I was grateful. But when he was out of the company, I had to REINTERVIEW for my job under this new set of managers (insult). Part of the negotiation was I would not go under a coworker/manager. So for 2 more years, it works out. I liked my new boss, etc.
And now I am transitioned AGAIN but now under the coworker/manager I did not want to be under. All decision makers knew this but said it made corporate sense. They're trying to make accomodations because she's ultra micromanaging, insecure (she knows that I know way more than her), etc. It's annoying. I don't need to be told to take notes when 1) I am and 2) I'm in this biz 16 years. Things like that urk me.
Now we're into a major project overhaul and there are mutliple players involved including old managers (which isn't a bad thing), this new manager (which they're watching out for to make sure she doesn't steal my thunder), and senior management/other people in different divisions.
And that's just it. I've been through 5 different managers in 4 years, a promotion that wasn't a promotion (they baited and switched my job level and I called them on it), no one here has web expertise so I sit here explaining things to them according to trends, style, "the way it is" and they give me a deer in the headlight look ro say I"m combative. Nothing gets done properly. Our site is failing due to their decisions, and feedback is poor.
I was perusing our sister company's website and saw my exact same job description. I'm curious about it seeing it's the EXACT same job but that's just it. Will I have to start from scratch or will I be able to move up faster? Pay and benefits should be lateral and I'm fine with it (if it's higher--great but not pushing). All I care about is keeping my 1 day of telecommuting (which I believe they have). That's it. No real negotiations.
I want to move up as manager/project manager because I'm doing this job with my eyes closed, alone, and successfully. I've had near perfect reviews but they said they didn't promote me this time (they promised last year) because our one project got pulled due to budget.
How can I continuously score high in a review yet not get promoted? Now with the new manager and a history of us not really digging each other and she already got in trouble for micromanaging me, I don't have a positive outlook on retaining a near perfect review (I mean, she arleady pointed out note taking when I clearly was taking notes).
Should I ask a contact there informally about the job? I really wanted to get through this major project that is finished at the end of the year and see how it goes but this new manager is already urksome.
The reason for staying: stability/benefits. We live off of my income.
Reason for leaving: I'm going nowhere and this micromanaging boss is a pain in the ass. Calling her out on it via other managers who can pull her away from me I think will cause bad mojo.
Stay or go?
I've been with my current employer for over 5 years. I'm happy with the salary, benefits, and I honestly like my job. The problem here is that I'm going nowhere due to high management turnover.
When I was hired, it was to help out my boss going on maternity leave. I had more experience than her. She left in a week after I was hired and I led our massive web project by myself. Management doesn't understand the web, creative briefs, etc. Nor do they honestly care either.
So I'm leading our corporations major web project and two weeks later, my executive director leaves. A week after that my coworker moves to a different division. So in essence the entire corporate's site is run by me. And I run with it with enthusiasm. It launches sucessfully and my new boss comes along half way (promoted in the company). He was awesome!!!!!!
So for nearly 2 years I excel. I was promoted six months into the job (non manager). Everyone thought I would get the official title of manager but they cut out the position. Usually if you're running a corp website all by your self because your boss' job is really just to be a figurehead for sign off, one would think that you would officially become manager. Well it didn't happen.
Then he left. He made sure I would transition to great bosses and did some negotiations. I was grateful. But when he was out of the company, I had to REINTERVIEW for my job under this new set of managers (insult). Part of the negotiation was I would not go under a coworker/manager. So for 2 more years, it works out. I liked my new boss, etc.
And now I am transitioned AGAIN but now under the coworker/manager I did not want to be under. All decision makers knew this but said it made corporate sense. They're trying to make accomodations because she's ultra micromanaging, insecure (she knows that I know way more than her), etc. It's annoying. I don't need to be told to take notes when 1) I am and 2) I'm in this biz 16 years. Things like that urk me.
Now we're into a major project overhaul and there are mutliple players involved including old managers (which isn't a bad thing), this new manager (which they're watching out for to make sure she doesn't steal my thunder), and senior management/other people in different divisions.
And that's just it. I've been through 5 different managers in 4 years, a promotion that wasn't a promotion (they baited and switched my job level and I called them on it), no one here has web expertise so I sit here explaining things to them according to trends, style, "the way it is" and they give me a deer in the headlight look ro say I"m combative. Nothing gets done properly. Our site is failing due to their decisions, and feedback is poor.
I was perusing our sister company's website and saw my exact same job description. I'm curious about it seeing it's the EXACT same job but that's just it. Will I have to start from scratch or will I be able to move up faster? Pay and benefits should be lateral and I'm fine with it (if it's higher--great but not pushing). All I care about is keeping my 1 day of telecommuting (which I believe they have). That's it. No real negotiations.
I want to move up as manager/project manager because I'm doing this job with my eyes closed, alone, and successfully. I've had near perfect reviews but they said they didn't promote me this time (they promised last year) because our one project got pulled due to budget.
How can I continuously score high in a review yet not get promoted? Now with the new manager and a history of us not really digging each other and she already got in trouble for micromanaging me, I don't have a positive outlook on retaining a near perfect review (I mean, she arleady pointed out note taking when I clearly was taking notes).
Should I ask a contact there informally about the job? I really wanted to get through this major project that is finished at the end of the year and see how it goes but this new manager is already urksome.
The reason for staying: stability/benefits. We live off of my income.
Reason for leaving: I'm going nowhere and this micromanaging boss is a pain in the ass. Calling her out on it via other managers who can pull her away from me I think will cause bad mojo.
Stay or go?
Yes, check it out, talk to the contacts you have there about your worries - discuss what/if there's a criteria for promotion that's laid out, understandable and failsafe, what kind of support or knowledge there is amongst the decision makers that would affect your working life, and if the position they're trying to fill was vacated because the person was promoted or left the company. Try to figure out the devil you don't know from your contact, see how much information they can share with you. If you pursue it, you may need to consider speaking with your manager about the idea of applying for a position at the sister company.
Should they offer you a job, please do try to negotiate (once you've gone through interviews and such) for a management position, as rhisome said, and go if the offer is what you want or better. You have to look out for yourself and do what is best for you and your family.
On a side note, I think you're right that the bad mojo will start accumulating if your boss keeps getting called out on your behalf. And although you wouldn't be the one directly responsible it's possible that she will hold you responsible and take it out on you/your review. (It's not guaranteed that she will, just possible!)
Also, a reason for staying being stability/benefits and a salary would be negated entirely if you left for another position that paid the same or more money, had the same or better benefits and was a managerial or higher up the chain role.
posted by kirstk at 3:35 PM on April 6, 2010
Should they offer you a job, please do try to negotiate (once you've gone through interviews and such) for a management position, as rhisome said, and go if the offer is what you want or better. You have to look out for yourself and do what is best for you and your family.
On a side note, I think you're right that the bad mojo will start accumulating if your boss keeps getting called out on your behalf. And although you wouldn't be the one directly responsible it's possible that she will hold you responsible and take it out on you/your review. (It's not guaranteed that she will, just possible!)
Also, a reason for staying being stability/benefits and a salary would be negated entirely if you left for another position that paid the same or more money, had the same or better benefits and was a managerial or higher up the chain role.
posted by kirstk at 3:35 PM on April 6, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Otherwise, you would seem to be in a "the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know" situation, merely exchanging one set of management headaches for another since the company itself seems to have a middle-management problem. A "pro" for staying would be that the middle-management problem in your current location (turnover) means that you may just have a better manager soon as this one rotates out. Furthermore onto this, it sounds like you should find someone you can talk about what you need in order to ascend to management since you obviously have thoughts in that direction.
posted by rhizome at 2:28 PM on April 6, 2010