Most professional way to get out of doing my "Extra" job
July 8, 2015 4:22 PM Subscribe
For a few months, I have been the acting head of my office while my supervisor went on unexpected leave. I want to give appropriate notice that I am no longer comfortable doing this without a pay raise. How do I do this with the most professional grace?
More details:
I was asked, pretty on the fly, by supervisor's boss to take on or delegate most of supervisor's duties while they were out. There was no known timeline on how long S might be out.
I was told immediately that the much higher-ups in our administration were willing to pay me overtime (lol, thanks) but not actually pay me more money to essentially do two jobs at once. (I DON'T NEED ADVICE ON WHETHER OR NOT THIS WAS STUPID OR I SHOULD HAVE REFUSED.) I was up front that I was not willing to put in mass amounts of overtime, and I'd do S's duties the best I could, but if his duties or mine were slower than usual, that was the breaks.
Doing S's work has gone OK so far, but in about a month things will get a LOT busier. I didn't tell any of the bigger bosses this, but I've always planned that if S didn't come back by mid-July, I was going to give S's boss a 1-month warning that I would no longer be able to take on all S's work unless I was being compensated fairly.
I think S may be returning in the next few weeks, so this question might be moot, but I want a plan in place to tell S's boss anyway, just in case S is "supposed" to come back but suddenly does not.
My questions are:
1) does it sound appropriate and reasonable to give them 1 month to either dump this work on someone else or authorize paying me more? Our office often has lots of excuses why things have to move sooo slowly, and I get it, but I'm not willing to indulge that when shit really hits the fan soon;
2) How do I most gracefully tell S's boss (who is also my boss, just usually with S in between us) about this? Worst case scenario is S's boss gets upset that I "agreed" months ago to assume S's work and now I am bait and switching. And/or threatens or demands that I do the work anyway, but I kind of doubt they will. Middle-case scenario is that S's boss agrees with me, but I end up looking unprofessional for backing out or making demands, and I get some sort of bad reputation that will affect me later.
3) any other issues I'm not thinking of?
More details:
I was asked, pretty on the fly, by supervisor's boss to take on or delegate most of supervisor's duties while they were out. There was no known timeline on how long S might be out.
I was told immediately that the much higher-ups in our administration were willing to pay me overtime (lol, thanks) but not actually pay me more money to essentially do two jobs at once. (I DON'T NEED ADVICE ON WHETHER OR NOT THIS WAS STUPID OR I SHOULD HAVE REFUSED.) I was up front that I was not willing to put in mass amounts of overtime, and I'd do S's duties the best I could, but if his duties or mine were slower than usual, that was the breaks.
Doing S's work has gone OK so far, but in about a month things will get a LOT busier. I didn't tell any of the bigger bosses this, but I've always planned that if S didn't come back by mid-July, I was going to give S's boss a 1-month warning that I would no longer be able to take on all S's work unless I was being compensated fairly.
I think S may be returning in the next few weeks, so this question might be moot, but I want a plan in place to tell S's boss anyway, just in case S is "supposed" to come back but suddenly does not.
My questions are:
1) does it sound appropriate and reasonable to give them 1 month to either dump this work on someone else or authorize paying me more? Our office often has lots of excuses why things have to move sooo slowly, and I get it, but I'm not willing to indulge that when shit really hits the fan soon;
2) How do I most gracefully tell S's boss (who is also my boss, just usually with S in between us) about this? Worst case scenario is S's boss gets upset that I "agreed" months ago to assume S's work and now I am bait and switching. And/or threatens or demands that I do the work anyway, but I kind of doubt they will. Middle-case scenario is that S's boss agrees with me, but I end up looking unprofessional for backing out or making demands, and I get some sort of bad reputation that will affect me later.
3) any other issues I'm not thinking of?
Which do you want more, less work or more money? I don't think you can pursue both at the same time without sounding bitter and blowing the whole deal. Pick one and say either, Things are about to get really busy about here and I no longer feel I can do S's job without severely compromising my own, can we please discuss reassigning S's duties to someone else, or, You will see I have been handling S's job as well as my own since his surprise departure, and given that I have accomplished (X,Y,Z), I would like a salary increase of ($$; consider asking for a title bump here, too).
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 4:43 PM on July 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 4:43 PM on July 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Alison at Ask A Manager has been asked this sort of thing a few times, but right now I can only find this one that has a really great script for someone in a somewhat similar situation.
posted by brainmouse at 4:46 PM on July 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by brainmouse at 4:46 PM on July 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
does it sound appropriate and reasonable to give them 1 month to either dump this work on someone else or authorize paying me more?
Is there another person that is able and willing to take the work without being paid more? If so, they will switch the work to that person. If not, then they will either need to pay you more or else find a replacement for you. If you think the latter is more difficult than the former, then the former will happen. If you think the former is more difficult than the latter, the latter will happen.
It's appropriate and reasonable to ask for whatever you want. Whether you will get it is an entirely different question, which is highly dependent on your job.
How do I most gracefully tell S's boss (who is also my boss, just usually with S in between us) about this?
"I've been thinking about this, and I've decided it's appropriate for me to get paid $x more ([with|without] overtime, as appropriate) to do S's job. Is that something you can do in the next month?"
If the answer is yes, then you have solved your problem.
If the answer is no, then you should expect to either be fired or have the work be given to someone else (again, depending on what's easier for them).
And/or threatens or demands that I do the work anyway
At any point in your career, your choice is to do the work you're assigned to do at the rate you've agreed to do it at (right now, that is S' job, at a rate that includes over time) or quit. At any point in an employer's career, their choice is to continue to employ you at the agreed to rate or fire you. There really isn't any way for an employer to threaten an employee (since the employee can just quit) or an employee to threaten an employer (since the employer can just fire the employee).
posted by saeculorum at 4:46 PM on July 8, 2015
Is there another person that is able and willing to take the work without being paid more? If so, they will switch the work to that person. If not, then they will either need to pay you more or else find a replacement for you. If you think the latter is more difficult than the former, then the former will happen. If you think the former is more difficult than the latter, the latter will happen.
It's appropriate and reasonable to ask for whatever you want. Whether you will get it is an entirely different question, which is highly dependent on your job.
How do I most gracefully tell S's boss (who is also my boss, just usually with S in between us) about this?
"I've been thinking about this, and I've decided it's appropriate for me to get paid $x more ([with|without] overtime, as appropriate) to do S's job. Is that something you can do in the next month?"
If the answer is yes, then you have solved your problem.
If the answer is no, then you should expect to either be fired or have the work be given to someone else (again, depending on what's easier for them).
And/or threatens or demands that I do the work anyway
At any point in your career, your choice is to do the work you're assigned to do at the rate you've agreed to do it at (right now, that is S' job, at a rate that includes over time) or quit. At any point in an employer's career, their choice is to continue to employ you at the agreed to rate or fire you. There really isn't any way for an employer to threaten an employee (since the employee can just quit) or an employee to threaten an employer (since the employer can just fire the employee).
posted by saeculorum at 4:46 PM on July 8, 2015
Response by poster: Which do you want more, less work or more money? I don't think you can pursue both at the same time without sounding bitter and blowing the whole deal. Pick one and say either, Things are about to get really busy about here and I no longer feel I can do S's job without severely compromising my own, can we please discuss reassigning S's duties to someone else, or, You will see I have been handling S's job as well as my own since his surprise departure, and given that I have accomplished (X,Y,Z), I would like a salary increase of ($$; consider asking for a title bump here, too).
I would probably like less work, overall, but am willing to do the work for more money.
I like the sound of your second statement, but I pretty much already know they would either say "sorry, we just don't have the budget for raises" and then I have to say "well then I can't do the work" .... OR they will say "absolutely you deserve a raise, but it will take (super long time) to get it approved etc.) and then it will either fall through or be a tiny raise and in the meantime I will have continued doing S's work that whole time.
posted by nakedmolerats at 4:54 PM on July 8, 2015
I would probably like less work, overall, but am willing to do the work for more money.
I like the sound of your second statement, but I pretty much already know they would either say "sorry, we just don't have the budget for raises" and then I have to say "well then I can't do the work" .... OR they will say "absolutely you deserve a raise, but it will take (super long time) to get it approved etc.) and then it will either fall through or be a tiny raise and in the meantime I will have continued doing S's work that whole time.
posted by nakedmolerats at 4:54 PM on July 8, 2015
You seem to be thinking there's a way to quickly get a raise without putting your job on the line.
There isn't.
If you are convinced that you can't continue with your job without being paid more or getting less work, you need to be able to quit when you are not paid more or continue to get the same work.
Employers have absolutely no reason to give you money that is not absolutely necessary. The way to make it necessary to give you money is put your job on the line. You can't really have it both ways.
posted by saeculorum at 5:08 PM on July 8, 2015
There isn't.
If you are convinced that you can't continue with your job without being paid more or getting less work, you need to be able to quit when you are not paid more or continue to get the same work.
Employers have absolutely no reason to give you money that is not absolutely necessary. The way to make it necessary to give you money is put your job on the line. You can't really have it both ways.
posted by saeculorum at 5:08 PM on July 8, 2015
What are you going to do when they say no? Are you willing to quit over it? I had a job where someone else got fired and their full-time job was dumped on top of mine with no warning and no transition. I made my case for a raise when the additional responsibilities were first given to me. They said no. I had to keep working that job for an additional two miserable years because it was geographically isolated and in a very tight field. I'm just saying that you have three outcomes here and only two of them are good.
A. Less Work
B. More Pay
C. Sucks to be you things are going to stay the way they are
Don't forget to plan for C. when hoping for A. or B.
posted by MsMolly at 5:23 PM on July 8, 2015
A. Less Work
B. More Pay
C. Sucks to be you things are going to stay the way they are
Don't forget to plan for C. when hoping for A. or B.
posted by MsMolly at 5:23 PM on July 8, 2015
I think the way to put it is, S made a certain amount of money for doing that job. With S gone, you were more than willing to chip in and help out in the interim. But if this is going to be a long-term thing, you feel like you're being taken advantage of for doing S's job and not getting paid what that job pays. Plus your own job, which S didn't have to do.
And that it's starting to become a long-term thing.
So then they say, but S is coming back in a few weeks. And then you say, great, glad I could help, BUT, if I'm still doing this by next month, I'll get the raise? Make them answer that question.
Maybe you could get S's job and hire for your old one. Is there some reason why S can just take off and then have return rights? Military reservist or something? Several months is a long time to hold a job for someone.
posted by ctmf at 5:28 PM on July 8, 2015
And that it's starting to become a long-term thing.
So then they say, but S is coming back in a few weeks. And then you say, great, glad I could help, BUT, if I'm still doing this by next month, I'll get the raise? Make them answer that question.
Maybe you could get S's job and hire for your old one. Is there some reason why S can just take off and then have return rights? Military reservist or something? Several months is a long time to hold a job for someone.
posted by ctmf at 5:28 PM on July 8, 2015
Perhaps you can phrase it more in the "acting" sense, such as, "Hey, I've been acting supervisor for X months now - is there a timeline for confirming my promotion to full supervisor or bringing in a new supervisor?"
posted by bookdragoness at 6:45 PM on July 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by bookdragoness at 6:45 PM on July 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
does it sound appropriate and reasonable to give them 1 month to either dump this work on someone else or authorize paying me more?
It is always reasonable to ask your boss to schedule a meeting to talk about your job and job performance, period. Figure your own script, based on what you'd like and what you know about the personalities involved, but based on the above about what you'd prefer I'd go with something like:
I personally like the "getting to yes" sort of methods of making the choice you want the easiest one for people to take. There's some truth to the above statements about not having much power to do anything beyond your willingness to walk/refuse to do things, but there's a huge amount of room in those spaces to steer their actions by presenting some stuff as a fait accompli.
posted by phearlez at 11:13 AM on July 9, 2015
It is always reasonable to ask your boss to schedule a meeting to talk about your job and job performance, period. Figure your own script, based on what you'd like and what you know about the personalities involved, but based on the above about what you'd prefer I'd go with something like:
Boss, I've been filling in for S for X time now and I'd like to talk about the transition back to S doing this work. It's not really what I want to be doing, so I would like to figure out with you how to hand these responsibilities back to S if they're returning or know that someone new is coming in next month to take them on.That said, given your I pretty much already know they would either say which sounds like a pretty dismal expectation of quality from them - maybe you should invest your efforts into cleaning up your resume and a search for a better place. If you have zero faith in their responding properly there's not really a lot of point in asking them to anything, is there?
I personally like the "getting to yes" sort of methods of making the choice you want the easiest one for people to take. There's some truth to the above statements about not having much power to do anything beyond your willingness to walk/refuse to do things, but there's a huge amount of room in those spaces to steer their actions by presenting some stuff as a fait accompli.
posted by phearlez at 11:13 AM on July 9, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by nakedmolerats at 4:25 PM on July 8, 2015