I recently joined a company and appreciated my direct reports honesty regarding the situation.

Anonymous

June 3,2023 at 3:33PM UTC

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I recently joined a company and appreciated my direct reports honesty regarding the situation. I've tried making changes but SLT blocks me at every turn.

One of my favorite reports announced she's leaving and it would take 3 employees to match everything she's doing. I completely understand why she's leaving, wish her the best but it puts me in a difficult spot.

HR and SLT are not concerned about replacing her any time soon and I feel like the department is crumbling. As its lead I feel powerless to change things. I even suggested using some of the budget for support staff or interns and they refused.

I feel like I'm being set up for failure. I've spoken directly with HR, SLT team, heads of the company and they won't approve any new hires but three people left before I started and they didn't replace them. It's not new hires it's filling the gaps of an already small team that the rest are ready to leave. Do I need to move on and will applying for positions so early after I started be considered a red flag?

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AnonymousJune 3,2023 at 6:20PM UTC
This is clearly a sinking ship. Best of luck in your next position.
AnonymousJune 3,2023 at 8:18PM UTC
Time to move on.
If they won't replace her, I DOUBT they'll compensate you for the extra work
Sarcasm: I'm SURE you can figure it all out; do the work of 3 plus your job. 55h + a week isn't a problem, right???!!! -- says your current manager
Time for a new opportunity
Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJune 3,2023 at 8:36PM UTC
Time to fire that resume back up. Did you drill down on the staffing of this group when you were interviewing? Did you drill down on how much leeway you have in staffing decisions?
Just say it didn't work out if asked. It happens. What's your alternative - stay and be miserable? Get cracking.
AnonymousJune 3,2023 at 9:10PM UTC
I had this problem/job. Yes, it is set up for failure. I burned out trying to do everything. Write down all that needs to be done in a right column. Write down the top priorities that you can do in the left column. Point to the right and say, this requires budget, team/resources or it will fall by the wayside. Then post it on the wall or email it.
AnonymousJune 3,2023 at 10:34PM UTC
Sounds like you do need to spiff up your resume and sail off to new opportunities NOW!
AnonymousJune 4,2023 at 12:38PM UTC
Sometimes it’s better to leave as soon as you know it’s not a good fit.
AnonymousJune 4,2023 at 3:47PM UTC
Thank you all and I appreciate your advice. My friends and family keeping telling me to stay put and it will get better. I don't know how if the team is leaving. During the interview process, I asked about budget, team, staffing and the important questions to make sure it was the right fit and I had the resources. They basically lied and I needed a job so I jumped at the chance. Now I realize why it was open and besides department heads, I have a former colleagues responsibilities as well. I do my department work during the day and then can start working on that second portion after 6 PM. I'm working so many hours and now with a direct report leaving, there's not enough time in the day to make it work. So frustrated as I had two options and chose this role. I already checked, the other position was filled but thank you all for your feedback. Time to start looking again. My only issue is that I don't how I'll have time to interview with my work schedule! I'm in all day meetings and can't just cancel them as they are with SLT due to my position.
AnonymousJune 7,2023 at 4:02PM UTC
stop working at 6pm. You are giving away the work for free. Do the job, you were hired to do. If you can not meet that requirement, prioritize the items ( with time estimates on how long to complete) and make sure that you notify your boss, due to lack of staff, the work list has been prioritized as such. Then let them know the other items that need to be done that are not in the top priority. Ask if they are aware of anything that would take a priority over what you have defined. Just make sure to email this with a BCC to your personal email. Once they start to see what is falling through the cracks on paper - it might actually spur some conversations or it may not. But at least you tried and have proof you tried.
AnonymousJune 4,2023 at 4:00PM UTC
Moving on so early should not be a flag if you position it correctly in conversation with prospective new employers. The talking point should be my new company assured me that I could rebuild the team that left when I joined but shortly after I joined their budget go cut and our deliverables cannot be met without adding new headcount so I feel ill prepared to continue without additional support. When and if you do leave use this same line as why you were going.
AnonymousJune 4,2023 at 4:39PM UTC
I’ve been in this situation and have taken different approaches. The one I recommend you start with is setting expectations with the SLT & others of what your team can and can not do with the resources (staff) you have. It’s time you (and they) prioritize the work. If you keep producing the same there’s not a big incentive for them to approve hiring anyone. You can take all of your departments work and expectations, show them what and why you do these things, then recommend what you think you should continue doing and what you think can be stopped. If they feel part of the decision you will be more likely to get their buy-in. You will be going to them with recommendations and partnership, not just demands. This helps a lot.I would try this approach before looking for another job. You always have that as an option, but why go that route first.
GirlBossanova934974June 5,2023 at 1:03PM UTC
The first thing I would be asking myself is where is all the money going in this company? This company is picking up some significant savings every time an employee walks out the door. Goes straight to the bottom line and the owners pocket the profit. The fact that the work keeps getting done for less and less money is great for them but terrible for you. Is this company making any money? Can you find out? The absolute first thing I insist on these days before even looking at a new company is if they are turning a profit and can I see it? IF NOT, forget it. If you cannot find out if this company is making a profit, I would be looking elsewhere yesterday and chalk this up to a learned experience.