I accepted a promotion at my company without someone to backfill my previous duties.

16 Comments

1. AnonymousNovember 11,2023 at 2:51PM UTC

   Brush up your resume and start looking

   keep a log of all the events - keep all documentation (emails etc) - but they seem like they have no intent to offload and probably never did. The added work was worded as a “promotion” aka more responsibility but without delegation or offloading of previous.

   Also, If you have an idea of who you can offload the work (multiples even to share in the responsibility and even to be fair “I can keep xyz but need help with abc and this could be split with 1,2,2 those would be fairly easy to upskill them based on what they already do and it would help level the workload) - I’d even present that in your next meeting. But this way at least you’ve gone above and beyond by even giving ideas. Who knows maybe that will be the push they need, it can’t hurt but then at least you’ve exhausted all options. And granted it should be your bosses job to come up with this, unfortunately there’s a lot of people in management and leadership that shouldn’t be there. So long story short present options but brush up resume as a back up too.

2. Janet ParkhurstNovember 11,2023 at 7:03PM UTC

   I think this is well intended, but an exercise in futility. As you pointed out, it is her boss's responsibility to come up with these solutions, instead of it becoming the poster's headache. It just sounds like a well-thought-out plan to get the poster to do two jobs for the price of one. I'm not going to criticize her "behavior" or imply that she somehow asked for the exploitation by not establishing boundaries from the get go, but I WILL say, a man would have immediately asked for clear definitions of this "promotion," starting with COMPENSATION. I know that, because I recently left my position and my male co-worker was asked to pick up my duties. The first thing he asked was, "How much more will you pay me?" If the tables had been turned, they would have told me it was "my responsibility" to take on his duties at no increase in pay. And they would have counted on me being squishy enough to do it. Sad, but true.

3. AnonymousNovember 14,2023 at 3:42PM UTC

   I see your point, but I also think it's a reasonable approach. I know managers hate complains and perfer ppl to offer solutions any time they encounter something they see as a problem. It's certainly worth a shot. Maybe don't name names, but instead say something like: X dept could take over Y tasks...

4. AnonymousNovember 11,2023 at 6:56PM UTC

   I hope they are paying you DOUBLE your original compensation for now doing two jobs. If not, leave. Then sue them.

5. AnonymousNovember 14,2023 at 3:35PM UTC

   Sue them? Based on what? Being cheap? They haven't broken any laws and suing someone costs money. I see a lot of 'get a a lawyer' advice here and it's never given by laywers. Please y'all don't offer legal advice or take legal advice from a forum like this My friend is a labor lawyer and she always reminds me: Awful is not unlawful. There are precious few work cases where you have a case that you can sue over and that's if you can find a lawyer to take the case, spend the money, have it be part of the public record that you used your employer, etx,

6. AnonymousNovember 11,2023 at 10:16PM UTC

   I was in a similar situation in my last position of ten years. I was initially responsible geographically for the operations in one state. Then it was two, which was challenging, but manageable. Nine years into my tenure, they downsized our national team. I could see the writing on the wall, and asked who they intended to assume the now non-covered states (approximately one third of the country). I told them it would be an unrealistic workload for me.. They asked for my recommendations, and after careful thought, suggested that I take one additional state,, and divvy up each of the remaining states among my teammates. Months went by with no word. I finally saw a slide deck they had presented to senior management, in which I was listed as the manager for ALL of the remaining states plus my existing ones. The demands and stress led to my developing a chronic illness. My recommendation is to look for another position outside your current company. Life is too short, and your health is too important.

7. AnonymousNovember 12,2023 at 12:55AM UTC

   Unless you let balls drop they will not believe you can’t handle it all. Let them go and practice calmly saying “my plate is overflowing, maybe Q2 2024? “ to anything new.

8. GirlBossanova934974November 12,2023 at 1:40PM UTC

   Management has already made its decision. They brought in a new employee and decided NOT to have that person take the old workload off your plate. I don't know. Many of today's so called managers seem to have been handed a fancy title with ZERO management training or education. Just set them loose. Well the solution is simple. Time to start looking for other jobs. And then calmly turn in your 2 week notice. Now, you have TWO jobs to backfill. As a long time manager myself, I have always thought my primary role was to solve problems and/or avoid problems. But today? Some many so called managers today are living in a deranged world of avoidance of the facts or engaged in covering up the truth on a full time basis. And when things blow up? It's time to hire some uber priced consultant who is calmly escorted through the backdoor so hopefully not too many people notice.

9. AnonymousNovember 12,2023 at 2:38PM UTC

   I don't understand. They hired someone for your team, but you are not responsible for delegating responsibilities to the team members. What was your promotion?

10. AnonymousNovember 12,2023 at 10:13PM UTC

    The leadership has seen you can do 2 jobs easily so there are no serious plans in the works to get you help.

11. Janet ParkhurstNovember 13,2023 at 10:40PM UTC

    No need to be RUDE. Just politely disagree. No one on this site is an "idiot."

12. Margaret PettisNovember 14,2023 at 1:49PM UTC

    I was in the exact same position, I did both jobs for 7 months. People started complaining as it was physically impossible for me to be in two areas at the same time. My manager offered no solutions as he looked good ( he saved the company $78,000) as soon as I quit they hired 2 people. You need to RUN they will never, never, never get you help as long as you are doing 2 jobs successfully.

13. AnonymousNovember 14,2023 at 3:15PM UTC

    Within the same amount of hours, those they are paying your for, you can only do so much. I would HOPE the company has a vested interest in keeping you if only b/c they'd have to hire/train at least 1 new persion maybe 2, if you left. However, they could see you wanting to talk to mgmt for help as a complain and let you go. You cannot know til you try. I'd make an appt with your mgr (or both, if you're spread across 2 depts now) and be super cheerfyl and excited about all oif these great new pooprunties but be factual and say: I c oif course can't fit t2 poositions into one, so as my manager, please help me dtermine which things I need to drop and which things to priorize. If you can do some legwork and document how long certain tasks take or number of meeting hours needed, or anything else that is quantifiable that will help. If you have another mgr now too, do the same with him/her. You'll prob see there are 2 competing lists and then the managers will have to sort it out. I don't think it's a lost cause but you'll want to be clear about needing someone else to set priorities for you, but play it like an exited cheerleader who can't wait to the do the work b/c otherwise you'll come off as a complainer and every manager hates that--even if complainers are on the money

14. Jennifer Erica SwedaNovember 14,2023 at 3:16PM UTC

    sorry for terrible typos. There's huyge lag when I use the free text box. The post doesn't show for a full 5 min and then takes forever to edit

15. Janet ParkhurstNovember 15,2023 at 5:05AM UTC

    You are right. My apologies! I think sometimes "emotion" overtakes judgement and I think that is what probably happened, in this case. I just know of so many companies who wreck people's lives and then just step around the mess they made. But, in the end, we all just have the choice to leave. Again, I let my emotions just hit the fan.

16. Cindy GloverNovember 15,2023 at 11:28PM UTC

    I’d be careful with this - if they feel you can keep up with both, they won’t hire anyone for the other position