Are they using me

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Hello again everyone

I have been working in 1st line IT now for a number of years, and in my current job I have been 1st line tech (phone based) and recently what sounded like a good promotion came up within the team for a 'development opportunity' which I applied for and as I was the only person that applied I got the job.

The development opportunity was to become the IT 1st line Supervisor.

When I started 2 years ago I started on a 4 week contract as a contractor, 2 years on I still have no security although the company have now recruited me on a fixed term until mid-April (will then be reviewed) which meant I took a £7k pay cut to keep my job as 1st line techy.

I then became supervisor on the development opportunity expecting more money or more security but have had neither, I have also not had any development in this role and have pretty much been given the job with the stress and extra work for no extra in my pocket or future security.

I am just wondering whether they are just landing extra work on me as a favour as not even HR have been told about this role and it feels very much like it's being kept under the radar as it works for my boss.

I find myself being more 1st line tech than supervisor due to how busy we are and not having time to do any of my supervisor duties which then pulls me down as I cannot get everything done.

Are they taking the mick as I would love to work up the ranks, but I am just feeling low.

 

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Sound like it mate. I find a letter of resignation normally finds your true worth in a company. If they need you, they will offer you more to stay, if not then no point in staying as you won't move up. Of course it helps to have a job to go to if the bluff doesn't work. I wouldn't have the balls to do what some have done and resign with no where to go.

Get a few certs - then have a good look round. With your experience too, you should find something.

 

A letter of resignation is a danferous move to make. A company may initially ask you to stay, but in the back of their minds they will forever question your loyalty and may eventually lay you off as they've begun the work of finding a replacement that doesn't blackmail or threaten them with this... It's been discussed before on this forum and I believe the consensus was similar back then.

 

I am not going to be putting any letters of notice or threats of that action in as yes this could be a very dangerous move and is not really something I would do.

I have seen people leave in the past by going on the sick for 6 weeks whilst they were looking for a new job and then never coming back as they have worked there notice also during this period... which I also think is very naughty to do and I would never do this as I am a hard worker.

I do however want to get ahead

 

I would start working on doing your supervisor duties first and then if there's time, helping out with the support stuff. You could also talk to your HR person and lay out your questions to them, after all, that's what they are there for.

 

I would have two main concerns in this situation.
Firstly, the job in hand. If you can't do the supervisory duties because you have to keep jumping on the phone you need to sort this out. My initial thought would be setting enough time aside to do the supervisory work properly. Work out which times are generally quieter so you can come offline and get the extra work done without affecting the teams stats too much and run it past your boss.
My second concern would be, with one eye on the future, the fact that your job role appears to be unofficial. That's not going to look too good if you have supervisor on your CV but HR inform any prospective employers that you're only first-line. Perhaps find out if it's your manager or HR that deal with reference requests. If it's HR then you need to make sure they are aware of your extra duties.

As far as I'm aware you can only contract at the same place for two years max. Maybe some of that wage drop was due to you dropping from contractor wages to temp wages.

 

Not true I'm afraid, it is just the case that expenses are not claimable (is that a word?) after 2 years - everything else stays the same though.

 

That would drop 6.5K a year off of my wage so that makes sense.

 

One of the things you have to understand is that going from Contracting to Perm will ALWAYS entail a pay\rate drop and you have to decide whether that's a good thing or not. One of the reasons I took on my current role (I had been contracting for them for 2 months when they offered me a perm position) is down to the current economic climate, sure I am not earning as much as if I were a contractor (far from it) but what I do have are paid holidays, paid sick days, the potential for paid training (having paid for all my training over the last 10 years there isn't too much more I need\want anyway) and a slightly better chance at not being let go at the drop of a hat (as a permy it's a lot harder to get rid of me than if I were a contractor).

Pay aside I think the problem you're having at the moment is that YOU don't know the requirements of being the supervisor and knowing when to divide your time between being a supervisor and helping out your team. You need to understand that you're now the point of contact between senior management and your team, you're responsible for the welfare and moral of your team and ensuring that all training\holidays\responsibilties are arranged smoothly and efficiently.

You probably need to have a chat with your manager and HR to get a clear idea of what's expected of you and go on from there, as far as them taking the mickey with you? They offered you a position that was an improvement on what you were currently doing, it's not their fault that you aren't actually doing the work of a supervisor, it's not their fault that they reduced your contractor rates to that of a perm member of staff, it should have been obvious at the time that you would be getting a reduced salary for the change in contract. What I would be more concerned about at this stage is them not renewing you at the end of the fixed term because you didn't actually carry out the roles and responsibilites required for your job role, as a supervisor you're expected to be that little bit better than the rest of the team and have the gumption to get things done on your own. Chances are that what they are doing at the moment is seeing what you're actually capable of from a supervisory perspective and grading you on it (it's certainly what I would do in their shoes).

Sorry to be sound harsh but being in management of any kind is going to be harder than just being another tool in a box, it's about showing initiative and willing to go that extra little bit, working those extra hours when and where needed (and as a manager you don't usually get overtime either) and knowing your own limitations and asking for help when you need it.