Created a bad situation for myself at work

m0t

I am on a graduate scheme at work and have been doing ok (well so I think).

In may I was given details of my next placement , which I agreed to on the basis of the job spec provided. When I turned up there I was loaned out to somewhere else, which was frustrating as no one had bothered to check the job description against the development plan I was supposed to be following.

When I met my new boss he told me he thought that he only had half a job but we would see how it panned out and go from there. Anyway after a month I hadn't been given much to do and what I was doing was fairly menial work, so I mentioned this as feedback in my monthly development scheme review. I also brought the issue up with my boss and he promised more work was to come.

After another month I am still doing the same stuff with not a lot else going on, I estimate it fills about 60% of my time. I mentioned this to my boss last week and his response was to tell me to look busy. I was so angry at this that I brought it up at my monthly review meeting and now seem to have set in motion a series of events that looks like it will cause heads to roll.

My problem is that it isn't likely that I will be moved anywhere else (they just won't send anyone else there), so I will still have to work for someone that I have caused a great deal of trouble for.

The poor quality of this placement has made me start looking for jobs elsewhere, but I am very nervous about making a jump because I lack confidence in my own skills.

NikkeiJones

Sorry to hear your frustrations, I know how frustrating it is to have no work especially when you are a get on and get done kind of person. Last Friday I spent 45 minutes staring at a wall because there was nothing for me to do despite asking my director for work 4 times. My contract was subsequently terminated on Tuesday, anyways, i've learnt the biggest lesson and it is that you need to do what is going to make you happy. You tried to resolve with your manager and the response was not adequate. If you are unhappy get applying for jobs and move on. Don't try and wait it out as you may live to regret it. All the best hope you find the answers you are looking forx

smileylondongal

Have you spoken to your Graduate Development Manager? What do they advise?

Emmzi

I very much doubt "heads will roll", your manager's main job is not training grads and if he is doing his job well, he'll be fine. A mild ticking off and a look at your development plan at best.

So. Why doesn't e want to give you stuff to do, what have you suggested you could do, what projects could you investigate? Being on a grad programme is not all about spoon feeding...

PS menial work? Grads who won't do filing because they are "too important" do not last long in my organisation, they tend to be too stuck up to manage the people I want them to manage, might be worth a think about that. Manager's shouldn't have people doing things they wouldn't do themselves....

scheming_gypsy

Sounds like you've done what NikkeiJones did, and just signed your own P45.

There is no work to do, so your boss told you to look busy which means you're still there. Now you've brought it up at your review after getting angry that your boss hadn't told you that he's going to have to let you go as there's no work; they'll probably end your placement as there's no work for you.

SarEl

If any heads will roll it is likely to be yours. It's a placement. It will pass. Do your job, do it to the best of your ability, and find a nice picture for the wall. So that you can have something nice to stare at. I'm with Emmzi on this one - graduates are thirteen a penny. Stick your head down, look busy and invest in a nice picture.

m0t

Emmzi wrote: »

I very much doubt "heads will roll", your manager's main job is not training grads and if he is doing his job well, he'll be fine. A mild ticking off and a look at your development plan at best.

So. Why doesn't e want to give you stuff to do, what have you suggested you could do, what projects could you investigate? Being on a grad programme is not all about spoon feeding...

PS menial work? Grads who won't do filing because they are "too important" do not last long in my organisation, they tend to be too stuck up to manage the people I want them to manage, might be worth a think about that. Manager's shouldn't have people doing things they wouldn't do themselves....

The training manager was extremely angry at the situation and was about to call my bosses director to sort it out. He was very clear about who had dropped the ball on this one, this business unit bid for my time and now are wasting it when other areas were desperate for it.

With regards to the menial work issue I am being given work that would usually sit 2 levels below me. For the record I have been doing this scheme for 2 years and have at various points done menial tasks and have been promoted based on my hard work. Prior to that I worked as a painter/decorator for a year because it was the only job I could get, before I went to university I spent a year doing an admin job. I do not consider myself too good for the work but if if I don't gain the correct type of experience by doing the right sort of work at the right level I will not be able to qualify as an accountant.

Emmzi

I've been that training manager. The training department serve the organisation. not the other way round. They have very little power. Now, if the regional director or the MD is upset, that is different. When they "bid for your time" that could well be "we don't want to look like the only dept that doesn't have a grad." Nothing to do with you at all. Yes, they are that shallow.

Trust me when I say no one is losing a job over your placement. Yes, they're angry on your behalf, and they want you to feel important and well treated. That is training's job. Educating you however is not your manager's job, not principally anyway.

So. You need accountancy experience. Have you made a list of what you need to learn and been round your colleagues to ask who is working on what and if you can help to gain the experience? Or are you sitting about waiting for someone to make up a plan for you? Have you asked your colleagues in different offices if they have the work you need to experience? And then asked the boss if you can have a field trip? Can you take on some remote work?

In short, other than complaining to head office and your boss, which will ALWAYS make you look bratty, however well intentioned - what have you DONE.

I know I sound mean. I am actually trying to help you. I know the kind of behaviours that make us keep grads on, and make us get rid. And the world is not short of accountants right now.

You need to recover this as best you can by making it really easy for people to help you.

smileylondongal

Firsty, I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting more from your placement when you've been promised it. As you say, you've been in situ for a while now and if you don't meet the graduate competencies by the end of the programme or satisfy the requirements for study, you will not qualify as an accountant.

However, seeing it from the other point of view, employers like to see proactivity in their graduates and for less hand holding. I know it's sometimes hard to know where the line is in terms of doing what is asked of you and taking your opportunities, but there is nothing wrong with networking internally or creating projects that might not only do your team a world of good but might also help you to raise your profile. If you're unsure, call the training department for advice on how best to approach this.

Through no fault of your own your placement hasn't gone to plan however you can turn this around but will now need to prove to your manager that you are worth the investment. As a grad on a programme, there will be much expectation on you to make the most of your placement and of your skills so seize the day and don't think of jumping ship - you've put two long years into this and it's not worth walking away.

m0t

Satisfy my experThe training department isn't a training department, its a support unit to the organisations finance directors tasked with improving finance in the business. I was talking to one of these directors in an informal setting. My boss reports to indirectly to a colleague of this director.

I am not able to undertake field trips to different areas because my boss is extremely possesive of me and his other staff. I did take responsibility for a complicated task that I identified as satisfying an area of my log book and this caused significant friction with my boss as even though he had nothing to give me he didn't want anyone else using my time.

I had created a plan for what sort of work I need to do and where was best to go in the organisation to gain this experience but this was not taken into account when I was placed. Since being placed I haven taken on tasks from colleagues in my team (and other teams) to help them out and also to try and satisfy my experience requirements.

I know what I need to be doing but at the moment there is no opportunity to do it within my team.

Emmzi

then ask for a move. I don't see any other option if you are sure you have done all you can where you are.