Job duties different to job description - Should I leave during probation period?

rovers1993 · 14 October 2019 at 12:09PM

Hi all,

Just posting for some advice. I recently started a new position a month ago, and the job is completely different to the description that was outlined by the company.

I am meant to be doing IT Support work, but so far all my role has consisted of is completing excel spreadsheets on support costs, completing support reports, and relaying information from customer to developers.

I joined the role thinking I would be able to directly solve customers issues, but sadly this is not the case, and the job is appearing to be more of a business like job, rather than IT Support, also I don't really fit in with the company culture.

In my old role I was working on a service desk, and enjoyed providing support directly to customers and fixing their issues. I left the job due to the new position presenting what I believed would be the "next step up" from the 1st line role I was previously in. The extra £3,000 was also a factor as well.

To add to the issue in my new job the manager doesn't appear to be happy with the work I have been doing, and constantly criticises what work I am doing. I have gotten to the point where I am afraid of contacting customers without him checking first, as I expect every time I try to do anything on my own they will either criticise me or start to tut and shake their head then give me the silent treatment. This has started to have an effect on my sleep, and health/mood in general at home. I just feel as time goes on I am getting criticised more and more, even though I have been working to the best of my ability. I come in an hour early everyday as well just to think about ways I can improve my performance, but nothing I ever do seems to be enough to appease my manager.

I don't have a job lined up at the moment, but I do have an interview for a place similar to my old position which I enjoyed, which pays more than my current position.

My question is would leaving during my probation period be frowned upon when I am looking for other positions? As I believe leaving the position will give me more motivation and energy to secure another position, rather than all my motivation and energy being drained from me by continuing to work at my current position.

Thanks in advance for the suggestions or help.

Astar1809 · 14 October 2019 at 12:16PM

If I were you, I would have your CV without your current job on there so when prospective employers become interest you can explain you situation. Putting a very short stint on paper can scare people off but being given the chance to explain in a positive way will garner more success and allow you engage with the employer too.

Neil_Jones · 14 October 2019 at 12:17PM

IT Support is not just telling people to turn their computers off and on again, it also involves the back end support which can be exactly what you said you do now. Support requests is technically IT support after all.

This sounds like it may be a business to business IT support which is entirely different from customer based support so it may be more backroom work such as if the systems used are bespoke.

Realistically if you're not happy, find another job. However I suspect what you're used to where Joe Public phones you up because their computer has stopped working - the internet sort of handles most of this now where somebody jumps on their phone and Googles their own solution. Or knows a kid down the road who knows what to do and will fix it for them.

If you think you can survive without income while you seek another job, hand your notice in and go. Otherwise it's the traditional route of lump it while you find something else. However you may do better to raise this issue with another manager if its not what you expected to see what can be done before you wave "Sod this, I'm off" signs everywhere.

rovers1993 · 14 October 2019 at 12:32PM

Sadly in this case, speaking to another manager doesn't seem to be an option for me , as my current manager is the only manager in the support department of the company (company has a small number of staff).

HR might be worth contacting, but not sure what could be done, as there would be no way for me to continue in the role without working directly with the manager on a daily basis.

Thanks for the above replies.

ohreally · 14 October 2019 at 1:03PM

Did you enquire at interview what you would be doing in a day to day basis?
Has the job been missold?

moneyhelpuser5 · 14 October 2019 at 1:15PM

I would look for another job asap. You don't want to be stuck in a dead-end job like this after the probation. There are lots of IT support positions available around the country.

rovers1993 · 14 October 2019 at 1:20PM

Hi ohreally,

I didn't enquire about day to day duties, but from the job description I was given, I was led to believe that the job would have been very similar to my previous job. In the interview I was told this would be a "step up" from my last job.

What wasn't mentioned was that it would involve mostly business/administration tasks , such as completing spreadsheets of cost breakdowns, chasing people who have logged time incorrectly, and completing monthly reports for clients, outlining costs that are being billed to the company and why.

In terms of IT support, I feel the role is more of a business role, due to the actual role only requiring me to directly copy clients issue, and send to developer then copy developers response and that's it.

I just feel that as the job was described as a "step up", that I would have a chance to look into the more technical side of things, but this is not the case.

Thanks

ohreally · 14 October 2019 at 1:29PM

If you can afford to, cut your losses and move on.

Good luck with next role.

getmore4less · 14 October 2019 at 1:34PM

You talk to the current manager about the job they want you to do and the job you want to do.

Nothing improves you move on.

TELLIT01 · 14 October 2019 at 1:57PM

From the sound of things your previous job was 1st line support and this one isn't. You said you viewed this as a step up, and stepping up often also often means taking a step back too. The paperwork is an essential part of the IT support function, and if you want to move up the chain you need to accept that.
In your current situation you would ideally speak to your manager to say that the job seems a million miles away from what you were led to expect at interview. If that's not an option, and you are really unhappy in the new role, your only practical option is to start looking for another job - back in 1st line support.

rovers1993 · 14 October 2019 at 2:52PM

Thanks for the replies.

I am aware that IT support roles also include paperwork. I also had to do this in my old positon such as technical documentation and some reporting. My issue is that all the excel stuff I was expected to do was done by the Finance team before, so it appears they may have shifted responsibility onto me.

I was able to complete these tasks, but one of my major issues is the manager will complain about every little detail, such as their is a bit of whitespace there, remove it.

I understand that processes are in place for how things should be done but the issue appears that everytime my manager receives a notification that I have completed a ticket or report/document, he will instantly complain about every aspect of it. Mostly because it is not done the way he would do it (even though I have followed his template he provided).

I think it comes down to as each day goes on the more negatively and criticism just keeps grinding me down more and more mentally.

Also can't even go on lunch without being expected to do tasks on my lunch hour.

Thanks for the advice everyone

Job duties different to job description - Should I leave during probation period?

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