I don't know what to do in my situation.

I am employed at a wonderful place with benefits and no way is it going to be
merged or sold. While I used to enjoy going to work every morning, the exact opposite has been true for the past few months. I have gained weight and started drinking more often.

Over the last year the duties of my job have doubled to say the least and this is not exaggerated. We, co workers and I (a team of 11 Techs), have lost our manager several months ago. On top of the additional duties that have been added to our work load we are understaffed and have been for over a year.

Planing and decisions for projects etc. have been and more increasingly are being made by people that are on another planet and do not
even acknowledge our suggestions or disagreements. When projects don't work because of their decisions we are the ones to "clean the mess" and we are saying "I told you so" while cleaning up the mess. Of course this all falls on deaf ears.

Needles to say ther is a lot of last minute events, changes, meetings etc.
We are being worked as if we are salaried but are paid by the hour in which
we have a "No Overtime" rule that has been in effect for the last 2 quarters.


While we have been without a manager, a person; that was hired a long time ago who's duties are for documentation and configuration is sometimes very incorrect is getting a big head and is becoming more and more like a manager. To put it nicely, this is inexperienced for the job they were hired for and is by all means NOT manager material but is perfect in the eyes of the director.

The job I was once hired for I love and would really like to progress to other technical things but this job is becoming more and more filled with tasks that involve a great amount of non-technical tasks. The workload on us has doubled but there has been NO appreciation shown for us.
The most irritating thing is that all of our "teams" in this big "IT" department do NOT communicate with each other and our "help desk" is completely worthless but that is a whole other subject. Their boss works in a different building all together and we do not communicate with each other!

Every time I catch the news I am brutally reminded how unemployment is sky rocketing. I find myself constantly trying to get ahead as much as I can financially.

 

if you specialize in a certain field where they cant replace you then demand a raise or tell them to shove it. i hate employers who take advantage of their workers. just hold out until this summer when the economy will hopefully be stable again is all i can say.

 

Well one of our techs was promoted to another department before the "freeze" and his replacement is very inexperienced.

I work in an IT department but I wish to keep the anonymity as much as i can. There is a lot of people in the "up stairs" department that I wonder if they were randomly piked up at "the mall".

I guess you are right I'm just finding it more and more depressing every week.

 

eh... watch office space to cheer up. ha ha ha
why not apply for a manager job for better pay?

 

You hate your job?

Where I work, mention of claiming unemployment for a week laid off, request for overtime, asking for health benefits, asking to be hired instead of temp, and complaining about the chemical activities that go on are all grounds for immediate escort off the property with "quit" marked in records and any time that week not paid. Wage is capped at $2 over minimum wage only once you've reached 10 years seniority. Mention of looking for another job is grounds for dismissal. My department must handle all shipping/receiving and its paperwork, half of packaging, half of janitorial, and all garbage disposal, 5 employees servicing a company of 60+.

Not much you can do when unemployment in this state is about to exceed 10%.

Just to make you know you aren't in the bottom of the barrel.

(show of hands, how many thought I was kidding? I'm not.)

 

sorry guys but i have certifications in a specialized metal for welding so i cant be replaced. i cant really relate but i understand how some companies have such a big stick up their ass when it comes to treating their employees right.
i guess everyone has to put up with it to pay a morgage.

 

Sounds like the bureaucracy has arrived at your work. I've seen and heard of this "evolution" happening a lot in the IT world in the last 24 months or so. Management that didn't come up through the progression of technology and don't have a clue as to what it truly takes to efficiently succeed. I was all ready to move on as recently as August because of some of your same concerns, then the SHTF in the economy so it's hunker down time. At this point I'm happy to have a job. Since the only constant is change, hopefully it will eventually be for the better, I feel for ya man.

 

They have and it is something that I have a BIG problem with.
At least I don't feel so alone. I have recently acquired another certification on my own this past year and I am presently working on another one waiting for the opportunity to
join the network side. The way things are going on here, I don't know if it will ever happen.

And for polaski, there HAS to be another employer to work for. Yours needs a Molotov shoved up its ass as a reminder that you and your coworkers are human beings and not machines.

 

I keep looking. Never give up hope. Until I find an employer who knows what's right and what's not, it's full time work.

Really it sucks here, even taco bell down the road is getting 80+ new applicants a day for part time work.

 

I'm sorry to hear that and I have been there too. What I have is better than going from job to job with temp agencies.

 

It is definitely a different work enviornment today than it was even 10 years ago. Now when people quit or move on their positions are not refilled. They just expect those left behind to take on more work and take up the slack. They managers and head get to go home with the big paychecks and the little person who works their butt off, gets little wages for the work they do. My boss is retiring and I will be looking once again and not looking forward to it. Times are hard and getting harder even though this job made me nuts sometimes it was good pay and benefits but just one that I did not enjoy at times. Hope that things will work out for you and just remember things can change for the better.

Cat :x

 

visit www.uav.com for IT jobs. I work as an avionics tech but they got a huuge IT department as well. Very decent company.

 

At least you have a job!!!

 

Take it from a guy who walked off a job because I had no choice!
I spent a year searching job posts and placing my resume on boards! I registered with over a dozen temp agencies, rewrote my resume over 50 times, aced all their tests, interviewed with quite a few companies, got turned down for being to good for my own good because people that interviewed me got scared I will just fly right by them in the company,........
Stick with what you have for as long as you can and keep searching! Interview even for BS position if it is even remotely related to your skills, because it can rocket you to an offer of entirely different dream job!
Do not bother posting your resume on job boards! You will get a ton of spam and get quick rich schemes, door to door selling, financial pyramid schemes,....
Aim high, but be ready to settle for lesser job to get you by! We all have bills and responsibilities, so you all need to weigh in your options.
By all means do not loose hope!

After a year of search, dead ends, paying rent with credit cards and mounting a nice debt, very supportive wife and her never give up spirit and welcoming a beautiful baby girl to this world, I had a choice between two very cool jobs.
First one I went to an interview for a sales assistant and ended up being offered entirely new position they created just for me and my skills - Business Development Manager with a 20% pay increase over my last job! it was dealing with military aviation parts too!
Guess what, I turned it down just when I was about to sign my offer!
I got a dream job from Silicone Valley heavy hitter as a temp through a temp agency and a 45% pay increase over my old job! I survived two layoff rounds and looking forward completing my 9 month contract. I am on a very good track to get an offer of permanent employment before contract expires! I can't name names (because we are in the news a lot!), but my company is a pioneer in her field and holds ALL patents in it! It survived a hostile take over from a world giant, reduced world wide work force by over 30% and implemented a ton of cost saving measures. It will get tougher before it gets better in second half of 2009, but our new technologies are about to hit retail stores mid next year and future looks very bright for the company.
Even if I do not get a permanent offer, I am gaining skills and experience from an industry leader and I will have no problem selling myself to somebody else.

I hope this post serves to all that read it as an encouragement to never give up, take some calculated risks and just go for it.
Job market was never this bad in "our" time, but keep in mind that many get comfortable and take their jobs for granted - that is your opportunity.
Oh, yeah, never think that you are not replaceable! Never underestimate human ego!
I left two companies that lost dearly with my departure. They did not fair very well after that. One almost folded because I was a one man show and other lost an alternative location for business twice during evacuation of corporate office in another state due to major weather disturbance! I can't even imagine how much money or clients they lost because of it!
Good luck to you all!
Ivan

 

It's frustrating for me because I can't find anything as fun or interesting as Range Rovers and Aston Martins, or anything near any of my previous employment's income. I always have worked like 60 hour weeks everywhere I have worked. I think my lowest was like 42hours ever. I'm a workaholic, have always just walked into jobs, never even had second interviews, get hired on the spot. One place made me manager after temping for 3 days and I knew their system better than the trainers, which scared all of the regional managers. I never burn any bridges when moving on the the next job, and never even have days off in between the switches. And now that unemployment in my county is at 16% compared to the normal 5%, and there isn't anyone hiring, unless its for monkey wages that is breadcrumbs. I'm sitting on a cushion I have built up but many I know are losing homes, girlfriends, wives, vehicles, and suicide is getting more and more prevalent.

I think its still gonna get even worse before it gets better, and I am normally totally optimistic and positive, but there is a lot of shit goin on and behind the scenes manipulations the public won't even know for months or years. But every day I still remain positive that something will work out, but its not lookin good at all

 

Everyone needs to watch The Pursuit of Happyness. Yes, the Will Smith movie. It will make you feel better, and you will realize your life doesn't suck that much, and when shit hits the fan, you WILL do whatever the **** you need to do in order to stay alive.

 

Things are going a lot better. There are finally some changes occurring in the structure, monthly meetings have been scheduled (including our help desk), and 2 new techs have been added to our team.

Like long ago, I actually like going to work knowing my work counts.

 

glad to hear things are well for you. I'm still lookin for work, so many people consistently being let go everywhere. Every sector. Work is always better when you enjoy what you are doing.