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Topic: Job Situation from Hell
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| Author | Message |
| ItGirl | Posted – 9/16/2005 8:03:14 AM | show profile | email poster I started working at a private university a month ago in the realm of development communications. I am now thinking this might have been the worst - and definitely most torturous - move in my professional life. Others with no background in English nor writing (who are my peers, not my supervisors) are called in and pour over my writing, making edits and changes without my consultation or input. Then they hand whatever it might be back to me, and I am forced to make said changes. The higher-level administration seems to have it out for me, too, as I have been branded as ''defensive,'' though these people have had no-to-very limited interaction with me, and none of which would lead any reasonable person to that opinion. |
| ItGirl | Posted – 9/16/2005 8:03:30 AM | show profile | email poster Part Two I started working at a private university a month ago in the realm of development communications. I am now thinking this might have been the worst - and definitely most torturous - move in my professional life. Others with no background in English nor writing (who are my peers, not my supervisors) are called in and pour over my writing, making edits and changes without my consultation or input. Then they hand whatever it might be back to me, and I am forced to make said changes. The higher-level administration seems to have it out for me, too, as I have been branded as ''defensive,'' though these people have had no-to-very limited interaction with me, and none of which would lead any reasonable person to that opinion. I have been pulled off of one project already, because it was determined that the University president was being unduly critical of my output (content would come back with red ink all over it) and had a personal vendetta against me (my boss's determination). When the very same document was said to have come from another individual on staff, the President signed it - no problem. Proof in the pudding, if you ask me. I have cried over this situation and don't know what to do. I feel like the writing is on the wall. |
| ItGirl | Posted – 9/16/2005 8:03:37 AM | show profile | email poster Part Two I started working at a private university a month ago in the realm of development communications. I am now thinking this might have been the worst - and definitely most torturous - move in my professional life. Others with no background in English nor writing (who are my peers, not my supervisors) are called in and pour over my writing, making edits and changes without my consultation or input. Then they hand whatever it might be back to me, and I am forced to make said changes. The higher-level administration seems to have it out for me, too, as I have been branded as ''defensive,'' though these people have had no-to-very limited interaction with me, and none of which would lead any reasonable person to that opinion. I have been pulled off of one project already, because it was determined that the University president was being unduly critical of my output (content would come back with red ink all over it) and had a personal vendetta against me (my boss's determination). When the very same document was said to have come from another individual on staff, the President signed it - no problem. Proof in the pudding, if you ask me. I have cried over this situation and don't know what to do. I feel like the writing is on the wall. |
| ItGirl | Posted – 9/16/2005 8:03:52 AM | show profile | email poster Part Two I started working at a private university a month ago in the realm of development communications. I am now thinking this might have been the worst - and definitely most torturous - move in my professional life. Others with no background in English nor writing (who are my peers, not my supervisors) are called in and pour over my writing, making edits and changes without my consultation or input. Then they hand whatever it might be back to me, and I am forced to make said changes. The higher-level administration seems to have it out for me, too, as I have been branded as ''defensive,'' though these people have had no-to-very limited interaction with me, and none of which would lead any reasonable person to that opinion. I have been pulled off of one project already, because it was determined that the University president was being unduly critical of my output (content would come back with red ink all over it) and had a personal vendetta against me (my boss's determination). When the very same document was said to have come from another individual on staff, the President signed it - no problem. Proof in the pudding, if you ask me. I have cried over this situation and don't know what to do. I feel like the writing is on the wall. |
| HudsonValley | Posted – 9/16/2005 10:03:31 AM | show profile You wrote: ''When the very same document was said to have come from another individual on staff, the President signed it - no problem. Proof in the pudding, if you ask me.'' Are you saying that an identical copy of your version was approved by the Prez after he/she already marked it up once? If so, who submitted the second copy and passed it off as their own work? Was this a set up? If so, it's going to be a lot harder for you to confront these people about your feelings if the prez was misled like that, don't you think? Not telling the truth about who authored the work was not a good idea. Sounds like a bad situation just got worse....I hope you can work it out. |
| ItGirl | Posted – 9/16/2005 10:13:56 AM | show profile Well ... Sorry for the duplicate posts. I kept getting error messages. Anyway, their is another person on staff who is not a communications person but apparently is perceived as being infallible. So he has been providing oversight on these letters as if I report to him. He gave the President the very same letter I wrote, maybe with two words (not underestimating) changed. She signed off on it without a hitch. My supervisor has removed me from the letter-writing project and given it to him to remove me from ''the line of fire.'' I feel that I am not being permitted to do my job and really have no purpose there. |
| HudsonValley | Posted – 9/16/2005 10:13:57 AM | show profile Why don't you go to the president and have a heart-to-heart? Explain that you want to do your best to make him/her happy, and ask what will it take? Ask for constructive feedback, switch gears and try to make an effort to produce the copy they want. Be humble, express some regret about not giving them what they want...I don't know, I feel bad for you, I really do. I've had awful work atmospheres too...There's nothing worse than hating your job. You've got to clear it up! Good luck! |
| Lotus665 | Posted – 9/16/2005 10:19:21 AM | show profile I've been there, and it was a university setting too. It sounds like it's just not a good fit, which is no one's fault. Definitely have a heart to heart with your boss and see if they will listen and give advice and if they think you have a future there. Meantime, start looking for new jobs...this is probably not going to get better. ------ Lotus665 |
| ItGirl | Posted – 9/16/2005 10:19:41 AM | show profile The President would never meet with me. I am certain of that. Only certain people can meet with her and I am not in that circle. I really don't know what to do. I have been in some twisted, insidious work environments before, but this one takes the cake. And it all degenerated so quickly! I have wondered if I am too individualistic and, therefore, they don't like/feel threatened by me. I am probably the youngest person on staff in such a position; I don't wear stodgy suits everyday; I don't revel in name-dropping ... but I am a consistent and reliable worker with a diplomatic and affable personality. So I don't get it. |
| slink | Posted – 9/16/2005 10:25:04 AM | show profile Sounds like a crap situation. I've worked for a custom publisher that had similar control in forcing their garbage on everyone else, but it was a bit better because the clients were in different states. You're not going to change the system or anyone's attitude there. I'd just leave, but that's me. Happiness at work is a high priority for me, and I'd rather scrape up cash doing valet parking or some other tipped position than absolutely hate my ''real job.'' |
| ItGirl | Posted – 9/16/2005 10:27:21 AM | show profile | email poster I do want to ''just leave,'' as in make a clean break without giving any notice. My main concern is how that will reflect on my resume. I mean, being somewhere for a month and just quitting. What makes this situation worse is that I was presented with two offers at the same time, and just accepted this one because it paid about $14K more. But my peace and sanity are priceless, which is worth much more than $14K. |
| HudsonValley | Posted – 9/16/2005 11:04:03 AM | show profile Everyone is telling you to get out, leave now, it will never get better. Maybe not but maybe it will. Did you really try to fix the problem or just complain about it? It's only been one month, besides! Don't ask for an appointment with the president, take one! Knock on her door unexpectedly or write her an email, be proactive! Use your affable, diplomatic sensibility and get yourself heard! Yeah, it's scary to go outside the box but you can do it. Be the individualist that you call yourself -- just be honest and show your human side. And this supervisor of yours that removed you from the ''line of fire''? That's just a passive, ineffective action! Isn't she on your side? She should help you out -- find out EXACTLY what it is the prez has issue with. Sorry to spout off like this, I just wish people would take more chances in the workplace to get what they want. |
| Cyrus | Posted – 9/16/2005 11:19:56 AM | show profile Often, academic situations are a nightmare -- at least for people who aren't comfortable with politics. My wife teaches a class a semester at a well-known university in NYC and knows several who are full-time there who complain continually about political situations. And I worked with someone who was inhouse doing PR for Brooklyn College and she was miserable enough, she came back to the PR agency world. Anyone who knows about the stress that comes with an agency environment will be able to identify with what that means. Here is one piece of advice I think you should keep in mind: one month is hardly enough time to truly know what you've got on your hands. I was ready to quit a job I had years ago with a well-known media company because of personality conflicts and other difficulties. Yet, I persevered and ended up being there longer than any employer I've ever had. So things can work out. When difficult situations persist, you have to find a way to advance your side of the story without coming across as confrontation and/or a bad team player. Ways to do that include listing your accomplishments, highlighting your skills and giving your view on how you could be better used, etc. Part of handling this stuff comes with experience. Over time, you'll be able to better filter the real trouble from the ''noise'' that just comes with jobs. Remember that especially in large companies, creating continual change keeps a lot of people employed. That's why you'll never see true efficiency. ------ Cyrus Afzali Astoria Communications www.astoriacomm.com |
| can't say | Posted – 9/16/2005 11:31:00 AM | show profile You said that others are poring over your work, making changes, and then you have to implement them. What are these changes? Do you see a pattern? Do the changes have validity? Or are they arbitrary? I do agree with most of what Cyrus, above, is saying. But sometimes jobs just don't work out. If you have a generally good, solid work history, I don't think that a brief tenure at a single job will hurt you. And it's better for you to resign than be fired. You can explain to potential employers that the job wasn't a good fit and you decided to make a clean break, etc. Before you resign, maybe you can negotiate getting a good reference or at least the promise of one. Maybe the guy who seems sympathetic to your plight would help you out in this. |
| WendytheWriter | Posted – 9/16/2005 11:35:13 AM | show profile | email poster I’d advise you to go through proper channels: Contact the university’s Human Resources Department. Solving these sorts of problems is what they’re trained to do. If the situation remains unbearable after working with the HR department, you will then have an acceptable answer (for future potential employers) as to why you left. |
| ItGirl | Posted – 9/16/2005 12:02:31 PM | show profile | email poster The changes that are being made are inconsistent, have no pattern and are generally arbitrary. I do think that if I am so proactive as to knock on the President's door or even send her an e-mail, it will make the situation worse. I have sent her an e-mail before, when I first got there, and I got feedback that it was seen as an insubordinate gesture. I also happen to be the last to be informed of things. For example, a contractor whom had been hired to do a newsletter quit. I wasn't told until a week later! And that falls within the realm of my purview, as I am expected to continue the project. But, really, my supervisor is letting a co-worker (who pores over my letters) assume most of my projects. |
| belinda | Posted – 9/16/2005 1:18:12 PM | show profile I'm reading ''victim'' in all these posts. How did so many whacked-out, unreasonable people end up in one place? Why are they all out to get you? New jobs require lots of adjustment: to the role as it fits into the big scheme, the roles of others, the chain of command, the established procedures, how people communicate with each other -- all sorts of things that might be worth pondering over the weekend. |
| worm | Posted – 9/16/2005 1:19:28 PM | show profile After reading all the posts here, I'm beginning to wonder if it isn't your skills and/or personality in the workplace, ItGirl. Your grammar is iffy, and anyone who has generated so much drama in the workplace after only one month might have other issues going on. This sounds like a very bad location for you, regardless of why it is happening. Have you had other, long-term positions that you were happy in? Or are you new to the workforce? |
| Lotus665 | Posted – 9/16/2005 1:31:53 PM | show profile Run away I say get out, and they won't be surprised...sounds like they might be ready to fire you at any minute. Now about the resume, I had a situation in a university that was equally hellish for different reasons,and I up and quit because I lost my temper. That's how bad it was. Total job duration, six weeks. Guess what, I don't put it on the resume at all. I had been freelancing on the side in addition to the day job, so I just made it look that I was freelancing the whole time (which I was, really) and the bad job never happened. There is no law that says you must account for every second of work life; a resume highlights your recent relevant qualifications. If your past work history is reasonable steady, you could put the one month job on the resume and people will understand that it was a bad fit. It does happen. Barring that, talk to HR or your direct supervisor. Like someone said, take the risk, you don't have much to lose.... ------ Lotus665 |
| Sissy Barbecue | Posted – 9/16/2005 1:53:42 PM | show profile Writers Don't Matter That is the message I've had in every corporate in-house writing job. They think we're parrots who can be mindlessly trained to regurgitate their improper corporate puke. Or better yet, we are the 1960s version of the secretary. They don't care if we have J-school degrees, MAs or PhDs. They don't care if we know AP style while they don't. They don't care if their subject-verb agreement is making them sound like English is their second language. They don't give an effing fluck. Writing is a powerful tool. As writers, we have the ability to maintain that our thoughts, values and insights are desirable and valued because our words hit the printed page. And, let’s face it…everyone wants to be us; they want to hold that power, too. And who is more powerful in a corporate situation (besides investors and consumers) than a VP or C-effing-O? Their improper decisions to correct our proper grammar, to mindlessly cram one hundred thoughts into a sentence, and to use too many effing exclamation points—all of this is simply a response to how threatened they feel by our power as writers. I’m sorry to say that you will find the situations you mentioned in your post in every corporate environment you are thrown into. There is nothing you can do. There really isn’t a damn thing… And for this I am sorry. My only advice is to buck up, and never lose the confidence of knowing you are a damn good writer. The above situations I mentioned occurred at The Pampered Chef. I particularly advise you never work there. |
| Sissy Barbecue | Posted – 9/16/2005 2:40:30 PM | show profile Re: My Post Above ItGirl reminded me of bad work experiences, and I went off in raving madness without considering her problems and offering effective solutions. I aplogize for offering an irrelevant post. And I know you are in a university environment, but I feel as they are also run like corporations, so that input in my previous post still stands. ItGirl, I think you should leave. You aren't a good fit, and if it has started out this rocky, it's not going to get better... |
| SFElisaW | Posted – 9/16/2005 2:51:52 PM | show profile Q: Why are academic politics so vicious? A: Because the stakes are so low. (That comes from a friend who got a PhD in Medieval English at Cambridge and is now doing internal comms for an investment bank.) I think the woman was doing you a favor to take you out of the line of fire -- she wants you to settle in and do the work for awhile before having to go under the pres' scrutiny again. If you have something to jump to, by all means leave. But if not, I'd just do the work well and not worry about the feedback. Places often have their own house style (and sometimes it's awful) and it's just not worth it to try and change it when you're new and at a fairly junior level. The hardest thing for most writers to learn when they go into a corporate or academic environment is to let go of their work when there is an elaborate approval process. Do the best you can and leave it at that. You probably are coming across as defensive and sensitive -- chill out and just show them you're a team player. If you leave, I agree that you can easily leave it off your resume. Round the years up or down, or say that you were freelancing for awhile. Good luck - there will be other jobs. Try to stay sane out of work. In the long run, this just isn't that big of a deal even if it seems as if it is at the moment. |
| harryfred | Posted – 9/16/2005 3:06:42 PM | show profile 2 Cents Ridiculously Spent :) |
| ItGirl | Posted – 9/16/2005 3:10:50 PM | show profile To whomever said my grammar is ''iffy'' and that maybe my personality is an issue ... my posts on this thread are not intended to be indicative of my professional nor creative writing skills. I began this topic in quite an emotional frame of mind, so proofing was not a priority ... and right now, it still isn't. My purpose here is to get feedback from others in terms of what they've encountered in similar institutions and, as a result, what they've done and/or suggest I do. It is really interesting that, like someone else said, higher-ups with absolutely no English or professional writing experience act as though they are authorities on the subject. While I am experiencing this, I do feel as if there is some sort of personal issue at play. Yes, it does sound unreasonable, but it is an unreasonable situation. I have pondered that perhaps this is a hint that I should take a hiatus from the workplace in favor of freelancing and finishing my MA. |
| Mirage | Posted – 9/16/2005 3:32:23 PM | show profile ItGirl, the person who said your grammar is ''iffy'' is correct, and is likely trying to help you. I don't see anyone here trying to slam you--but maybe there is another side. The fact that your replies here are as defensive as they are may be a little bit of insight as to why your colleagues think the same about you. According to your posts, many of your coworkers are ''against'' you, and are making ''arbitrary'' changes to your writing. That's a little weird, as you yourself have admitted. And, yes, you might be an amazing creative writer, but that doesn't cut it in an academic setting, which demands a very different style. Haven't you noticed that yet? I'm not trying to be rude, but there were so many mistakes in your last post--yet you're defensive of your writing abilities in corporate communications situations where creative writing is irrelevant and often NOT an asset! My suggestion is for you to really look at the corrections you're given, and try to learn from them. Some may seem arbitrary because of an unfamiliar house style (but it is within the scope of your position, I assume, to familiarize yourself with the style of the company)--or some may seem arbitrary because you don't know what you're doing incorrectly. This job is clearly not a good fit for you, and since you're resistant to working toward ameliorating the situation with your colleagues and are instead spending your energy venting here, my advice to you is to give proper notice (NOT just leave, as you indicated earlier--that is not a mature reaction to the situation) and freelance and/or go back to school. You appear to be in a situation financially that allows you to do that--be glad, and take advantage of it. |
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