Involuntary/Unwanted Promotion

[hoops902]

I had a feeling this was coming, but didn't know for sure until last night and it was officially announced this morning.  I currently lead a small-ish team which overseas a very large vendor.  Effective today I was involuntarily promoted to another position which we needed someone to fill but which I don't really want (new position created, but we all knew there was a need for someone to do this).  My reports will be given to someone else and my new job will essentially be doing whatever I want to try to improve how we operate.  There will be some random "problem areas" identified as they come up, and I'll work in a process-improvement sort of way to address those (but not with any official process like Six Sigma that I'm required to perform).

Technically, this is a promotion.  I have no thoughts that my bosses mean this in any way other than a positive (I had my review the day before they told me this and it was the highest possible rating in every single category.  I'm not trying to brag, honestly, I'm just pointing out that these people love me, which is part of what makes any decision really difficult since they think they're promoting me).  I was leading this particular team because no one else was.  They're putting me in this position because they were already lumping a lot of that stuff on my plate, and while the results have been good, they realize I can't dedicate much time to it while I'm doing another full time job.  Now they just want to "free me up" to do it full time at my own discretion and picking the projects I want.

Here's the issue:  I don't want this job.  They know I don't want this job (they know now that I told them, they didn't know before they told me).  This is more of the individual contributor role and not in the people manager role.  I've been avoiding the high level individual contributor role for years, I've turned down job offers internally that people in other areas have practically begged me to come take.  In their mind this is a promotion where they're paying me more, giving me more autonomy in my job, and taking away a bunch of hassles I deal with today.  In my mind, they've just taken the career path I've been working on for a decade and tossed me 180 degrees in the other direction.  I'm probably more suited to the individual contributor role for my personality, I just have no desire to do it).

There were other organizational changes at the same time, it was a big restructure...but I'm the only person whose job is actually changing.  Everything else was just "you no longer report to A, you report to B".  The position I had no longer exists really, so anything where I say I want to keep my old job isn't much of an option.

What would you guys say/do in this situation?  I had an idea it was coming for a couple of weeks, and I still had no idea what to do when it happened.  I almost walked out, I almost said thank you and looked for another job, I almost looked internally for another job, I almost resigned myself to doing it because who am I to turn down more money, I almost quit and walked downstairs to our vendor for a job who would snatch me up in a minute because I'm the one who always has to lay the hammer down on them.  Instead I'm just sitting in a daze as people congratulate me on my promotion which is super awkward.

If they had told me I suck and demoted me, i would have walked out and told them off.  To me this is a demotion in that I don't want it, and what I'd be working towards in my career would be to move into a job just like I had yesterday.  I've been asked if I would like these kinds of positions before, I've just never been in a position where i was just moved to a higher level involuntarily.  I literally have no idea what I'm going to do. 

SPOILER:  Even though I have money saved, no kids, and this would be an ideal time to just quit on the spot, I'll probably never actually do that because my job doesn't suck.  I just don't want this particular one.  I don't have the balls to do that.  So I'll most likely just end up doing it with a shitty attitude for 6 months and become an office recluse tucked away in a corner somewhere.

[whoisjohngalt]

My dad refused numerous promotions through out his career.  He had no interest in managing people or projects or extensive travel.  So, the company just kept giving him raises without official promotions.

He must be super valuable to his company bc despite the fact that he was older and doesn't speak very clear English, he survived ALL the lay off and they allowed him to go PT when he wanted to - which is not a typical thing in their company.

My point is - it sounds like you are very valuable to them, so speak up.  Don't be miserable when you don't have to be.  

[Sum Dum Gai]

Some reason you don't feel comfortable telling your boss how you feel?  They just gave you a glowing review and a promotion, or they thought so anyway, it's highly unlikely they'll can you for telling them how you feel.

[hoops902]

Feb 6, 2014 15:08:18 GMT -5 Sum Dum Gai said:

Some reason you don't feel comfortable telling your boss how you feel?  They just gave you a glowing review and a promotion, or they thought so anyway, it's highly unlikely they'll can you for telling them how you feel.

Oh I told them.  My boss and my boss's boss.  Their reactions were basically "oh don't worry, you can move back into a people manager role as you advance, this is a great opportunity, it's actually a promotion, we're giving you the autonomy to do what you want to".  My boss actually looked horrified because I think she thought she was taking away the worst parts of my job.

The people who reported to me are being scattered because their individual jobs will be changing slightly so part of the issue is that my actual job simply won't exist anymore.  But it won't exist anymore because they first decided to change my job, and then realized if they did that my team won't have a leader anymore.

Essentially their response to "I don't want that job" has been "It's a great opportunity for you, we're basically giving you a job where you can do whatever you want".  Which isn't true, the 1 thing I can't do in that job is lead a team. 

The response is basically that if I don't like it, they'll work to make it something I will like.  I've been here long enough to know that means they're going to throw me in that job and if another job comes up, great...if not, at least we bought some more time.

I think if I said "do this or I quit", they'd do it.  With the reorganization though I don't even know what to ask for honestly.  There basically isn't a job in this new org chart that I'd want that I could realistically demand (like I could demand my boss's job, but that's not going to go over too well obviously).  Could I demand that they return my team to me as before?  Yeah, probably.  I don't think they'd actually do that though based on the reactions so far.

I've turned down promotions before...but I've always been asked before. 

[Sum Dum Gai]

Their reactions were basically "oh don't worry, you can move back into a people manager role as you advance, this is a great opportunity, it's actually a promotion, we're giving you the autonomy to do what you want to".

So give them the benefit of the doubt here.  You take a role with no direct reports for a year or two, and then move into a management position at a higher level where you have a team again.  Nobody gets to climb the ladder without taking a couple crappy jobs here and there.

They got rid of your position.  If you want to stay in that exact position you need to start looking for a new job.  In this economy.

[zibazinski]

Change is hard.

[hoops902]

::They got rid of your position. If you want to stay in that exact position you need to start looking for a new job. In this economy.::

The only brightside is that I work for a financial/insurance company, and we're saturated with those kinds of companies.

If anything, I'd probably just move to our vendor because I don't have any kind of non-compete and I already know they'd want me.

Realistically, I'll probably just stick it out.  I'm just a little salty because this isn't the first time they've made a decision because they like me that I wish they wouldn't have.  If they hadn't singled me out to keep me when we outsourced to our vendor I'd be traveling the world right now getting paid nicely to do so (some of this is wishful thinking, it's perfectly plausible and perhaps even likely that I would have hated that job).

I also recognize that just because I don't want this job doesn't mean that I won't like this job.  It will probably be a lot less stressful and give me an opportunity to actually use some of my vacation time.  If I take an honest look at it, some of my annoyance is that they are putting me in a position I'll be so comfortable in that I will be too lazy to ever leave.  I fear the "do whatever you want to do" edict...it might end up that I just spend my days posting here because that's "what i want to do". 

[hoops902]

Feb 6, 2014 17:00:14 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

Change is hard.

I'm used to change.  I've been here 8 years and have had 10 different positions, 9 different bosses, and changed desks 10 times.  I've even been involuntarily changed to some positions before.  I've just never been involuntarily changed to such a random position where I view it as a negative and my bosses all seem to think they're doing me a favor by promoting me. 

That's both the best and worst parts of working here.  If I don't like my job, reality says I'll have a new one in a year...but it bites when I have a job I actually enjoy.  It's not really the job that is annoying me, it's that I feel "unallowed" to be depressed that they've changed my job because everyone keeps telling me how great it is that I just got promoted.  I want people to feel sorry for me that I'm moving to a job I don't want dangit!

Starting now I look on the bright side.  I could pretend to move my mouse around for at least 6 months in this position before they figure out I'm not doing any work.

[Bonny]

Feb 6, 2014 17:36:40 GMT -5 hoops902 said:

Feb 6, 2014 17:00:14 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

Change is hard.

I'm used to change.  I've been here 8 years and have had 10 different positions, 9 different bosses, and changed desks 10 times.  I've even been involuntarily changed to some positions before.  I've just never been involuntarily changed to such a random position where I view it as a negative and my bosses all seem to think they're doing me a favor by promoting me. 

That's both the best and worst parts of working here.  If I don't like my job, reality says I'll have a new one in a year...but it bites when I have a job I actually enjoy.  It's not really the job that is annoying me, it's that I feel "unallowed" to be depressed that they've changed my job because everyone keeps telling me how great it is that I just got promoted.  I want people to feel sorry for me that I'm moving to a job I don't want dangit!

Starting now I look on the bright side.  I could pretend to move my mouse around for at least 6 months in this position before they figure out I'm not doing any work.

LOL!

This IS an opportunity for you. Think about the stuff that you've wanted to do, including whether you want to get some additional education/accreditation et cetera.

Just don't quit your overpaid good job in a hissy fit and open a toy store!

[Sum Dum Gai]

Just don't quit your overpaid good job in a hissy fit and open a toy store!

Always good advice.

[Value Buy]

Feb 6, 2014 17:36:40 GMT -5 hoops902 said:

Feb 6, 2014 17:00:14 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

Change is hard.

I'm used to change.  I've been here 8 years and have had 10 different positions, 9 different bosses, and changed desks 10 times.  I've even been involuntarily changed to some positions before.  I've just never been involuntarily changed to such a random position where I view it as a negative and my bosses all seem to think they're doing me a favor by promoting me. 

That's both the best and worst parts of working here.  If I don't like my job, reality says I'll have a new one in a year...but it bites when I have a job I actually enjoy.  It's not really the job that is annoying me, it's that I feel "unallowed" to be depressed that they've changed my job because everyone keeps telling me how great it is that I just got promoted.  I want people to feel sorry for me that I'm moving to a job I don't want dangit!

Starting now I look on the bright side.  I could pretend to move my mouse around for at least 6 months in this position before they figure out I'm not doing any work.

Am I the only one wondering about 10 positions in 8 years with 9 different bosses and 10 desk changes?

How was anything ever accomplished?

Your previous job description leads me to believe you were not just "clerical" where a job is mastered after a week.

This company seems to be operating out of usual business norms, imo

[zibazinski]

That many jobs may say that you are the FIX IT person they can count in to fix whatever doesn't seem to be working. DS seems to be falling into this category at COKE. It's job security, for sure, but he likes change on his own terms. Plus, he didn't get a raise this last time and he's not happy about that. Coupled with getting screwed on his raise the last time, he's so very not happy.

[alabamagal]

Well most people don't want the hassle of managing others, they would rather go off and work by themselves....you seem to be the opposite.

If it is a promotion and your management wants it, I would give it a try.  Do the best at the job you are given and that will get you far.

Sometimes people think that they are good at managing others and upper management doesn't agree.  That was the case with me.  Not saying that is you, but you should think about it.  Or it may be a case where upper management has a priority on the job you are assigned and want someone good to do it.

[hoops902]

::Am I the only one wondering about 10 positions in 8 years with 9 different bosses and 10 desk changes?

How was anything ever accomplished?

Your previous job description leads me to believe you were not just "clerical" where a job is mastered after a week.

This company seems to be operating out of usual business norms, imo::

Some of them were entry level data entry type jobs.  A lot of the desk and boss changes were all within the same department where we had at one point 7 managers.  Those managers flip flop around to different areas, so I had a different manager over me routinely.  I've also done a lot of "filling in".  4-5 of those positions were just advancing within the same area.  During that time I also filled in for a manager of the mailroom area while they were on maternity which has nothing to do with any of my other positions.  We've also done some reorganization lately with outsourcing to a vendor, so I've had 5 different positions now in a year and a half (2 immediately before we outsourced, and now 3 after).  The previous 5 position changes were essentially within the same department, so even position change just kind of builds off of previous duties.  Managing a group of 5, then managing a group of 25, etc.  We're definitely outside of business norms.  Without giving away so much that someone can identify me, our company is going through huge changes over the past 5 years.

::Well most people don't want the hassle of managing others, they would rather go off and work by themselves....you seem to be the opposite.::

The high level jobs here revolve around managing others.  If all else were equal I'd just work by myself.  Because I am not IT, I'm about capped out on where I can go without managing others.  The position I'm moving into is really the limit as far as individual contributor work (without being in IT).


::So by now I'm sure I've cheered you up But it's not really that bad. ::

Lol. It won't be that bad once I'm doing it.  A lot of it hinges around the fact that I've been ridiculously flexible with this company since I started (the whole 10 positions in 8 years thing).  It's kind of like when they say if you don't like the weather just wait 15 minutes, it'll change.  Even if I hate this job with all my heart, historical trend says I'll be there 6 months before they send me off somewhere else.