What should I do?

[apothecary]

Hey guys, looking for some advice here.

As some of you know, I work for the CSIRO, and I love my job.

My boss just left on holidays in Europe for a month, and so he showed me his "Annual Performance Agreement" to check off stuff he needed me to do.

As I looked it over, I saw several items on there, stuff that nobody had been willing to do except me, on there. He had taken credit for my work!

It was things I was especially proud of too, converting the lab wide wiki to mediawiki and upgrading it to work with a CSIRO wide authentication interface, a demo cd that I created for demoing at the CeBit technical expo, and other stuff.

Incidentally, I wasn't allowed to go to the expo, but I was happy that they were using my stuff. The boss of the lab was so angry that there was no way to demo all of the labs work, and nobody not even my boss wanted to do anything about it, but I put my hand up and took on the huge project (and completed it) myself.

Now there are emails in my inbox from the boss of the entire CSIRO divsion putting my boss in charge of the division wide wiki, giving him credit for all of it, and he has just palmed the work off on me and left! No doubt he will get credit for the work when he gets back.

I just want credit where credit is due. I'm not asking for everyone to say "hey great work dude, you rule, have a payrise!" (which my boss got), just that the work I did be recognised as mine.

What should I do? I will probably talk to the boss of the lab about it, but there isn't much else I can do. The IT industry is dismal right now, there's little chance I could get a job like the current one.

[woof woof woof]

Hey dude, you did the work and now you get the shit end of it,.... is there someone higher then your boss you could go to. Takes balls to stand up for yourself. It will prove you have character and that you do not anyone walk over you!!!!!

Just let someone know how this makes you feel without comming accross as a wuss!

Think about what you need to say and how you are going to say it. All you need to do is to lay it in on the table.

They cant fire you for that. Maybe your boss will like you a little less There is also a chance that he will admire you and at the same time dislike you for doing that.

In the end it boils down to; "Is it worth doing something about it?" So what hangs in the balance realisticly speaking - what is the worse that can happen?

Hope this helps.

[smogs]

lots of bad things can happen, its not good when your boss doesnt like you

unfortunately this thing happens constantly... prolly the best thing to do is if u end up talking to higher boss casually saying "hey did u like that thing i did, it was hard work but im glad igot it done"

[Darklight]

apothecary:

As I looked it over, I saw several items on there, stuff that nobody had been willing to do except me, on there. He had taken credit for my work!...What should I do?

Welcome to the wonderful world of science cob, this happens all the time...

First thing I'd do is keep your opinions on your bosses honesty to yourself wrt your co-workers. Personally I find this near impossible, but with experience of well timed strategies being more effective than out and out verbal sabotage, and getting older, it all comes at least easier than it used to. What has happened to you is supremely unfair, but your co-workers will all have their own agendas and by the time word gets around who knows what the story will have morphed into, even with the best of intentions

Do you have actual records of your work? Dated logs of any kind? Assemble an emotionally neutral case for having been the author of your products- emails, software purchase discussions, meeting minutes and logs etc. Try to do it without setting off alarms for any of the other staff.

Next wait til your boss has settled back from wherever they are. Give them a day, and then ask to discuss your work with them. Don't let them put you on the spot for an immediate discussion, you want an appointment, that way you're professional and emotions aren't as likely to get in the way. That way they don't get a chance to present you as unreasonable should you lose your cool in front of whoever else happens to be there at the time. Maybe ask to discuss the list that you were left there with, something relevant if only tangentially.

Front your boss first. It's only fair- they may have a differing view as to what's happened, and it shows respect. Enquire as to their intentions- it gives them a chance to explain their POV and may clear the whole thing uo without needing it to go any further if they apologise and make amends- not just offer but actually do it. They may actually provide a reason that makes sense, bad day, scattered thinking, organsiational, who knows...

Take your documentation with you- don't wave it around aggressively, just bring it in with you organised properly and offer it for their inspection. Make sure you have a copy for yourself too, just in case your bosses copy falls into the bin during some improbable accident. If this fails then at least you know you have more guts than they do, and you can try anything else with a clear conscience. If it works, then whacko problem solved.

Take notes during the meeting if you can, make sure its diaried somewhere. From here on in you want everything in writing.

If that fails, do you have an HR person you can talk to? Maybe the person who organised your contract? Is it possible to discuss the issue with them, maybe not to redress the current situation, but the next best thing is to organise your employment so it never happens again.

Make sure solutions or actions discussed are implemented. Don't be fobbed off by promises with no resultant actions. If that happens, wait a week and definitely take your case uphill. If you have approached your boss with no result after a week, and are comfortable with their supervisor, schedule a brief meeting with them and present it as a concern of your supervisors management technique rather than a personal issue. If this behaviour is routine for your supervisor, it will create unrest with people other than yourself and will result in organisational problems down the line. If your bosses boss isn't interested, assume you are either wrong or are working somewhere fucked and start looking for work elsewhere, making sure you put what you have done on your CV.

This sort of behaviour isn't uncommon in the science industry and prolly elsewhere. It will be a total pain to get your records straight the first time you do it- especially as much of it should be done on your own time as possible. With practics ( should it happen again ) you'll get better at it, and you'll at least have the satisfaction of having behaved honourably, even in the absence of reciprocated treatment, and the knowledge that you are so good at what you do ( have a bit of faith in yourself there willya? ) that other people will probably try this again at some stage- and you'll be prepared for the next round elsewhere

Having said all this, for the record I had the total best boss in the universe when I was employed at my last science job before I went consultant. I still talk to her once or twice a year, and learned a lot both personally and professionally from her. But I was lucky- almost everyone I know has had their work published or recognised, and funnily enough their name isn't on the paper.

[Darklight]

Learning to handle conflict appropriately, professionally and sensitively is an important part of everyone's professional development.

Knowing you have behaved well and done the best you can is another, cos it you that you have to live with after hours...

Don't take it personally, it probably won't be the last time in your working life this will happen unless you're very very lucky. And you're far from the only person this has ever happened to.

And remember, success is the best revenge...

[/rant]

[strangebrew]

Welcome to the big wide world Apo!

When taking initiative on some project or other that you want to try and make sure you get some credit for, it can be good to be "seen" by other people, not just by your boss. Talk it up, make a few enquiries or phone calls to other higher-ups if you can work it, even on a pretense, just to make sure they know you're doing the yakka, or that it's your idea. Now is the perfect time as your boss is away! What better excuse to start talking about the work you've done to the "big boss"!

In a way, the ball is in your court now, as you have put in the nitty-gritty and have the knowledge, the know-how. It sounds as if he would be stuck without you.

[apothecary]

Trust me, if I left, they would be in a large pile of shit.

[bloodbob]

I don't know whats in the letter but lets look at it this way.

Your boss is head of a section or atleast a project. His been told to manage this project he has succuessfully gotten his team to develope/whatever else the project. He gets the congratulations because he is the face of the team.

Or maybe his just an asshole.

[gerbil]

Something positive to think about apo...you could actually do the work and the project was appreciated. The boss got the credit, but where will the boss be when he needs to do something for himself, in life, where he doesn't have people to do his work?

Yes he gets more money, climbs the ranks, but where's a shiny medal going to get him? There's only one place fitting for that, a nice windy coin slot orifice.

You're the one with the brains, and be happy knowing that you're not taking credit for other peoples work, i think that ultimately is the most satisfying.

IMO talk to the higher bosses that you want to, and when your boss comes back from his holiday, have a chat with him about how you don't feel it's fair going unnoticed for the effort you are putting in, and simply becoming a tick on a checklist. I understand he has goals and all that to achieve, but it's no reason to be doing what he is doing IMHO.

[monkeyZ]

while he's gone, can you fill his pc up with beastiality in a clearly named folder, then somehow link this to the wiki?

[Torsten]

apo, when you're young this sort of shit happens all the time. That the only way some people can actually move ahead. Sadly it usually means you have no future in that hierachy and you may have to move sideways to get ahead. But bottom line is that at the moment you are doing the stuff and YOU are the one with the (increasing) skill. That's what matters in the long run.

Darklight's advice is good. Give him a chance and don't burn your bridges. But make sure you have the last word ie I hope you've built in some backdoors. Maybe you can use these backdoors to prove who the real creator is... or maybe you can just get even later on

[ 28. June 2005, 13:59: Message edited by: Torsten ]

[Qhorakuna tantani]

You stole my idea T.

Actually, I've heard of lots of people in the software developing biz or just IT biz putting backdoors or just eggs in their programs to prove that it is their work. Things like steganography work well and possibly just things like Help> about. with something mentioning the real developers of the program(s). I heard a story on the news a while ago where someone took a company to court over a dispute of ownership. The real developer won the case because he had used steganography to put a watermark into the program. Clever stuff

As for the problem at hand... I think what DL said about not getting emotions involved is quite important. As much as emotions help us to show people in normal life how much something has pained or wronged us... it just doesn't matter in a lot of business situations. Being young they can easily dismiss you if you seem too emotional. Coming strictly from a professional sense and showing the unprofessionalism of your boss, will often help a bosses boss to realise that he might not have the right person in charge

[Salviador]

Its dangerous to go over your bosses head, but if you could think of a way of including your boss in the proceedings that would give credit to both you and your boss. Ie well, my boss had the foresight to suggest we improve certain aspects of the company, and i was the one who implemented the change in these occasions...

[apothecary]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I haven't said anything yet, it's been way too busy.

I'm taking Darklights advise and for now am keeping my opinion to myself, I'll plan carefully for when my boss returns.

Torsten, what you say really worries me because there isn't much sideways room to move in this industry.

What I need is one or two contracts for small businesses administrating websites or servers. I don't really need a lot of money a week (I live well below my means), but definitely need a steady flow of cash. Such things are definitely out there, but pretty much impossible to find.

[Darklight]

apothecary:

 I'll plan carefully for when my boss returns.

I like what qhorakuna tantani said about putting an egg or a watermark in there somewhere- is it too late to do that before your boss gets back? It's legal, it's probably a professional standard, and it marks your work as obviously yours.

Best of luck with it all

[apothecary]

All my work is marked

[simon_marklar]

whenever you do anything on a computer put in the source code a comment with "authored by simon on 5/5/55" at the top AND bottom.