- Update -

Yesterday (Friday) I had a meeting with my boss and my boss’s boss.

I expressed my frustration and disappointment, and also told them that I felt passed over. They admitted that they have been trying for some time to get me promoted, but my mistake in my first year did enough damage with senior leadership that they had no interest in seeing me promoted.

My performance over the past three years has slowly healed that riff, and they did everything but promise I would be promoted this spring when annual reviews are completed.

I have good relationships with both of them, and I’m willing to believe their words and good intentions. My boss’s boss (who originally hired me) would tell me directly if he felt I was at a career dead end.

Thanks for listening to my rant, looking forward to a positive update this spring.

It sounds like the management system is broken at your job. Do you believe this brokenness will be worked out by spring?

A mistake you made nearly eight years ago is still affecting upper management's judgment about you?

If it didn't cost someone their life or a million dollars I'd say they're using it as an excuse.

I hope I'm wrong, but you may be right back here come spring.

Good, you have a few months to find something else in case the spring forward doesn’t pan out.

I’ve learned that, when it comes to dealing with anyone at work higher than you, believe nothing. They act like they are on your side but it’s all bullshit. They have to answer to their higher ups, not you. In your particular situation, now that you’ve aired your grievances, expect them to monitor you like hawks. Not that you’re going to do anything stupid, but any mistakes, even very minor, can be used against you in three months, “No promotion for you. Come back one year!”.

If both of them are telling you then hopefully it'll be next spring.

I got demoted in 2015. I took it. I screwed up. I skipped the next promotional that was offered. Then they finally offered one in 2022. I was set to retire in 2023.

The chief ordered me to take the test and said they mayor was over what I did and would promote me again. In spring of 2023 when I was debating retiring or not, the chief said they're going to create another spot in 2024 with the new mayor. It took till late 2023 before a spot opened up because of an early retirement so I got it. Just have patience if you believe in your boss.

This story is lacking in a couple respects, what industry is involved and what was the mistake? I was an employee and then boss in both private industry and then government service, in the IT field. Screwing up a single users PC is one thing, causing a causing a major network outage or allowing and intrusion through negligence is quite another. I told my people just one thing, our only job, our purpose for being here, is to protect the data of this organization.. Do that and we are golden, fail to do that because of negligence and we will have an issue... I had one person screw that up, I gave him every mundane task available until he finally quit. Some things you just can't come back from, like breaking a trust... So it just depends on what the OP did.

60

I find myself passed over for promotion at my current full time state job. It would have been an appointment, not purely civil service, so certainly some politics were involved. I met with the person that would have been my direct supervisor and we had a very Frank discussion. I am actually disappointed that I won’t be working for him because I really like him. I wasn’t passed over for lack of qualifications, in fact I got the impression that I was by far the most qualified, but nevertheless I wasn’t the selected person that’s now undergoing vetting, so I didn’t get the job. I feel very under appreciated and feel like I was sold a bill of goods when I took my current position after returning from CA.

I went to work in CA as a chief officer because the job seemed interesting and I hoped it would open additional doors. The job was cool, and I did well at it, and I’m very grateful for the experience overall. It wasn’t the right job to move my family across country for so I returned to my NY State job in a different role in the hopes that my new experience would allow me to shine in higher leadership roles as I had developed a taste for leadership roles and actually really became comfortable in those type roles and wanted to pursue them, even over the more technical roles I’d previously enjoyed. But now I really feel like I’ve reached a dead end and really don’t get much satisfaction from work anymore. The people are extremely nice and supportive, as is the agency as a whole, but it really isn’t scratching the itch anymore.

So now, I find myself with an offer to enter on duty back in the federal system. I’ve won my lawsuit against ATF and am now in the damages phase, but no longer have any baggage that would limit me in going back to the federal LE system. The position isn’t what I really love doing but the money is spectacular, thank you President Trump for investing heavily in this issue! So I’m about ready to go back to the feds myself feeling that if I’m not going to get the professional satisfaction that I’ve sought, I might as well make more money. Best of all, I will still be able to do some of the part time independent contractor expert witness work that I’ve just started doing in the areas of my LE specialties.

I don’t really have much to add other than to express my feelings and that I understand a bit of what you’re feeling now Ronin. My career took a slightly different path because I became a whistleblower that stood up for what was right as opposed to having made a mistake but it absolutely had similar effects on my career. Now with a legal victory and some time under my belt it looks like I’m going in a different direction than I anticipated, it barring the jitters that come with change and the unknowns of a new position I am looking at things with a new sense of optimism. I do hope that you get what you want and that the promises for good things to happen in the spring bear fruit. Good luck!

quote:

Originally posted by vinnybass:
It sounds like the management system is broken at your job. Do you believe this brokenness will be worked out by spring?

A mistake you made nearly eight years ago is still affecting upper management's judgment about you?

If it didn't cost someone their life or a million dollars I'd say they're using it as an excuse.

I hope I'm wrong, but you may be right back here come spring.

I am not sure of the OP's job or function, but in my past 3 jobs, (one 24 yrs, one 13 and one 6) before I went self employed, I can say the hte powers that be have long detailed memories, and that in some cases, you may be told you are the best for the job, but ,, you may find out you are in line to get it,

as in seniority and Bob , may not be as good as you, but he was here first) sometimes happens,


my first bit promotion (relative) happened after the 2nd or 3rd promotion became available,

boss, the DM, told me he had not idea I was interested

granted this was a dept head job in a grocery store, but apparently my Store Manager decided not to let the boss know, ,


same job, years later, change of company direction , and I was told, you can be demoted, or leave this position with a raise to another position (co Manager vs dept head)

so I did,
and was thankful another store manager and the DM (different one than before) had the faith in me


I could go on about job boards and company job postings, and the silliness that they are (as in they mean nothing) but it is late

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
Good, you have a few months to find something else in case the spring forward doesn’t pan out.

Yep. That’s exactly my thought as well. It never hurts to keep your options open. Who knows… you could find a position in another company that pays significantly more than the expected promotion would have.

Good luck either way.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:

quote:

I called my boss to ask why I was passed over, and he told me he couldn’t explain it because he isn’t consulted on promotions.

That’s an issue. Time to look else where.

That's such a weasel response from the manager

100% agree. It's the manager's responsibility to manage - both up the chain and down. A manager who isn't in the loop on whether one of his folks gets a promotion or not is either lying or does not have the respect of upper management.

I have been in my current job for over 20 years in the IT industry. I am known for getting the job done and taking care of my end users and have zero complaints, all my end users appreciate me. But have been passed over for promotion too many times because I am to vocal about keeping the dead weight staff on as employees. My supervisors and managers hire the dumbest cheapest most miserable lazy worthless people who don't know anything and expect me help train them.

And for the most part, if a person is willing to learn and tries then I will bend over backwards to help them, but some of them don't care and will find any way to not work.

Example #1. He forgot to bring a network patch cable to activate a data jack in the com closet and instead he reroutes a cable from an existing patched port to his, not even checking to see if it is being used, rather than walking back to the office to grab a cable (2 minute walk round trip).

Example #2. Taking a nap in one of the com closets and then stating that he was working with a previous client on an PC problem. Chair keeps reappearing in com closet after I take it out.

A lot of our applications are special ones that the new incoming tech has no idea on how to work with it or how to repair it. So I expect then to want to learn how to install / troubleshoot / repair it as necessary. It sometimes takes a while to learn, and not everyone is a quick learner, but I do expect them to try and I am always willing to help as long as they try.

But when one of these lazy s.o.b.'s really goof off I can't do anything about it, I reach out to my leadership and try to tell them the problem and they just don't want to do anything about it.

I care too much about my end users to let these bad techs screw them over and am constantly having to go back and correct their mistakes.

You need to document the missteps of the Sick, Lame and Lazy (shitheads). Additionally, document the corrective actions you took. Managers, even poor ones, need supporting documents in order to unhire (that's 2026 lingo for firing ).

- UPDATE -

Well… Here’s a post I did not expect to make.

My boss and my bosses boss got on a zoom call with me today, I’ve been promoted to senior manager. It came with a substantial raise and promises of future growth.

I’ve spent years trying to undo my sins of the past, sitting here today feeling pretty good about this company and my future with it.

Congratulations! I like happy endings.

Great news!

Congrats Ronin!

Glad to hear it. Semper Fi

Michael
USMC Ret

Great to hear this!

Congratulations!

Superb!