Anyone else tired of always being overlooked?
Posted by BoardGamesAndMurder@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 110 comments
I own multiple systems at a company made up of a few thousand employees. I oversee the sysadmins and security admins. I also do a lot of the sysadmin work myself since the others are very young and inexperienced.
We had a big project, high impact, high visibility, no documented requirements, and very little time. Our dev team busted their asses delivering, and me along side them. I was called back from PTO, worked nights, and worked weekends. I was hands on with this project from the inception. The dev lead and I designed the architecture and did all of the coordination with the business. I did a whole lot of the development work to get this thing running.
The CEO sent an email to all of the executives highlighting the achievement of this thing and what a huge effort it was. He said to forward his email to the people involved so they can see how grateful he is. You know, rather than asking who those people are and including them in the email. Well the guy I report up to forwarded the email to the dev lead and a project manager thanking them for all their hard work. I wasn't on it. The dev lead called me and said that it's too big of a slap in the face for him to see happen to me and he's calling the guy out for it. The kicker is that the project manager wasn't even involved. Not her project. She didn't attend a single meeting or even spend one single moment on this project. But she's been given credit for all of the deliverables coming out of this org recently so I guess she deserved this win too, even though she didn't contribute.
This is just a rant, but I'm really starting to look at other roles or companies.
InfiniteStream@reddit
Lol, TRY that on me and you have a role to fill that you need 3 people for.
Ark161@reddit
I kind of stopped looking for the kudos to be honest. So long as the people I work for directly know my value, not micromanage me, and let me cook, I make their lives easy. They want the glory? Go for it. Im back in my office screwing around for most of the day thinking up ways to unscrew decades of jank.
But yeah, this kind of thing definitely warrants putting your feelers out there.
BoardGamesAndMurder@reddit (OP)
It's not the kudos, it's the career advancement. They rate all directors/managers/etc against each other and do rankings. Our pay is tied to the rankings. I was already told that I was barely placed ahead of that project manager in the rankings. She was well behind me but moved up a lot because of the visible kudos she's been getting for projects she didn't even work on. It's infuriating that people lose money and it's given to her when she literally didn't even work on the fucking projects
jefmes@reddit
But I will ask...so what? You were still paid to do the job youre doing, right? Looking thru your other comments you seem very fixated on being valued and acknowledged, and seem to be seeking validation through your employer. That is a dangerous path, prone to disappointment. Work is for work, and if you get a moderate raise and/or bonus at all, thats much better than many receive.
jefmes@reddit
I was going to say a bunch more, but its all mostly been said. But one thing Ill add that jumped out at me - you dont own multiple systems at the company. The company does. You may be responsible for managing and maintaining these systems, but dont ever delude yourself into thinking they are yours. That creates an overly emotional bond to something that can go away at any time. The second the company decides they dont need you, its someone else's responsibility, and as much as I appreciate a strong work ethic and a desire to take ownership of projects as work assigned to you, we all in IT need to seperate whats important and interesting to us vs what the corporate owners casually dismiss.
GnarlyCharlie88@reddit
Damn… I was active duty Air Force for a little over 10 years and never got called back from PTO. That's crazy…
Solid-Bridge-3911@reddit
Definitely look for roles elsewhere. You shouldn't tolerate this kind of disrespect. Nobody fucking touches my PTO
BoardGamesAndMurder@reddit (OP)
They've been steadily less respectful of my PTO. To call me back from in AND leave me of the thanks is a lot to digest
TotallyNotIT@reddit
Because you've trained them to contact you on PTO by answering the phone.
Hacky_5ack@reddit
I mean, if I see someone out of office on PTO, I'm not going to call them out of respect as a human being.
TotallyNotIT@reddit
Ok. The reality we live in is that expecting other people to give a fuck is a recipe for disappointment. If you respond to a request, you have disrespected your own PTO.
Solid-Bridge-3911@reddit
No, because the management doesn't respect their employees. Don't put this on OP.
DrAculaAlucardMD@reddit
This is partially OP simply because they allowed this to progress. With my job I set clear expectations of what I can and can not do, when I am available and when I am not. If I'm out I set an away message and leave my work cell / laptop at the office. If they contact my personal cell it's only the departments direct report, period. Then I will make an exception. Otherwise my items are clearly documented, as are all the weird fixes and restoration processes.
Management doesn't have to respect me, I respect myself and set boundaries. Don't be a super Dave people pleaser. Do a good solid job and set boundaries. It will save your mental and physical health down the road.
TotallyNotIT@reddit
He can't control what they do. He can control how he responds to it. Expecting things should be better or different and then bitching when they're not is stupid.
Box-o-bees@reddit
It's both. You have to be able to set clear and healthy boundaries. People will treat you how you allow them to. Even with good intentions, people can walk all over you if you let them.
No_Carob5@reddit
Phone isn't with me on PTO. It is... But I'm not answering unless the whole infrastructure is on fire and I'm bored aka. in the room resting and interested in helping.
Projects we knew about? Lol 😂 No. Not any of the employees problem not even PM...
Tech_Mix_Guru111@reddit
It’s a toxic org, it’s probably expected all hand pitch in for the good of the release or some stupid shit like that
TotallyNotIT@reddit
People throw that word around so much that it's lost all meaning. It's very easy for things to slide into unpleasant territory when you set no boundaries. It's easy for someone to think "sure, I can answer this one fast question" or "I forgot to send this email before I left".
Over time, continuing to not set clear boundaries results in that person getting called constantly and then bitching because their PTO isn't being respected. That isn't inherently toxic, it's the result of the individual creating bad expectations through disrespecting his own PTO.
While I won't disagree that people should know to leave people alone when they're OOO, I also live in a reality where I know that expecting people to behave in a way I want them to without having to say anything is about as likely to happen as Shakira showing up at my door demanding to sit on my face.
Tech_Mix_Guru111@reddit
I get it, but managers and orgs know that PTO is so important and it’s time away to de-stress, and they advocate for self care, etc and probably pay some has been healthcare person to be a coach for weekly /monthly meetings bc they care about the employee but those same orgs will run you ragged for the next “critical release” or manufactured urgency to suit themselves. Boundaries are important, but the org and culture comes first
Bright_Tangerine_557@reddit
Hopefully you aren't salaried. Were you able to at least get reimbursed for the PTO you had to abort on?
WlOOSws@reddit
Yes take his advice.
Pub1ius@reddit
I have never once been thanked or received any kind of acknowledgement for any completed projects or other accomplishments in 13 years I've been with my company. But they pay me more money every year and respect my time. So while it would be great to receive some thanks, I'll live without it as long as the money keeps increasing.
mailboy79@reddit
That by far is the most disgusting part.
However, the fact that you worked "for free" is a problem that you need to correct.
If you aren't being paid appropriately for the level of effort you are exerting, its time to start looking elsewhere.
If what you are describing is true, the place will burn down if you walk away. I'll personally donate the bluetips.
liggerbreek@reddit
The others were very young and inexperienced - what happened to the older guys? No documented requirements. Called back from PTO. No recognition for going above and beyond. You might (think you) have a good job but that is not a good company to work for.
Mysterious-Safety-65@reddit
"We had a big project, high impact, high visibility, no documented requirements, and very little time." That is cognitive dissonance. How is tit that you have this, with no docomented requirements and little time? And... (reading lower...) no project manager?
BoardGamesAndMurder@reddit (OP)
You know exactly how. Mismanaged fuckery
MrCertainly@reddit
Be a Chaos Vulture
Embrace the confusion. Does the company have non-existent onboarding? Poor management? Little direction, followup, or reviews? Constantly changing & capricious goals? These are the hallmarks of a bad company…so revel in their misery. Actively seek these places out. Never correct your enemy while they're making a mistake.
Stretch the circus out as long as possible. This gives you room to coast, to avoid being on anyone's radar, etc. Restrained mediocre effort will be considered "going above and beyond." Even if you slip, you can easily blame "the system", like everyone else at the place. Every single day, week, month of this is more money in your pocket.
1944 official CIA guide for citizen sabotage of organizations: https://i.redd.it/7r0grz6dgsn81.png
Do not worry about "the environment you leave behind" when you depart a company. Do you think they're going to care about your personal well-being ~~if~~ when they lay you off?
Notice is a merely a courtesy, not a legal requirement (save for a few exceptions). Continuity of THEIR business operations is THEIR problem, not yours. They should have a plan if you accidentally got hit by a bus full of winning lottery tickets. Would they give you notice before laying you off?
Always be kind to your peers, but don't worry about them when you leave. If your leaving hurts their effectiveness -- that's a conversation THEY need with their manglement. The company left them hanging, not you.
antimidas_84@reddit
That guide is hilarious!! Unless you are an axis national, then I will politely shut my mouth.
I deal with people like this all the time so I wonder if the tactics infiltrated to be the norm.
MrCertainly@reddit
You mean, you deal with people who are tired of giving 110% when they could literally can be terminated at any time, for almost any (or no) reason, without notice, without compensation, and full loss of healthcare?
Golly. I wonder the fuck why? What do you think?
antimidas_84@reddit
Woah lol, that was intense. I guess I was thinking specifically about the acting stupid. maybe I am giving too much credit to the past with a little work ethic, but I wholly agree that the current status of corporations in the modern era is fucked up.
I mean you started with chaos vulture, hard to think it wasn't a little tongue in cheek.
ketaminenut@reddit
Yup.
AirCaptainDanforth@reddit
No I’m just conditioned to not even care about being overlooked anymore.
DrAculaAlucardMD@reddit
Your PTO needs to be recouped and either cashed out or recovered for use. Secondly nights / weekend work should be given additional PTO or paid time. Salary at 40 hours a week does not translate to unlimited hours during the week, and there are federal guidelines on this.
I would email your direct report expressing your displeasure and request for the items in point 1.
Apply elsewhere and then inform direct report after you accept new job. As a fun little bonus state "I'm sorry, but due to prior events I don't believe you can afford me, but feel free to try." Expect this part to go poorly.
Grimmush@reddit
Same old story with the sys-teams.
Rule 1. Fuck the CEO and all the Cs. Rule 2. Fuck the PM. Rule 3. Fuck the company and their all hands needs; do the job, get paid and clock out.
These fuckers cant even be bothered to give credit, how are they going to act in a situation where they have to downsize?
How much are they going to weight the decision to keep the people managing the infrastructure if they don’t even acknowledge who they are and what they do?
vNerdNeck@reddit
This sucks and it's a slap in the face. However, you do need to take a step back and try and figure why you weren't thanked. Was is pure malicious, or did they honestly not know.
I've seen this happen, many times. It's usually the folks who are heads down ass up kinda people. More worries about getting the job done, then communicating and talking.
If that's you, realize that in a corp world, especially a company of any size those who do the updating and talking to the leadership are the ones that are always gonna get credit. Because they are visible. If you are just working, the only folks that see you are peers and lower. It's sad the world works this way, but none of us are gonna change it. You have to put effort into being visible, not just expect folks to recognize your efforts in the sea of employees
NDaveT@reddit
There's a military historical novel by Bernard Cornwell, I think part of the Last Kingdom series, where the protagonists leads an army to victory in a battle. One of his companions advises him to immediately ride to report the victor to the king, because if he doesn't some other noble will get there first and take credit for the victory.
ManyMag@reddit
In a similar situation several times, big project, short time, a major customer... multinational company... working weekends and PTO... last time, there was... a price... do you know what I did get?... a $25 Amazon gift card... and that's it... WTF?... my manager and my manager's manager got 4 figures bonus... since then, I take my PTO... delegate everything I can.. without busting my peers... and say "NO, thanks"... to almost any major project... my days have improve a lot with work life balance... I just do help on things that I think are improving my skills... or interest to research... anything else... I say "GFY"... no more issues or feeling behind... now, I know what is important for me and set my own expectations...
aes_gcm@reddit
Mate it's hard to follow along with that many ellipsis in your story.
ManyMag@reddit
...Try to read it again having toxity from system of a down as rhythm... that might help...
aes_gcm@reddit
I don't understand what this means. To be clear, I can read your post, but it would be significantly easier to read without ellipses.
Mountain-eagle-xray@reddit
No, leave me alone
matt95110@reddit
I once got into a shouting match with my boss at a company I used to work at because the CEO and executives sent out an email at the end of the year congratulating them and their departments on a job well done and my boss added nothing to that communication except that IT kept the lights on.
We had delivered multiple projects all year long and bailed out multiple teams when they dropped the ball.
Now I don’t care, just pay me every two weeks and I’ll keep the lights on.
WALL-G@reddit
This is the IT way.
You seen that episode of the IT Crowd in season 1 where Denholm Reynholm talks about how every department is 3x faster due to the new computer network, then he ignores IT and thanks the lawyers, accountants, cleaners? It's a great scene, go watch it.
That literally happened to me.
Brand new building, new WiFi, new Cisco switching, firewalls, servers, completely new and shiny everything and it was built beautifully if I may say so myself.
I'd spent many OT hours making this nice and they almost didn't open because my boss fucked up his one job of provisioning the circuits lols.
Anyway, we're all standing outside the server room next to the canteen while the CEO gave a token speech, she thanked the HR department, the finance team and the comms team for putting company branding stickers all over my new cabs.
I always thought she looked like Jack Nicholson's Joker. Awful woman, I hope she slips and falls in the shower.
I wasn't there too long after that, the infrastructure team quit en mass, they never replaced us and got ransomwared and lost everything anyway.
ErikTheEngineer@reddit
Having been incredibly lucky and not experienced ransomware yet...what happens then? Does the company just fold up and go out of business? Or do they just rebuild everything from nothing and start at Day 0 again?
aes_gcm@reddit
Yeah that's it. You either restore from backup, pay the ransom, or lose everything. If you can't afford the ransom, and you have no backups, that's it. Amusingly enough, I hear that most ransomware groups will do a little bit of research first and know to set the ransom so it fits appropriately within the company's revenue, that way they have a higher chance of it getting paid. But even so, that's a sure way to go completely out of business.
WALL-G@reddit
Honestly I'm unsure, smash the glass and pull the cables in the cabs to stop it spreading, inform the appropriate authorities especially you had a data breach, wipe all your stuff/buy new, reset all the passwords, be upset then figure out how they got in.
They got hit a year or two ago after I'd gone, part of me was curious how it spread because there was a lot of segregation of devices, departments, servers - but I don't know the fine details.
When I was there we implemented Veeam and offline tape backup solutions but I dunno who looked after that once we left.
I know they rebuilt from the ground up as I still have a couple of friends there.
I was a sad knowing they ripped out all my work but ultimately it wasn't my equipment and I got paid for my time so bleh.
harplaw@reddit
I used to work for a bank that decided to change their core software to something cheaper. The old software company had an offboarding package that was insanely expensive and left behind 2/3rds of their customer and account information.
I wrote 20+ extracts, transformed the data so new company could use it, and wrote imports for it. The day of conversion, I worked from 11 AM Friday until 3 AM Saturday morning doing end of month and end of quarter processing, getting our data out and into the new system. I slept for 3 hours and was back at 7 AM Saturday morning to install the new company's software on 150 workstations, migrate our ERM to their new system, and wrap up monthly reports on the old system.
My boss nominated me for employee of the month. I lost to our HR person because they had scheduled everyone's training session with the new company. It was a mandatory training on a Saturday a couple of weeks before conversion and some on demand training modules ☠️☠️☠️
aes_gcm@reddit
That truly sucks. Quite frankly I don't know what HR does with their time day-to-day, and I think in the end you definitely carried most of the team with the change there.
Opening-Sprinkles951@reddit
Oh I hear you my-man... It can be really frustrating ain't it? Oh well you learn to move... sometimes you need to be your own cheer leader.
Blue_Line@reddit
It’s IT. I don’t get credit for things working but get attention when things don’t. I stopped taking it personally years ago and just do my best.
BadSausageFactory@reddit
I had a manager tell me once that management is about taking credit for other people's work, and he was right.
ErikTheEngineer@reddit
That was one of the things that made me turn right around when I got my management opportunity. I tried it twice in two very different organizations -- it's the job itself, not the culture. I could never make that leap where you're no longer being evaluated for how well you do your job, but how well others do theirs, then you have to self-congratulate and steal all their thunder so you can keep crawling up the greasy pole. No thanks.
BadSausageFactory@reddit
I've been promoted a couple of times and it wrecked me. I don't like being responsible for other people, and I don't like having to base my performance on other people doing their job. Not knocking those who do, there's things beyond shoveling horseshit, but I've always been averse to the peter principle.
OGTurdFerguson@reddit
When I was a manager and director, I just couldn't do it. Maybe it's my blue collar upbringing or my dad who exuded humbleness and humility. I just can't stand NOT giving people credit when it is a deserved time to shine. I've even done a lot of project work and thanked my employees for me being able to count on them to keep things moving so that I could be successful.
It's one of the reasons I can't go back to management. Such self-congratulatory bullshit. Listening to other directors disparaging the groups of people I know bust their asses for them just ruins the job for me.
Rhythm_Killer@reddit
Management is about giving credit for your team’s successes and taking ownership of their failures not the other way round.
Anyone who doesn’t get that shouldn’t be in the job
SkyeC123@reddit
Poor management is taking credit for other people’s work.
Good management is giving credit to those that planned and executed the work— which thereby makes the manager look good because they did their job. And of course, the oft forgotten steps of follow up and celebration for said work.
BadSausageFactory@reddit
Oddly enough, he was the only manager I've had in a while who was good at that. Always mentioned people, got bonuses passed. He talked like a jerk, but really was a pretty solid guy. People are funny.
baz4k6z@reddit
Maybe his comment about taking credit for other people's work was a joke ?
Actions always speak louder then words
KDassDad@reddit
Good management is passing along the praise to the team and taking the blame when it fails.
SkyeC123@reddit
Oh for sure. Failure is its own reward eh. ;)
mobiplayer@reddit
Sometimes it's good to go under the radar. Best case scenario they just pile up more work on you. Why would you want to be the person that gets called back from PTO for every important project?
brother_yam@reddit
Old man here; I don't care about recognition. I know not everyone gets juiced the same way, but my motto is:
"You don't know what I do until I don't do it"
My only metric for success is how many people talk to me. I mean, when was the last time you thanked the electric company or your postal delivery person? If I can make the system an "appliance" that "just works," I'm doing my job correctly.
I've collected all manner of acrylic stars or obelisks or whatever for whatever Great Job This Month/Quarter/Year. I always leave them at my desk when I go to a new job. Don't care, really never did.
oradba@reddit
Agree on the PTO comments. Sometimes you have to give people the gift of missing you, then, when you come back to all kinds of problems, communicate what you are doing to fix it up as high as you can.
largos7289@reddit
Anytime i feel overlooked i cut off the internet. Suddenly I'm Mr popular! LOL.
rosseloh@reddit
My office is in a corner far from most of my users which is good in the sense that it requires physical effort for someone to come up to my desk and ask for help without a ticket, and it's fairly quiet. I can also use my Unicomp keyboard without anyone complaining. But the downside is I've had multiple times when they've had donuts, or an office lunch, or something downstairs and who tells the IT guy? Nobody! I'm lucky if I find out when I'm leaving for the day and see a bunch of empty pizza boxes...
But all of this is far, far less of an issue than what you're describing though. I'm in a small enough place that while we definitely could be better about recognition, it does at least happen sometimes. Mostly because our team is not large, so anyone who has to talk to "IT" for whatever reason, may very well know us by name already.
CharcoalGreyWolf@reddit
Send this around anonymously.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uawkX1CuOIo
Jolape@reddit
I send this video to my coworkers every time we finish a big project and don't get any credit for it (or worse, another department that was only tangentially involved and did a tiny fraction of the work we did gets praised).
Bear_With_Opinions@reddit
Immediately thought of this
vmeldrew2001@reddit
Me too. It is so true.
anonpf@reddit
No. I just do my work with as little stress as possible, then go home. I don’t need the added stress of someone’s approval.
ITGuyThrow07@reddit
The last thing I want is a bunch of peoples' attention so I'm perfectly fine flying under the radar. My boss knows this too, so he make sure I'm take care of.
BoardGamesAndMurder@reddit (OP)
The problem is that if you don't get these kind of thanks you get a meets some expectations in your review and you take a hit to your raise and bonus. Not to mention promotion
anonpf@reddit
I guess it just depends on the employer. I’ve received pretty hefty bonuses from my manager for doing what I do. If you feel you’re not getting the proper pay or promotions, then it’s probably time to move on and find a better pay day.
BoardGamesAndMurder@reddit (OP)
Yeah. I'm coming to that realization. I used yo love owkring here and the shift away from that has been painful
Temetka@reddit
If I had enough $$ saved up for the next few months, I'd seriously consider putting in my 2 weeks. That kind of behavior is not only just rude, bot dis-respectful. You've paid your dues. There is no acceptable reason for this. Any reply along the lines of "Sorry we forgot you OP, good work." would seem half assed and half hearted at MOST.
fatbergsghost@reddit
It also tells you that they physically don't understand what you're doing.
If your superiors don't know what you're doing, or what entire departments that they're responsible for are doing, then you wind up with the problem that they have no respect for anything you do.
When the work is going well, they haven't put themselves in the position of understanding what the work even is, so they don't know that it's going well because you worked hard. They can't appreciate what you do, because they don't know that you did anything at all.
When it isn't going well, they haven't put themselves in the position of understanding the problem. They don't even know who's responsible for the problem. They just have demands on something to do something about it. There is no reason or justification you can give for why something can't happen to "them". Ideally, you have a manager who is insulating you from demands, and is able to process and communicate the "nos" and the problems you're having. But if that's not happening, or the people that matter are so insulated from that, then it's just "Where is it". Also, they are just saying "Where is it", they're not asking what part of the process you're trying to deal with. They're not saying "Aha, and so when that obstacle is cleared you should be able to get this done, but it's still in the way", or "So you need to talk to this team and get them to do their bit to continue", this is all your problem and your deadline.
iceyone444@reddit
This makes me look elsewhere- fuck em.
ReyDarb@reddit
https://youtu.be/zZCszIUcyVM
BaldBastard25@reddit
Not to sound like a Debbie Downer, but I'm almost 58, and have been in IT for 33 years, and it's been the same BS pretty much every place I've ever worked. I even spent five years as a vendor engineer for Microsoft, which should have been the pinnacle of my career as a Windows and AD Admin, but nope. The constant reorgs, the weekly brow beatings about "80% util," and all those layoffs since 2022...
sounknownyet@reddit
It's by design at this point. Managers are on psychopath spectrum. I can't help myself but the pattern is so visible once you've an experience, empathy and dig deeper.
Tech_Mix_Guru111@reddit
Great! This is good for you! You’ve now moved into the position like the rest of us who now know how it all works. Sysadmin are cost centers, not value add centers like dev teams. Don’t waste time trying to persuade me of how keeping the systems on, secure, available are important… I know that, hell even the higher up executives know that. BUT if they acknowledge it, then they have to properly fund it and no way that’s gonna happen.
You’ve got a thankless job that takes real skill to know how it all works and that intimidates the others who don’t provide real value outside the manipulationships the curate day in and day out
Break2FixIT@reddit
I have come to terms that I am Batman for the org.
I will be the good guy behind the scenes, even if it requires me being the bad guy to offending staff. I do not need any pats on the back, as I protect the org from the villains that they don't want to know we are combatting.
fatbergsghost@reddit
To some extent, you're always going to do this. But this is also not a healthy way to be. At some point, you'll be trying to put out the kind of fire that's only in the background, and your bosses will throw some foreground stuff your way and start asking where it is, when it's going to be done. If your bosses at least don't know how busy you are, then they'll assume that you're not busy and that you're lazy for not getting to whatever thing they want from you.
i8noodles@reddit
yes. my team was cut in half about 2 years ago. they promised msp support which fell through twice. promised 4 new hire in 3 months. only got 1. even if we got all 4 we still would be 2 short. now there are rumours of a hiring freeze.
during that time, no pay raise or recognition for essentially doing 2x the work. i have resigned and they are 100% screwed when i leave but it aint my problem
ruyrybeyro@reddit
IMO, your team isn't smashing it when it comes to public relations or marketing your efforts internally. Other departments seem to be better at playing the game and showing off their wins.
Why not jazz it up a bit? Regular status updates, slick PowerPoints, and emails showcasing progress on big projects can go a long way. Maybe even host a casual gathering when you hit key milestones—nothing too flashy, just something to make your hard graft more visible to the rest of the organisation.
AtarukA@reddit
I know this goes against what you would have preferred (and deserve), but personally speaking I prefer staying in the shadows and let my manager take the credit.
I only want my manager in return to give me credit when it's due, I don't want them from my boss. The reason is that I never work for a company, I work for a manager who manages me.
This may be related to me and my agoraphobia that I have been working on for over a decade now.
coolsimon123@reddit
Welcome to working in IT, it is a thankless job
FazedOut@reddit
My dad (retired) was an electrical engineer that coded physical interfaces to work with digital systems. Once, he got invited to a party for finishing a project that he never even worked on. He didn't know what was going on, and found out later it was for something he never touched. Oops! He felt terrible.
A year or so later, he had his OWN project that was a huge deal. He busted his ass working on a project, days, nights, weekends, and got it completed. His coding was the essential part that made it work. They had a big party, again, but this time he wasn't invited. Some other guy got the credit. That guy tried to back out and send it to Dad, but Dad told him "hey, they did the same thing to me last year. They have no idea who does what. Take this win while you can, because you'll be forgotten later".
I've taken this advice and on my yearly reviews, I've pasted in EVERYTHING I've done that was a big deal in the previous year (I keep a OneNote tab on accomplishments) so that when it comes due, the bosses see exactly what I did before they try to lowball me on a raise, credit, or whatever.
My advice is to tell your management, explicitly, what you've done, and tell them to send it up if you can't do it yourself due to social norms, etc. But you deserve credit, and bosses don't have any idea nor any care for what anyone else has done.
abstractraj@reddit
I’m a manager/engineer and all I do is get recognition for my engineers and get them the best raises I can. I hate it when people refuse to give credit. I was once a pre sales engineer at HP, won a massive deal pretty much single-handedly with a “hardware” super store. Sales reps never once acknowledged me for a $600 mil deal
bindermichi@reddit
Here‘s the thing. If you do not report to management, they will not see you. The project manager probably had a ton of meetings reporting with them the progress . For management the PM was leading. Depending on your role they probably didn‘t even know you are part of the project.
But another thing: if you are leading a team your job is. It to do the team‘s jobs. It‘s to enable them to do their job on their own. I haven‘t even touched a single system in years since my job is to lead a team of capable engineers that will do that.
I focus on shielding my engineers from weird requests and unnecessary meetings so they can focus on work without being distracted.
Also: turn off your work phone when you are on vacation.
SDplinker@reddit
Please read this in its entirety. https://www.ribbonfarm.com/the-gervais-principle/
MeatWaterHorizons@reddit
Tis the nature of IT. My boss treats me like I waste money until a server dies or he can't open a PDF.
djgizmo@reddit
Never be too faithful. Companies are DESIGNED to be faithful to the bottom line.
If your boss didn’t get pissed off about how your name wasn’t praised , why are you still there if your boss doesn’t give any fucks?
DaNoahLP@reddit
Newest News: Company is shitty.
Next big thing: Water is wet
Ok-Double-7982@reddit
Getting called back while on PTO is always some straight up BS. That's an indicator of unacceptable understaffing and redundancy.
I do want to say this, don't be mad at the CEO. The CEO acknowledged all the hard work on the project, that is HUGE. They also are smart enough to know they will never know all the players and every single contributor, so that is why they asked the guy you report up to, to be the one to forward it to those who deserve praise. That's the guy who dropped the ball.
I've been on the opposite side of things where people specifically name names and they royally fuck it up. They always leave someone out and they always praise someone who had zero to do with it. Your CEO knew of the importance of the job and trusted the guy to know the right people to thank. That's who you should be mad at.
BoardGamesAndMurder@reddit (OP)
You're right, I hadn't thought about the email that way. If the CEO had asked my sr director for the names, he clearly would have just fucked it up anyway. I'd have been left out then too.
slaur@reddit
This is the shit fed employees are overlooking This is the shit we would need to deal with when we leave. We need to hold. Also contract renewals, and at will layoffs. Got a laptop ready for a new contractor today, she was let go bf grabbing her laptop. We have more rights as a them, as a fed....we cannot be fired as easily. its not easy to fire us. Don't rush to leave your fed job bc you are scared. We need to hold.keep in mind that trumps promises never came to fruition. Mexico did not pay for a waĺl We need to hold and prepare. Looking at history, he has always been alĺ talk. And work on our emergency fund and resumes. It's scary but he's all talk and no results. Look at his cabinet pick. He is weak. And in less than a year will not show loyalty like he demands. Bet
ez_doge_lol@reddit
Be the boss you wish you had. Also, managing your manager is a real thing.
vagueAF_@reddit
Welcome to IT..
as a sysadmin this only ever happens.
Liquidretro@reddit
People care when things don't work, never when they do. General users don't like change either.
goishen@reddit
It's always been this way, it'll always be this way. I'm not excusing it. I agree, it sucks. Best you can do is call her out on it.
Turbulent-Pea-8826@reddit
You gotta play the game and make sure you get the credit.
adamixa1@reddit
If they are not respecting your efforts, what are you waiting for?
tacotacotacorock@reddit
Office politics, bad vertical commutations and potentially bad management are common in bigger orgs. Annoying but it happens.
patmorgan235@reddit
If a project was high impact enough and high priority enough, and you were so Integral to the project to be called back from PTO there better be a fancy dinner where the CTO personally thanks you for your work and dedication (and a nice bonus/raise).
If the company is not willing to do that, I'm not willing to come back from PTO.
Lemonwater925@reddit
Yup. Been there. Did a significant redesign and it is going over gang busters. My boss doesn’t understand the work I did and thinks it was not a a big change. Outlined for him all the improvements that have come out of it, blah blah blah.
He comes back says he talked to the VP. What did you say? He tells me. I look at him. Are you serious? That is not even close to what was done.
No matter how good you are it all depends on your mgr as to the level of reward.
Sasataf12@reddit
You mentioned "always being overlooked".
So does this happen regularly, or is this incident the only time?
BoardGamesAndMurder@reddit (OP)
This is the biggest slap on the face but the being overlooked has been increasing over the last 2 years
lelio98@reddit
Called back from PTO, worked nights and weekends? Why? Also, if you are managing juniors, let them do the work. Mentor and train them, don’t do their work.
BoardGamesAndMurder@reddit (OP)
Oh I'm doing lots of mentoring and training. They hire kids straight out of college with literally no experience and give them the keys.