not getting fair opportunity

LegacyUser

Hi all, I am looking for a few opinions on how I should approach my boss on an issue.
Without giving out to much detail I work for a company that has a head office in the rep of Ireland and a number of regional offices around the country. I work in a regional office where they're is another employee and myself. I'm working for the company for just over two years ant other employee is with us for nine months.

A problem is starting to creep up over the last couple of months where the new girl has now being trained to a level higher than myself. Initially I would of trained her up on what we do. However the company have taken on another side of the business and it was decided that she would look after this without me being consulted. So as it stands she would be fully trained up in both aspects of the company where I am only trained in one which puts me at a huge disadvantage when going for promotion or new positions that arise.
I have approached my boss about this before in a informal way. .. Over a cup of tea and they got extremly defensive with me over it. I explained how I felt it was unfair that a couple months previous this person was brought into help me part time and now it's the complete opposite where I'm going to the other employee to get information. The conversion ended on the boss saying he will look into it. However since then he ha arranged for someone to come down from head office to cement here training and left me complaints out of the loop.
Another angle to the story is the boss and the other employee worked together for years on a previous company that went bust and when she she was unemployed he done his level best to make sure she got a job with him.
Any advice or opinions on the matter on how to approach the situation to make sure I'm getting a fair opportunity in the work place would be appreciated.
Ps I wrote this on my phone on my lunch so sorry if gamer or predictive text made a mess of some parts! !
Regards

Ray Palmer

I would talk to HR about it. It sounds like your boss likes the other person more. The problem is he is your boss and they can do that and may have complete discretion. They may already have agreed for that person to move up without telling you. All you can do is ask but you might not like the answer.

Eoin

I wouldn't agree with talking to HR (at this stage anyway).

I think you need to convince your manager that you're capable and willing to take on more responsibility, not argue that it's your right or unfair on you. Even if you feel it's justified, making a complaint isn't always the way to go.

Maybe think about how you'd explain how it would benefit them that you're given more exposure to the other side of the business, not how you're at a disadvantage at the moment.

And not everything needs to be done by consultation with the staff. Senior people are paid to make decisions. They might get them wrong, but that's their job.

tatli_lokma

I agree with Eoin. Clearly this other worker impressed the manager in the last place they worked and has continued to do so since starting in your company. Now of course, there could be some rose tinted glasses on your manager who doesn't want to see the failings of the new staff member. That is a possibility. But more likely they have proven in the 9 mths they are there that they are capable of more responsibilty. Perhaps you need to ask yourself what have you 'not' done in 2 years that means your employer is unaware of your capabilities.

You might also need to accept the fact that the other employer is honestly a better choice than you? If you have been working your arse off and getting consistently high performance appraisals and are still being overlooked, then yes that does seem a bit unfair. But as Eoin says, your manager is within their rights to make staffing decisions as they see fit, and despite your performance it might just be that he feels she is either better suited to the other responsibilities, or that she is a better fit in the role than you. It could be that he is quite happy withyou doing what you are doing and doesn't want to change things in that area.


Rather than moan about other people getting opportunities you didn't, you need to ask yourself how you can make opportunities for yourself. If you wanted to be retrained I assume you made your interest in the new responsibilities clear to your boss at the outset? If you didn't then you can't really blame him for offering them elsewhere.

I don't really see that the situation is 'unfair' necessarily, I see it more that you have not made enough of a place for yourself in work and the other person has.

Show your boss that you are interested, give him ideas of how you can help improve things, show the benefits of giving you an opportunity. And then once you are given an opportunity run with it. No one is going to offer you opportunities on a plate, you need to create them for yourself.

Zulu

Sorry OP, but time served does not always equate to ability.

Perhaps you are more able than her, but perhaps she's more able than you. Perhaps she's showing initiative and ability where you aren't? Maybe she only took the job on if there was a clear opportunity laid out in front of her, which she is in turn grasping. Perhaps your boss feels that you aren't really showing any extra initiative? We don't know...

I suppose, in short: Are you seeking more responsibility by taking on more work where help is needed? Or are you just doing "your job" while moaning about not getting breaks?

LegacyUser

Zulu wrote: »

Sorry OP, but time served does not always equate to ability.

Perhaps you are more able than her, but perhaps she's more able than you. Perhaps she's showing initiative and ability where you aren't? Maybe she only took the job on if there was a clear opportunity laid out in front of her, which she is in turn grasping. Perhaps your boss feels that you aren't really showing any extra initiative? We don't know...

I suppose, in short: Are you seeking more responsibility by taking on more work where help is needed? Or are you just doing "your job" while moaning about not getting breaks?[/QUOTE/]

Hi again and thanks for your replys.

To answer some of your questions and maybe expand a bit more.....
Totally agree that time does not equate to ability. No argunment there.

I would consider myself more able than my co worker as ive being there longer and have more experience of the company and its coustomers.

Ive being appraised by my manager on a montly baises i have also being appraised by head of sales more oftan than not and even the CEO of the companytook time out to email my regional manager regarding how impressed he was at my knowledge of the company, its workings and its coustomer base and problem solving. All of above is in emails that that are saved if there is ever a doubt or question over my ability or work eithic.

I suppose my real quipe is traditionally the senior person in the office would take on the new work and then when they had a good understanding of it passed it on to the junior person. That role has now being reversed. I have passed on all my knowledge as i was asked and now my co worker has recieved the new training. Hence she is now more qualified than me.

I have explained to my manager that if i recieved the same training that i could cover her holidays and sick days instead of brining in a temp that has no experience of what we do and can only take messages off the phone and increse my work load.

I dont know i feel im doing more than i be expected to work wise. I can see my co worker is doing less than she could( but making herself look busy) and im getting no rewards.

I dont want to go down the Hr route too early!!

Thanks again