I'm a victim - strategy advice needed

[Jon Miller]

Just work 40 hours a week, and not more. It isn't like she will fire you.

Jon Miller

[Cort Haus]

She has a boss. You need to speak to that person, as if she's practically fired she surely doesn't have a long-term hold over you.

Comiserations, btw - tough situation.

[Zoid]

Originally posted by Pekka

Alternatively, I can try to make through this nightmare, last 4 months and make my moves during that time, so I can shift to other things immidiately and let her know I won't be signing a new contract. She will be pissed off, bu tas long as I have everything ready, it wouldn't matter, that is, she can't burn the bridges for me anymore as I would have already signed etc. with the future, the stuff I'm really looking forward doing.

Sounds like a plan As long as you see the light in the end of the tunnel and feel you have a way out of this nightmare you'll probably make it.

[Pekka]

Yeah, and I'll lose the goal I've been working for.. not a good idea. Then what should I do?

[Jon Miller]

Seriously, 40 hours a week. Ignore the tasks she gives you that can't be fit into that.

Jon Miller

[Barnabas]

Make your boss like you by being obsequious

[Krill]

Who would your new boss be? or rather, who will you shortly have to be sucking up to?

best advice is to do what you can for the amount of time you have to work. Check out your countries laws for maximum amount of time you can be employed to work, and make sure you never work more than that. It would definately help if you are part time and not full time, I think. Make it so that she has to find a way to fire you, because she will almost certainly have to go to a higher up and can't make the decision unilaterally now that she is finishing in a few months.

[Pekka]

MIller, right, but there's a problem. I can't finish some of my work then. That is the work I need to advance., OK? The REAL job I was hired for, that I don't have the time to do, I need to finish this regardless, I need to finish that research. My graduation is depending on it. OK I can dump that idea, and do that 'special work' (that's what it's called) for someone else, but it would effectively mean I wouldn't graduate when I planned on doing it, and I'v eplanned everything, so that I need to be graduating when I planned because of continuation plans after that. This really isnt' simple, I'm going to gain about 15 credits mandatory studies with this research as well, OK? Should I ONLY do that, I might be fired. I can't show it without no doubt, that it's her who is breaking the contract, because she has moved the projects under mine officially, and so.. there it is.

Cort Haus,. she doesn't. Her hold lasts on me until the end of the contract. But it's 4 months of total nightmare, abuse and ****. I'm thinking if I can get through it. The most benefitial for me would be to get through it, but just seeing the former employee makes me think that might happen to other people as well. Like, get sick and stuff.

Again, I need a real leverage against her. Then I can work it. If I can show she is breaking the contract, as in I'm doing jobs she gets the money and she was hired to do and I don't get paid for it, you know, I might be able to a) at least score that money back or b) have a hold on her so she lets me go without a fight.

[Pekka]

Krill, that's not how it works, I don't have to work a minute more than 8 hours a day. That's it. But if I'm discredited from the research, you know, it's over for me for quite some time. I won't be graduating anytime soon then either.

[Jon Miller]

Well, then just go and do the stuff you need to advance, and ignore the other stuff. If your boss asks why you weren't at that meeting, say that you didn't have time.

Work on what needs doing, than stop at 5 pm. You can sneak in some more work on your interests afterwarsd.

Have you ever thought that she just needs some of the Citizen? Put the Super moves on her (ignore any cold hands) and maybe she will treat you nice.

Jon Miller

[Pekka]

RIght, right. I'm not going to stay passive. You know I'm not going to let her get away with this, especially if I'm screwed out of money, ok?

I need to lock in with the goals I have and THEN I'll pay it all back with an interest. But since I'm not 100% sure waht to do yet, I'm taking the nice guy position for a while, just to make sure I have all the options left when I decide on one of them.

Also, just doing the stuff that I need to advance might get me fired You know, the contract, and my professor altering the projects. She can then show I'm not doing my part, which I am, but it could be interpreted as such. Then again, I don't think anyone would seriously believe it.

It was also nice that the person who was in my place before said that she will support me and that if I need support, I should just e-mail or call or anything. Kind of nice to know, even though I'm a Finn, so it's not like I'll make any contact. That would be intrusive .

[Japher]

I was under a similar situation in that I was given to much work and no matter how much I got accomplished I was repremanded for what still remained undone. It really ticked me off, so I quit that job (my last job). Unfortunately one of my coworkers, who had similar stuff done to her, left the job and on her way accussed the boss of creating a hostile work environment and sexual harassment. I knew this to be true, and when asked I colloborated her story, or what I believed to be the story. In return I was put on probation, told that my work was subpar even though it wasn't, and given projects that other coworkers had sat on for months and then told I was the reason for them being late and that if I didn't get them done in the time frame they laid out that I would be fired. I worked my arse off to get those tasks done, and when I did was asked why other tasks I had weren't done. Luckily, I had already been looking for a way out and early last November I told them that I quit. In my HR interview I told them they were a bunch of lying sacks of donkey dung and that the only thing I was trying to figure out now is how to make a year and a half of my life disappear from my resume because there is no way and hell I want a sheity company like this one to tarnish my otherwise awesome resume.

That may of done nothing for them to clean up their act, but it made me feel better. When I started at this company there were 5 validation engineers, when I left there were 2, and 1 of them quit less then 2 weeks after me. I really doubt they get it.

Sometime, Pekka, they don't care. Sometimes the bottom line is all that matters and your sanity, or your cares, or your integrity aren't. These people are jerks and are disgrace to the work place and to life in general. A real supercitizen would do everything is his/her power to make sure these people pay. However, in your case, with your education on the line I would do whatever it takes to make sure and graduate. That is job one; graduate. If it means 4 months of a total nightmare than that's what it will take.

I spent 2 years working 12 hour graves (7pm-7am) before I got a break. We pay our dues. Suck it up and take it, do your best to keep on her good side, ask for help if you need it, take no for an answer, get your degree!

[Flubber]

So I advocate sending the update email asking for priorities. If she is your boss, what you are saying is that you have too much to do and you want her to determine what gets done. THats a discussion employees have with bosses every day. Its tougher to say "tough luck" in an email when a person is requesting direction from a boss.

I mean, she can say its your problem all she wants but if you signed on to work a certain number of hours, she can't expect to place the weight of the world on you.

REally think about your options

1. Quit ( you can't cause you need the money)
2. Do everything assigned ( impossible from what you have stated)
3. Stay and do less than all tasks assigned-- THis is really your only option as you have laid things out but the key for you is to manage the expectations and relationships-- I still think you should send an email asking for her direction. Then later if a task is not done, you can have that as backup for her picking other priorities

[Jon Miller]

No. You don't understand. You have a huge list of things to do, not what can be done by a single person (so you claim).

You pick what what things you do. If you want, make a list.. but if not everything can be done, then why not select the things to be done that you want to be done?

If she fires you, well, that is that... but if you have a list of things done, people will see that you were doing your job, that it was just that you were given too many projects.

Additionally, if you do a couple of your Bosses projects, you will be useful to her and she won't fire you, even if she isn't happy with you. Because who else will do them if you don't? She isn't likely to hire anyone new in 4 months...

Jon Miller

[Pekka]

Flubber, yeah, I think you're getting the picture. I realize sending that e-mail would be smart, but but.. I have my office right next to hers, you know? She might suspect I'm gathering info, because this woudl be highly weird. Then again, she might not get it. Then again, this is again the same problem, if she gets pissed off, she can destroy my graduation plans and history shows she will do exactly that.

It's a mess, I know. I should be able to keep her calm somehow, work my way out, adn when the contract is over, if I get so far, then it's payback time. But but... you know because I really need those signatures, I really do, that's the main reason I took the job. Oh well..