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/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> The Cafe >> Training your replacement. Any advice? /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1593140727 Message started by philthymike on 06/25/20 at 20:05:27 |
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Title: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by philthymike on 06/25/20 at 20:05:27 What comes around goes around. When I was hired for my current job I replaced a contractor. The contractor was instructed to train me before he left. He did no such thing. Now they've brought in a contractor and had me give him access to all my systems and told me to let him watch over my shoulder as I work. Now they haven't said he's replacing me yet. But I asked my boss that question today and he couldn't convince me otherwise despite trying. Mind you the company announced a 20% staff reduction because Covid 19. Then they eliminated all projects funding. Then they cut our salaries 15% and made us take a day off without pay for 5 weeks. But yet somehow my 4 person team was somehow granted the funds for a short term contractor for some important project. This important project is very hush hush and quite unusual since none of my teams systems are mission critical. Meanwhile capital projects to infrastructure have been axed. Sooooo seeing as I'm in charge of training my replacement just like my predecessor, how should I go about it? |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by jcstokes on 06/25/20 at 22:41:03 Just be polite and courteous to this person, show him what he needs to know, but don't show him effective short cuts or techniques you may have aquired to make your job a little easier. When I got a redundancy/severance, plus a bronze handshake some thirty years ago, they asked me to show my replacement a vehicle route. I did as was asked and watched my replacement ride the clutch all around the route. I never said a word to anyone about that. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by Ruttly on 06/25/20 at 22:50:56 It’s time to let the evil side of your personality out. Have some fun with it. But try to remember it all so you can tell us about just how evil you can be ! ;D |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by justin_o_guy2 on 06/25/20 at 23:48:40 The contractor was instructed to train me before he left. He did no such thing. IDK how I'd handle that.. Really would depend on a few things,, |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by philthymike on 06/26/20 at 05:46:21 I have been polite. Just now I increased his access level as per his request. He seems like an alright kinda guy so I can't bring myself to dislike him personally. But I can't maintain the pretense that he's there to help out with a project and it's in my interest to assist him. I'm just not fake like that. I'm holding my Darkside at bay for the moment. Don't know how long I can keep it up before I go full Darth Vader. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by srinath on 06/26/20 at 06:27:35 I'd not train no replacement - I'll show him where the break room is and give him all the skeptical BS I know of. Be nice but no real work based needs to be conveyed. I did that in Feb and the person was well qualified - so docs and access and sitting in on a few meetings made him get to speed very well. Exactly the same way I got to speed. Hire qualified people and training needs to be just as minimal as described. If they want you to train the guy its likely they found someone off the street who's not qualified. I've been in that type of role too - on both sides, both to train someone who wasn't appropriately qualified as well as be the person who wasn't qualified. Not fun in either case. Cool. Srinath. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by ohiomoto on 07/03/20 at 16:05:33 It's not his fault he was hired to whatever he was hired to do so it's not fair to treat him poorly. Tough spot you're in there. :-/ |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by justin_o_guy2 on 07/03/20 at 16:16:57 Training your own replacement,, Whose job is it to HIRE qualified people? I wouldnt be a jakass to the guy,, he's just trying to food on his family,, But, if Im not gonna have a job soon,, why do I care about the employer who is tossin me out>? I would do whatever to not just get fired tomorrow, but I dont think I could find it in myself to teach someone the little intricacies of doing my job that I had to learn after I was hired,, I learned it on my own,, either this guy will find his way thru or out the door, not my problem,, Whats not fair? Being replaced and told to teach someone how to do your job is pretty high on that list for me,, |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by philthymike on 07/04/20 at 11:43:04 Whether or not the guy is qualified is secondary. More importantly they have to reduce expenses. So they can play a shell game by swapping a permanent employee for a contractor since each is paid for from separate budgets. Essentially they move the expense from one budget to another. Later on once they run out of capital expense budget they'll have to dump the contractor and hire a permanent employee again. The longer the budgets are kept below the red the more of a bonus my inept boss and his manager get. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by justin_o_guy2 on 07/04/20 at 12:15:37 So, sounds like youre getting out ahead of the bankruptcy.. Ive worked for a coupla places that were on their way out.. Workloads increased, stress increased, they generally bacame very unpleasant places to be.. If someone is so stupid that they can pretend that total profits wont maintain payroll and overhead with regular employees, but hiring contractors that cost the same money will,, well,, ya cant fix that for them,, The things Ive seen, because of people I know, when Agency sends in a person to fill a gap, cuz someone called in,, they get PAID a lot more.. And they are responsible for their taxes and Social Security,,. I guess the contractor get a contract,, so, barring getting fired for cause, he has a check coming for 6 months or a year? Ohh,, who cares,, Sorry youre gettin screwed.. I never did like hearin gramma say You go cut me a switch, boy... |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by engineer on 07/04/20 at 13:40:22 If a company decides they want to ax someone, they will do it whether or not a replacement is sufficiently trained. In my experience, upper management rarely knows enough about technical matters to know if a guy is truly qualified or not. My policy was to always train subordinates to do my job or at least a part of it. I did this so I always had good support and didn't have to worry about the place when gone for vacations or other reasons. It can never hurt to give another guy a break and help him get ahead. Someday he may have your job or he might save your butt. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by Eegore on 07/04/20 at 18:21:35 I'd say since you talked to your management and was not convinced you should inform them of that. I wouldn't take anything out on the person coming in. He wants a job, your management is in charge of that. He shouldn't be held accountable for anything you refuse to teach him, but who knows. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by Ruttly on 07/06/20 at 06:12:31 Yeah I been thinking ( I know that’s scary ) , I would want to buy my replacement a Starbucks every morning . All dressed up with cream n sugar or a latte all fixed up with a heavy dose of Exlax. I know I’m rotten to the core but he ain’t gonna learn much sitting on the toilet all day. Or have to go home to change his drawers. Just cause it’s a $hity situation ;D |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by stewmills on 07/06/20 at 06:42:52 I had many years invested in a fortune 100 company and was sorta laid off shortly after the financial dump of 2007/2008. I was really bitter for a long time and went through some of what you say as the company tried to reorganize for a few months before I was completely out. It took me a while but I got over it. I kept all my hate to myself and I am glad I did. Had I been hateful or rude to any of the people involved who were just doing their job, I would have felt bad later as everyone was just trying to survive the cuts and keep their families fed. It was the VP (who was later fired) who was making the decisions which led to my job being dissolved, and I never forgave him for the bad and completely impersonal decisions he made (they later reorganized my team to repair his shortcomings...but it was years later and I was not involved). In short, all you can do is what is asked of you and consider that at some point one of these guys could try to rehire you back as a contractor or connect you with someone who needs your skills. Has happened to my dad several times working for government jobs for the corp of engineers. Like you said, it is just a matter of what bucket they have money in and they juggle the people around on paper. Go to bed at night knowing that you were the bigger man. You don't have to give away the farm, but don't be that guy that no one wants to see coming down the hall...that'll get you nowhere in a hurry, especially if you think you need to rely on any of these folks later for opportunities, referrals, or references. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by Ruttly on 07/06/20 at 07:40:09 Hey Stewy , Can I buy you a cup of joe ? ::) |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by stewmills on 07/06/20 at 08:02:56 5B7C7D7D6570090 wrote:
Sure! Mail it to: JOG East Texas 8-) |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by philthymike on 07/07/20 at 06:19:37 I can't help the contractor with dealing with my boss. Only time and experience can help there. It is amusing watching someone else struggling as I have for the past year with the aggravating communication problems this guy has. He never provides any written instructions or requirements because he doesn't want a paper trail of his bad decisions - which is pretty much every decision he actually makes because he couldn't dodge it or put it on someone else.. With this guy it's all verbal and what he says from one day to the next varies wildly. To make it worse he doesn't really know what he's talking about most of the time and has a shockingly poor technical vocabulary. But he acts as though he knows everything about everything even though it's clearly obvious his technical know how is zilch.. And the cherry on top is his propensity for throwing his underlings under the bus when things go wrong in order to cover his rear. Honestly I won't be surprised if the contractor bails in a few months because of the boss. Heaven knows I've been applying for other positions in the company to get away from this guy for awhile now. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by justin_o_guy2 on 07/07/20 at 06:23:40 Hit me with the bosses email Ill get ya a new assignment by lunch.. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by stewmills on 07/07/20 at 07:11:30 I used to work for a guy that was the same. We had govt contracts andhe would lie to get them and lie once we had them about service levels, server failures, you name it. All lies. My boss was the intermediary to the VP who did all this, and once they started the "no evidence game" with me I would email them each time they asked me to lie about things and essentially say "although I may not see it this way, I went ahead as YOU instructed me to do and .....". I finally left that company WITH a load of emails protecting myself in the event that there was ever a lawsuit for breach of contract. So...just because he doesn't put it in writing doesn't mean that you can't send an email or text saying "hey, I did that thing for you just like you instructed", though I know that all environments aren't conducive to that. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by philthymike on 07/07/20 at 08:07:40 When the 20% staffing cuts were announced a hiring freeze was also initiated so no chance of switching teams now. We have an email distribution list includes everyone in our department including my bosses bosses so every so often I send messages to it asking my boss for clarification on his instructions. At times it's almost hilarious watching him put a spin on the topic to cover his rear. Or use his favorite tactics of pretending he doesn't understand me or acting like I'm talking about some other task. I'm sure the contractor will eventually figure it all out on his own. It's pretty universal nowadays to find bosses playing the no evidence game. Was the same story at the last 4 or 5 jobs I've had. I got so tired of it at one place 3 years ago where it was really bad and found work someplace else only to hear from a former coworker there that upper management canned nearly all of middle management without warning a few weeks after I left. Wish I had been there to see that! |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by ohiomoto on 07/07/20 at 08:25:15 Dealing with gods, err, bosses.... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrQzqz_drkM&t=74s[/media] |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by philthymike on 07/07/20 at 08:53:50 That video is funny as hell! Also funny in an ironic sense is the problem of verbally assigned tasks and projects not having any documentation for the work performed. Because evidence. Sometimes the boss doesn't really think that through and it bites them in the butt later. For example, on one project the boss never realized one task required the creation of a slew of system user accounts and passwords for use by external systems and peripherals. Since no documentation was asked for nor desired those details exist only in my head. And when things inevitably go wrong, after my head gets fired, it's going to be an extremely painful time for the boss. Especially considering he won't even be able to blame the contractor for it. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by ohiomoto on 07/07/20 at 10:27:57 Yeah, that girl does some very "smart" comedy... |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by LANCER on 07/08/20 at 02:03:20 Stew is correct, do your best on your job and let the chips fall where they may, you need to be the bigger man regardless of what management does. The trainee is not the issue, your character is. Do what is right and God will handle the rest for you. If they are having you train your replacement that will happen regardless of what you do, so do good and right and you will be blessed. Who knows, this can be a stepping stone to something better. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by Bokobob on 07/17/20 at 12:21:59 I personally would do the best I could to give him every bit of knowledge and know how I possess. I say that because I believe each employee should give his/her best to the company in exchange for wages. You are wise and ethical to not hold anything against him. If/when you are let go, you will find a better job elsewhere. I empathize with your situation and in likely feeling you are being used, but the new guy is innocent of doing anything against you. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by philthymike on 07/25/20 at 10:42:07 I'm taking the next week off because use it or lose it time. I'll be taking the free time to begin job hunting. It would be ironic if if they decide not to fire me but I leave for a better job anyway. They also instituted a voluntary early retirement program with incentives for people with a certain amount of years to leave scott free with a big bonus and full retirement benefits. And it has bit them on their private parts. We're seeing a mass exodus of the most highly valued and irreplaceable personnel we have. Positions that absolutely demand long experience in the business and responsibilities most people in their right minds won't even consider at the offered salaries. Chaos will ensue. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by philthymike on 09/16/20 at 15:11:56 The axe came down today. And took off my bosses head! I shall remain. The 1st good news of 2020!!!! |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by justin_o_guy2 on 09/16/20 at 16:40:20 130B0A0F170B1A0E0A0806630 wrote:
I cant help but laugh.. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by philthymike on 09/16/20 at 17:33:02 4A555354494E7F4F7F47555912200 wrote:
I cant help but laugh.. [/quote] I've been trying to be professional. Trying really hard not to laught my f**king ass off! But the truth is I'm living the American Dream. I didn't get to kill my boss but he got canned. And that's alright by me. Deserved it more than anyone. Especially considering back in April when my dad passed he called me nonstop day and night while I was on bereavement leave trying to get me to work. I had to call HR to get him to leave me and my family in peace. Because of that event I have no sympathy for the guy. Sucks to be him. On a positive note me and the contractor work pretty good together! |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by justin_o_guy2 on 09/16/20 at 19:01:43 All good news. I've been pissed about the whole thing till now. I hope your relationship with the contractor insulates you from being disposable. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by philthymike on 09/16/20 at 19:12:00 594640475A5D6C5C6C54464A01330 wrote:
Actually good news there too. My company is 51% owned by the federal government and because of prevailing political climate in Congress the company has had to reduce its reliance on contractors and cut offshore projects completely to qualify for bailout money. This time last year we were 50/50 employees to contractors. Now it's 90% employees. Contractors were either cut or hired. Maybe my new contractor buddy will be my new coworker if this keeps up. I did laugh out loud upon hearing the news about the offshore projects. No congressional money can go towards that anymore. About time that crap got choked off. We'll be fixing the badly coded products from them forever otherwise. Like throwing money in the toilet. Someone out there in politics is making sense. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by ohiomoto on 09/17/20 at 09:47:23 That's great news, not for your ahole x-boss, but good for you! Sometimes karma works out and doing the right thing pays off. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by philthymike on 09/17/20 at 15:30:48 23242523212338234C0 wrote:
Yes. i agree with you and the others that provided similar wisdom. At 1st I felt resentful towards the guy. My small side whispered naughty ideas to me but my large side won out and I treated dude like part of the team. In today's meeting with him and his bosses we outlined new strategies for moving forward with the loss of my boss and then he spoke up in support of a change I proposed a few months back. So he's on my side now. Nice to have an ally. As for the former boss he called me on my personal number last night bitching and whining about his dismissal. I tried to be white about it and listened for quite some while. But in closing the conversation I reminded him about the time he hounded me day and night after my dad passed. Just to let him know my sympathy wasn't there. It's tough luck for him. It coulda been me and for awhile I was convinced it would be me. I've got a crapload of new grey hairs from it. He should've been a better boss. If he spent more time actually being a boss than he spent trying to get potential new vendors to wine and dine him it could have been a different story. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by justin_o_guy2 on 09/17/20 at 21:59:31 I reminded him about the time he hounded me day and night after my dad passed. I probably would have let him whine a while and dropped that on him..too. Happy for you.. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by philthymike on 09/18/20 at 05:38:07 7C6365627F7849794971636F24160 wrote:
Had to work late last night. I got tasked with changing all our system passwords so former boss wouldn't be able to access any cloud systems anymore. It was a late night task that I didn't mind having to do for once. Something therapeutic about it. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by zipidachimp on 09/20/20 at 11:40:04 The guy you are training may have been tasked to evaluate you for a promotion. Karma! Cheers! 8-) |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by justin_o_guy2 on 09/20/20 at 12:49:16 7E6D746D6065676C6D6974040 wrote:
B. I. N. G. O. B.I. N. G. O. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by philthymike on 09/21/20 at 17:25:22 I'm now asked for technical oversight on the contractors projects. In fact I'm now being included in lots of architectural type crap and being asked for my recommendations. Certainly nice to have a voice! |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by justin_o_guy2 on 09/22/20 at 03:57:26 It's good to still have your head.. |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by philthymike on 09/29/20 at 17:23:07 Now that the firings are done the company is deploying a major reorganisation. As of the 1st I'll be moving into a better position on a better team. And my new job title includes the word Engineer. Finally! So contractor dude is replacing me after all. Glad he's been trained and able to do my job now! 8-) |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by justin_o_guy2 on 09/29/20 at 18:09:38 Keep us up to speed |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by philthymike on 09/29/20 at 18:40:17 My head is spinning at 8000 RPM |
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Title: Re: Training your replacement. Any advice? Post by ohiomoto on 09/30/20 at 14:54:05 Totally cool! Love when good karma happens. |
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