Submitted by reed1011 on
in
Forums
Hello, this is my first time posting to the forum boards, however, there is something that has been driving me crazy now for months. I was trying to be patient to see if Mark or Mike would ever engage with the issue, but unfortunately my patience has been worn thin. I apologize for the long post, but I feel that providing some context to my issue will be key in providing appropriate feedback. So without further to do...
I am currently a young professional working as an ASM at a very large hardwood floor retail outfit. For the past 6 months or so I have been involved in the grooming process to become a store manager.I apologize for posting to a community who largely deals with professionals on an executive level rather than a lowly retail associates, however I feel that the principles and circumstances of my situation may very well transcend to the high levels of the corporate work environment. My boss has gotten himself very used to calling on me to take care of any and all issues that need to be taken care of around the store. The most prominent issue has been him becoming too comfortable calling me in on my days off. I have worked at least one day off nearly every week of the year. Whether it has been covering for a sick associate, or he just "feels" that the business would benefit from my being there, this has got to stop at some point. As of my last paycheck, I have totaled 220 hours of overtime YTD. What has become more frustrating is that all of this is done through the perspective of "development". Just last week I had actually confronted him on the issue and his answer was just as expected. It went something along the lines of "if you don't want to step up and prove that you are willing to do anything for a career opportunity, I totally understand". So to make a long story short I will just try to ask my question directly.
At what point does developing an associate become simply dangling the proverbial carrot, and how does one go about drawing a hard line with a boss who seems to have no regard for the type of extra-work commitments that I am involved with. I am not looking for a way out of helping the success of the business ( as I am very passionate about that), but I feel that there is no question that my boss realizes the position that I am in and is loving every second of it.
Any and all feedback will be greatly appreciated.
Is it the job, or your boss?
You can't draw a hard line with your boss. He's your boss and he makes the rules.
You can choose not to come in on days off, and if you truly feel that he's dangling the proverbial, exercise your right not to work for him.
Look to your peers - has anyone else in a similar situation actually been promoted? If so, how long did it take? Did they do what you did?
If you are promoted, will you still work for this guy? If so, do you want that?
I suspect the issue is not the work, or the overtime, but the guy you work for.
Can you use weekly updates to approximate O3s so that you and his priorities are aligned, and reduced the friction?
A few casts that might help:
There's not really an external answer to your question, it's very much one for you to decide at what point the carrot is only every going to be dangled. You can always work on a relationship though. Try to improve your relationship with your boss, then you can make an informed choice.