[pandead]

I feel like a victim and even though I read many articles on the internet, I can't find a way out. I work in a very competitive environment: approximately 200 employees, 9 levels and my department includes me and my boss only. We pretty much manage 198 people.

It's a lot of pressure sometimes but honestly, I handle it pretty well and am always in a good mood. Most of my co-workers like me and I like them too. I can include my boss to this list, except he has been taking credit for my hard work for a while now and doesn't hesitate to thank the higher-ups for the compliments on "his great work" in email messages where I am copied. It is frustrating and making me hate my job, knowing that all my hard work would be his after he puts his name on it.

I read articles that say "try to put your name on your work" or "talk about it to higher-ups and ask if they liked what you have done" but it doesn't work this way at my job. He is the only one seeing the higher-ups and he is the one sending me the work he should be doing. I feel stuck and it makes me sad because the opportunities are great, really. Private health insurance, dental care, life insurance, a generous lunch budget, great office etc.

Should I quit? He is not going to change. I just had an email from him telling our boss that he is the only one working (I had to call sick for the first time in years and still managed to work from home) and it really hurts.

Please help me, should I just accept the facts and get over it? Should I quit?


Thank you.

[Stratmando]

Unless you have another job, I wouldn't quit. You may just have to accept it as wrong as it is. I have dealt with that for years. Made many people wealthy from my work. I came up with a saying:
" Shxx Floats"
Meaning, the best does not always rise to the top?
Good Luck

[Wondergirl]

Why aren't you in touch with higher-ups like he is?

[pandead]

It's company policy. I'm a specialist and he's my manager. We have 8 partners who only meet managers. Every time he gives me work to do, he asks me to send it to him so he can "make revisions before sending it" but he never does. He just sends it as is and he only tells them I did it if there are mistakes.

I keep reading about "how to let go" which is, apparently, my only option :s

[Wondergirl]

My younger son had a boss like that who stole his work and passed it off as his own and then in desperation finally arranged for a lateral move into a different department.

There is no way to bypass your boss when submitting something?

Is there another specialist like you in the same specialist-boss relationship?

Does your boss ever "gloat" to you about what he does?

[Alty]

Do you know the email for the higher ups? I think a solution would be to send the work you do via email with a time stamp, then send your work to your boss. That way they'll know that you did the work and he's taking credit.

I wouldn't be able to let this go either, so I can completely understand how you feel, and I have been in your position. When I was in this position I made very sure they knew who was doing the work. I documented everything, and I copied all of my work. When my yearly review came up I had a file of the work I'd done that my boss was taking credit for. When asked why my production wasn't that high, I handed them the file. I was promoted after that, and my boss was moved to a different department with a demotion.

[pandead]

He always says he is "extremely busy" and "doesn't have enough time to all the work by himself" so in addition to my work, I "help him out". I tried to send my work by email to higher-ups a few months ago and he got mad at me for not sending him first. As I said, in my department, it's just me and him. He is the one who decides whether I get a raise, days off, or when I can take my coffee break.

When there are other people nearby, he likes to say things like "please don't take another coffee break until lunch", then he will show me the pictures of his dog, send a collective email with funny YouTube videos, talk to me as a friend... so I don't get it.

Everyone in the office thinks he works a lot and maybe he does, but I just don't see it. I don't think he is a bad person but our job is one of those jobs where they make you feel they could fire you any moment and he is trying to stabilize his position as much as he can, using me. He is making at least twice my pay so I'm just waiting for a raise and if it never comes, I will quit, I guess...

[Stratmando]

If you can outlast him, you could get his job. If the Higher ups are smart enough, they should already know how he is. and possible your work.

[Alty]

It sucks, but in today's market any job is a good job. As long as you're not getting in trouble from the higher ups for not meeting your deadlines, maybe you do have to suck it up, or start looking for another job.

I would definitely stick it out until you're hired elsewhere. Jobs are hard to come by right now.