My husband is stuck working for a very poorly managed company/team. He's been saying for years that he needs someone else to train for his job as a backup and they keep saying that it will get better. He's overworked and underpaid and they still haven't hired someone for him to train to help him and be his backup. This week he is on vacation, but is near a computer and COULD log in if he wanted (his bosses don't know this). They've had a problem with his process and have left him messages on his cell phone about it. He doesn't want to call them back since he's on vacation and he'll just get dragged into working. I think he should at least call back, but not actually do the work. Perhaps he could just explain to them how to fix the problem--of course, it's programming so I doubt he could do much over the phone. Technically, he is on vacation and should not be available. He's looking for another job, but should he call them back and try to help? What do you all think?
2007-11-21 03:02:11 · 5 answers · asked by larey 3 in Business & Finance ➔ Careers & Employment ➔ Technology
The main thing is I don't want him to lose his job because he didn't call back while he was on vacation. He's looking for another job, but in the meantime, we still need his income.
2007-11-21 03:24:19 · update #1
Thanks for the opinions guys. He's NOT going to do the work. He will call and tell them how to fix the issue. It's a very simple fix and they should have no problems with it. Otherwise, they can wait until Monday. :)
2007-11-21 04:22:08 · update #2
I hear your plight, I, too, was caught in a similar situation myself, with cell phone calls to me while I was at Disney World with my family. Imagine standing in line for a ride and answering questions to someone regarding a serious H.R. issue. Not goo.
For political sake, and to keep peace in the workplace until he is ready to go he should call them back, give them the fix to solve the problem. No need to burn the bridge with the company, he wants to leave with a clean slate and on his own terms when the time is right.
2007-11-21 05:55:52 · answer #1 · answered by hr4me 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He should respond to their messages.
Theoretically, all the programming and processes should be well documented so someone else onsite can fix it. That never really happens totally.
I spent a career in IT, many years technical and many years in management, and one of my sons is now in IT (technical), and I do know that it's very common for people to at least check in or be available for phone calls during their vacations, and maybe sign in if there's a problem. If he goes to another company but in the same field, he's likely to find the same expectations. Training a backup sounds nice, and it is a good idea, but pretty much all high-level IT people have some knowledge that nobody else in the organization has. If he can explain to someone how to fix the problem, great - but sometimes that can take longer than just signing in and fixing it. Since I don't know the exact situation, hard to be more specific - some things will keep until he gets back, some won't, and from the messages they left he should be able to figure out which this is. If his bosses are just calling him and it isn't critical, then my opinion is different that if it's critical. And if he made changes just before he left on vacation, he should have known better.
When I was technical, and occasionally even when in management, I fielded calls at night, weekends and from out of town on vacation, and sometimes signed in to check out a problem or fix it. This is pretty common in the IT field. Maybe that's part of why the pay is decent.
2007-11-21 05:29:26 · answer #2 · answered by Judy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Time to go...seriously. He should take all the time off he's accumulated and use this vacation to find another job where they will treat him right. This situation is going nowhere for him (or you or your marriage).
Good luck!
EDIT - I'd rather eat rice, beans and water for several months while he lands the job he deserves rather than watch him suffer where he is. He doesn't see a way out, so it' s up to you to be the strong one this time. You guys can do this together and he will be forever grateful if you do.
2007-11-21 03:09:00 · answer #3 · answered by tracymoo 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If he doesn't respond (which I wouldn't) then maybe they'll see the value of training his backup. If he does respond, he'll probably wind up doing the work. Some vacation that will be.
2007-11-21 03:24:11 · answer #4 · answered by jimmytraction 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's vacation, he shouldn't have to work, and it isn't fair to him that they can't function without him so he can get a moments peace.
2007-11-21 03:09:51 · answer #5 · answered by Caitlin 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋