Job responsibilities - advice needed

[ua_guy]

My boss came to me a few weeks ago and asked me to take on supporting an application that doesn't really fall into my area of expertise. Whether it officially fits with my job title, I'm not really sure. There are a couple of issues I'm struggling with. Hear me out. Any advice is appreciated.

Problems:

First, I'm expected to go stand up this application which I know nothing about, at a new organization we're bringing into our company. Trial by fire. No training. Sink or swim. Short timeline. And doing so will add 30-45 minutes on to my existing HOUR commute each way. The project is expected to last several months and I'm told I will need to be up there a few times/week and more during the deployment. I don't have the capacity in my personal life to take on the additional commute time and/or stress.

Second, I'm expected to (later) become certified by the vendor to support the application. There's travel for 1-2 week long courses plus tests I have to pass. The certification is absolutely worthless to me on future resumes but will take significant effort to complete.

Third, there was no discussion of future opportunity, raises, job title changes, or even taking work off my plate to accommodate this new burden. It feels like this is a significant undertaking and there should be adequate compensation.

Fourth, it means taking on application upgrades, a whole new host of end users, operational support, an entirely new knowledge base in to addition to what I already do. For what?

I've had nothing but stellar performance reviews here and I'm generally well-liked, so I felt justified in pushing back, putting a little weight into it, giving my reasons for not wanting to take this on.

My boss is unsympathetic and thinks this should fit in with my regular duties, says he now wants a meeting with me, him, and the director of the organization. He thinks it will likely stay with me.

I'm really thinking about my next career move and thought I'd be able to tolerate being here through the end of the year, and I want to have enough time to look and be choosy. If it comes to an ultimatum, I don't know that I'm willing (able) to grin and bear it.

My partner is behind me and says we 'can survive' if I need to be unemployed for a while. I'd rather preserve our current income, but at what personal expense, I'm not sure.

What would you do?

[Jluke]

Trying to make it work:

Can any of the work be done remotely at your current work location?

Are you able to stay overnight at the company's expense to minimize travel?

Would working extended hours/reduced # of days away from the office help?

Any chance you are under a contract with these types of terms spelled out?

This is an example where being the "go to" person doesn't pay

Turning it down:
If you don't want it, is there anyone else you can recommend for the opportunity?

Planning:
Best to draw up your overall plan for doing the work; pros/cons, etc before your meeting so you can present your case. Memorize it; don't give them a copy or you may have done the upfront work for them??

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Tell them no. It's too much without the reasons you gave. Lay it out unemotionally the way you did here.

[creditcardfree]

I don't have THE answer, but thoughts to consider...

Can you suck it up in the short term so you can be looking for another job?
Are you able to get similar job quickly?

Do you really think they care you have an hour commute? You chose to live where you live. And work where you work. In fact if you lived five minutes away would it factor in?

I would definitely ask for additional compensation since there is a learning curve requiring more time. If you get agreeable compensation, is it still worth it?

Wishing you well!

[Thrif-t]

I don't have any advice for you but I feel for you. I had a boss that I put up with for 5 years that gave me work outside of my expertise and area. Last month they finally got rid of him. I was getting to the point where I was thinking about just walking away. The stress isn't worth it. I hope it works out for you.

[snafu]

Wow! That is a terrible conundrum, no obvious solution. I don't see this as boss 'asked' you to take on additional duties, he's demanded this new work be added to your current work load. It seems best to try to negotiate a solution you can live with until you secure other employment.

Personally I'd look for positive solutions that would allow you to layout acceptable alternatives... Can you suggest someone else who has more suitable qualifications? Someone who could work with you on this new application?

If your duties can be carried out remotely, I'd ask to work from home. You would need to explain what you would do, how it could be done to meet the needs of the organization. You'd still be going to the new application on required days. Benefit is reduced transportation cost and stress rather than added personal expense.

If possible, figure out which of your duties could be handed off to a colleague to reduce your work load during this period. Work in a few compliments if you can. 'I really like working here'. Boss 'is supportive and reasonable' if you can lie with a straight face.

If you quit, you are ineligible for unemployment benefits. If you are 'released' for refusing a change in duties, you likely lose benefit. If you're 'fired for cause' it follows you around in a really negative way.

I wouldn't ask for money as that would not strengthen your position as outlined. My fav unpleasant meeting parlance is always...'we're all reasonable people, yadda yadda...'

[Fishindude77]

Worst problem I heard out of your complaint is that it will add 30-45 minutes to your work day. Are you salary or hourly? How many on the job hours do you typically work per week? Will you get any additional pay for the extra hours?

Assume the training you mentioned is something they will pay you to do on the clock, so although it may not help you pad your resume, it will be at company expense.

All the other gripes to me are just mickey mouse little complaints because you are being shoved out of your comfort zone a bit. The only way you will ever learn new things is to jump in and take them on.

He's the boss, you're the employee, and you're being paid to give a full days work, doing whatever the boss asks of you, so long as it's not immoral, illegal or dangerous. From what it sounds, you are talking IT stuff here, brain work and key strokes, not digging ditches.

Why not tell him you have some concerns and explain them, and tell him you'll give it your best shot and keep him monitored on how it is going?

[feh]

Tell them no. It's too much without the reasons you gave. Lay it out unemotionally the way you did here.

OP - I don't have advice, but if you take this route, I'd start looking for another job.

The more I think about it, regardless of how this ends up w/ your boss, I'd start looking for another job.

[ua_guy]

Worst problem I heard out of your complaint is that it will add 30-45 minutes to your work day. Are you salary or hourly? How many on the job hours do you typically work per week? Will you get any additional pay for the extra hours?

Assume the training you mentioned is something they will pay you to do on the clock, so although it may not help you pad your resume, it will be at company expense.

All the other gripes to me are just mickey mouse little complaints because you are being shoved out of your comfort zone a bit. The only way you will ever learn new things is to jump in and take them on.

He's the boss, you're the employee, and you're being paid to give a full days work, doing whatever the boss asks of you, so long as it's not immoral, illegal or dangerous. From what it sounds, you are talking IT stuff here, brain work and key strokes, not digging ditches.

Why not tell him you have some concerns and explain them, and tell him you'll give it your best shot and keep him monitored on how it is going?

Full time, salaried employee with 10 years career experience. The current job market is good, so I'm more inclined to see these kinds of things as negotiations. Moreso than "brain work and keystrokes" I've made a career out of selling a specific skill set, and I'd like to stick with my plan.

This particular project/ application doesn't fit with my goals, nor is it what I want to do, and I don't see a future in it. So I guess that leaves the door wide open for me. I've made it known at this point that if they hold their line, they're wasting their time. I see the next step being up to them, and it will depend on how much they value my services, or if they think they can call my bluff.

Everything else aside, it's the additional 30-45 minutes added on to my commute each way that bothers me. No real remote opportunities. It would be one thing if the area was rural, or it was all open freeway, but I'd be traversing the entire city at peak hours, coming and going. I don't see spending 4 hours in a car everyday as a good use of my personal or professional time, for any length, and it's not worth what I'd be getting in exchange, which is essentially nothing other than continued employment. That's no longer a job perk in growing industries. It's taken the back-seat to things like additional compensation, and I guess I'm willing more than most to go to the mat for it.

[ua_guy]

Update... I dug in, and won. I don't advise doing that unless there's a chance your employer would miss you if you were gone.

The prospect of doing anything/everything an employer asks with 'continued employment' as the only incentive doesn't fly in my industry.

This is good for everyone. It gives me time to do a proper search for my next adventure.

[snafu]

Thanks for update on this difficult situation. Happy it worked out to your advantage. What is your plan going forward? Have you updated your resume, listed on LinkedIn, read the new version of What Color is My Parachute [or similar], worked out the phrases that an electronic sweep rejects? The 2nd group is to create a list of possible/probable employers and names that can help in those organizations. Do you Network, attend the various breakfast meetings to be 'known'? Do you find it necessary to publish in professional publications?

[LivingAlmostLarge]

So what's your next adventure?

[ua_guy]

So what's your next adventure?

I'm planning to look out of industry outside of healthcare, mostly analyst/senior analyst type work. I have an "in" with a company that will consider hiring me as an IT project manager of sorts but I don't know if that will be a great fit. There are several large employers in the area that are hiring, so finding a new job shouldn't be insurmountable. I want the next one to feel like a good fit though.

My partner is encouraging me to go into consulting for a while to try on some different work and different companies. I can't say that's a horrible idea, definitely something to consider...