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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/Lazy_Bystander on 2024-10-08 20:37:58+00:00.

Obligatory English is not my first language and writing on mobile.

So I am a Civil Engineer that has done my engineering degree specializing in structural engineering. On top of that I did a specializing year in complex studies and design in a renown school in my country after my engineering degree. Dunno if that could give you an idea of my competences, but I was 2nd and 3rd respectively on the rankings for both these schools for a promotion of 120 people. As a consequence you could say, I am heavily specialized.

TLDR : classical first job with classical if you are not happy look elsewhere with a big downfall for the firm.

Cue the end of my studies, I signed a contract for the job I wanted before even finishing my studies. I wasn’t rushed, pretty much interviewed for 5 jobs with 7 CV sent and 4 propositions.

The team I joined was 6 engineers including me specializing in existing structures. Think if a bridge or a dam has a crack they call us to come see on site and run calculation to see if everything is fine or not. Fast forward a year I integrated quite well, grew in competence and maturity. After the second, I have gone from the guy asking questions to the guy they came to when people needed answers. All was well, I got raises every year and bonuses with compliments, all the good stuff.

Stuff began to go bad after the third year. At the third year, I was more or less the go to guy for complex project and when people didn’t find answers. As such, I asked to move forward from project manager to a more back position we call technical referent. Basically, you keep producing as usual but some of your time is dedicated to standard compliance for the team and answering deeper subject that are passed through the year. It is not something that existed in this firm but exist in a lot of firms here. I proposed this because at the time the team had grown to 12 people. Thanks to my participation in more complex project, we even had grown our sales by 30% in three years, we had raised more people as project managers. As a consequence, with basically two people taking the part I couldn’t do when becoming a referent, it became a new possibility. Even my chief and the chief of my chief told me and wrote in my yearly review that a lot of the projects we had at the time were because I was here.

Anyways to become a technical referent, I told them I would need to get some formations to complete my technical knowledge, for which I proposed the subjects myself and even got pricing and contact for institutions. They agreed both in oral and writing but saying it might take some time, but they are interested in creating this position in the firm. You can begin to imagine where this is going.

At the fourth year, becoming more and more essential to the team, I was teaching and testing newcomers, everyone came to ask me questions instead of going to the chief, even the chief came to me. He even told me he didn’t even comprehend (technical meaning) some of the technical report and calculations I made. Basically, I became the go to guywhen blocked or all is lost. Seeing nothing happening regarding the formations I asked for and the position, I asked to see someone from HR to discuss my career plan. Well, the HR interview was a dumpster fire, they got my name wrong, never heard of me, didn’t get my file nothing so the discussion was rather void and short. To give you an idea, the firm is quite big here for our branch of the trade 500 people with 6 HR people at the time for all of us. Funnily, the HR I saw was the one who recruited me. Came the yearly interview after with my chief, I pretty much said I was beginning to have some doubt about their will to make me evolve. They did gave me a raise a bonus and told me they would do everything necessary to make me evolve as I asked.

Now at my fifth year, 3 people left, 2 for geographical reason to reunite with their family and one because they realized they technically couldn’t follow the team and the projects we worked on. Nothing happened for me, I was more or less one of the 2 pillars of our team, but no formations, no evolution no nothing. Even had to fight to get a specialized computer for calculations. Try to run a complex FEM model on a 5 year old I5 with 8Go of RAM all day long and you will feel my pain. Anyway I ask to see my chief, I basically told him it has been two years nothing has been done please do something, anything. After this they asked me for a meeting with the chief of my chief, my chief and a chief from another division. First thing in the meeting, the chief of my chief says : so, I didn’t read your file and am not aware of what is asked please explain again. This guy manages 50 people, yes 50. Fine, I explained again. After explaining, I was more or less crushed by two of them for one hour while my chief said nothing. Basically, I didn’t make any effort, it is my job to answer everyone, I was asking for too much and stuff like that. To be true, at the tenth minute I shut my brain off. At the end I pretty much told them, if nothing is done I would begin to look elsewhere and many of the team which are looking at this situation might follow. They answered that I should look elsewhere if not satisfied but they will see to meet my demands, which is quite a contradiction.

Cue now 4 months later, where I was more or less treated as if I was sick and I would transmit it to them by the hierarchy. I was told on multiple times the grass is not greener elsewhere, you might not find something better but you might still want to look, and all the nice things you can imagine to keep someone.

I get along with everyone in the team, all (except my chief who was indifferent) were quite irritated with what was happening for me. To note most of them were taught by me at this point with their skills inherited from me too. Well, being fed up with my hierarchy, I did began searching thinking nothing would move. Indeed nothing moved. I sent 5 CVs, interviewed for 3 and got 2 propositions. And accepted one. Before going I told them that even if grass is not always greener elsewhere, you won’t keep someone by threatening them and that people might follow what I have done if they are not able to recognize their talents. I got a nice job now more laid back, less hours, 10% raise, more advantages (including a car paid by the firm), national referent for my post and more.

Now the fallout, two people followed me in resigning three and six months later because they lost trust in the firm with what happened to me. From the 6 people left, three told me they would leave because of what happened. From what they said to me, the atmosphere is dead now, they don’t have anyone to turn to for technical questions, no fun discussion at the job, no more technical discussions, pretty much a skeleton crew waiting to find better. To give you an idea, those guys are good, tried to recruit 2 of them myself but was refused because it is too far from their family, understandable. I do try to send them jobs offering I hear from and recommend them. When they are gone, the person with the most experience in the division except the chief would have 10 months experience. The medium experience time would be 5 months. They lost big contracts I carried. Some clients called me personally to asked what happened and said they will give them the benefit of the doubt but they told me they didn’t trust my chief because he screwed them over in the past. I went back some time ago to say hi, I was told the sales have gone back to the level 5 years ago before I was in the firm (a decrease of 35% at the time in the span of 9 months with 3 resignation). Even my now past chief told me they now don’t even try to answer projects involving calculations that seems a bit hard because they don’t have the competences with me gone. Now the futur for the division seems hazy because they don’t know where to stand because of the lack of competences (complex project, calculations, etc).

This happened quite some time ago now, but happy to get this of my chest. For newly hires and first job people, please, please begin to recognize your worth as soon as you can. It will help you so much to evolve and know when you are being screwed.

Thanks for reading, cheers.