Being expected to train your new boss!

[votemarvel]

So the pub I work in has a new landlord and he is bringing the head chef from his previous pub to this one.

The thing is that despite being the same company this chef has never worked on a site with our main menu and doesn't have a clue on how to run a carvery. So I'm being expected to train him in both.

Yet this person is going to be earning significantly more than me an hour, which in itself wouldn't be annoying except I was in line to have the head chef job before the new landlord wanted to bring in his own.

So not only do I have to train my new boss, who earns more than me, but I am going to be doing it while knowing he took my chances of promotion away. I know it isn't personal but it is still damn annoying.

Anyone else found themselves in the same situation?

PS. I know this should have gone in the Advice section but that place is deader than my enthusiasm to go to work tomorrow.

 

[Ryotknife]

hmmm, does it count if you have people working under you who get paid about 2x more than you? Not that im complaining, there is a good reason as to why, but it is sorta ironic nevertheless.

 

[DefunctTheory]

Yah, had to do it in the Army quite a few times.

My MOS (The job designator) was, at the time, new. And when they make new stuff like that, what they do is offer promotions to people who are already in command positions, moving them into a new job to command the new recruits that are being trained. However, frequently, those who switched over weren't as well trained as the brand spanking new soldiers, so they had to catch up on the job from people below them. How bad it was varied - I had bosses who came from infantry and switched out to a support job due to injuries, and they just needed an extra hand to boost up because they had never done anything even remotely similar. They usually were great, as they knew they didn't know everything, and were thus receptive. And I've always found combat command personal to be far more pleasant to work with - When your primary job is getting shot at, you soon get a really good understanding of whats important and petty displays of dominance.

Then, of course, we had the people who crossed over from other related fields, who swore up and down they already knew what they were doing because this new MOS was just their old job, rebranded. That was always annoying. Constantly having to be taught stuff, but refusing to learn because 'they already knew.'

And then there was the other bit - Pretty much no one in my MOS ever got promoted. They over-transfered sergeants in, so in my entire 6 month career, our sergeant promotion requirements (Scored on a variety of things) dropped below the maximum possible score something like 4 times, and each time is only dropped by a handful of points. So what would happen is, when I was in a mixed Signal company, people in other MOS's would get auto-promoted (Lowest possible required MOS score). And as the lowest ranking 'senior' (And quite often deployment veteran) soldier, I was often put in the position of training people who had joined after me, despite not having a wide enough experience to know everything they needed to know to handle their own squad. Not their fault, of course, and I never held malice against them, but a frustrating experience non-the-less.

Anyway, to answer your question, just got to suck it up and do it. It's likely he's actually fairly skilled, but the job is just different enough to what his old set-up was that he needs some help. Happens a slot in the communications industry, where you can have veterans who understand all equipment, but they used different software at their old place of employment.

EDIT: As a side note, since I talked about promotions above, and getting passed over, I should clarify that I probably wouldn't have been a great Sergeant anyway. While I was always proficient in my job, as well as in basic combat maneuvers and tasks, I was also an unpleasant grouch that had little patience for the 'finer details' of military existence. So while it's true that I never got a chance to advance do to the 'system,' I probably wouldn't have done much better if my MOS wasn't a bloated, top heavy mess.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Yah, had to do it in the Army quite a few times.

Is that not also true of a platoon's senior NCO and commissioned officer? The former will be much more experienced that the latter, and has to guide them, at least initially, in many Western armies.

 

[DefunctTheory]

Yah, had to do it in the Army quite a few times.

Is that not also true of a platoon's senior NCO and commissioned officer? The former will be much more experienced that the latter, and has to guide them, at least initially, in many Western armies.

Oh, yah. Lieutenants, particularly West Pointers, are useless for at least 6 months, many for a year or longer. And how useless they remain and for how long largely depends on how certain they are that they're better then their NCOs, experience be damned.

It also affects officers higher up, of course. Enlisted soldiers tend to advance in baby steps, figuring everything out on the long haul, while officers often jump over a lot of steps each time they get boosted.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

I mean, I'd walk out and leave 'em in the lurch if I had the fuck you money.

The company is showing you an incredible amount of disrespect.

That said, that implies you have to the money and you were that good that you could just find another job in the field.... if not then I'd just suck it up and deal with it.

 

[axlryder]

I too have had to do this. I did it when I worked retail and in caricatures. Never had to do it in nursing or retail management though.

The retail one was bad. This 50 year old woman got hired who had previously only worked with mentally disabled people and wasn't too bright herself. So she would being patronizing to the workers out of habit while at the same time being completely useless. All the while I'd pretty much tell her how to do the same shit over and over again and ultimately ended up doing a solid 70% of her shift work while also doing my own. After a month of this I pretty much sat her down in the office one day and gave it to her straight. I said she needed to be more useful or I'd go to the boss and she needed to be less shitty to the workers or I'd go to HR. She was grumpy for like 3 weeks and fine after that.

Note that I wasn't even that GOOD at the job, which should be a testament to how badly she sucked.

 

[FalloutJack]

Hah, no. My boss IS a chef, and I'm not qualified to teach his job.

 

[votemarvel]

Anyway, to answer your question, just got to suck it up and do it. It's likely he's actually fairly skilled, but the job is just different enough to what his old set-up was that he needs some help. Happens a slot in the communications industry, where you can have veterans who understand all equipment, but they used different software at their old place of employment.

I'll do it because I'm not the sort of person to deliberately do a bad job, I care about doing things correctly.

I mean, I'd walk out and leave 'em in the lurch if I had the fuck you money.

The company is showing you an incredible amount of disrespect.

That said, that implies you have to the money and you were that good that you could just find another job in the field.... if not then I'd just suck it up and deal with it.

Well I could walk into another job tomorrow but travel time is the issue.

At the moment I live a two minute walk away from my job. The new job I could go to is at least an extra hour a day of travelling if the roads are clear. As my job involves 12 hour days, adding even an extra hour on that is something ideally I'd like to avoid.

I guess I am going to have to suck it up though and take that time hit if I want to advance, at least until I could find somewhere to live that was closer.

 

[x EvilErmine x]

Anyway, to answer your question, just got to suck it up and do it. It's likely he's actually fairly skilled, but the job is just different enough to what his old set-up was that he needs some help. Happens a slot in the communications industry, where you can have veterans who understand all equipment, but they used different software at their old place of employment.

I'll do it because I'm not the sort of person to deliberately do a bad job, I care about doing things correctly.

I mean, I'd walk out and leave 'em in the lurch if I had the fuck you money.

The company is showing you an incredible amount of disrespect.

That said, that implies you have to the money and you were that good that you could just find another job in the field.... if not then I'd just suck it up and deal with it.

Well I could walk into another job tomorrow but travel time is the issue.

At the moment I live a two minute walk away from my job. The new job I could go to is at least an extra hour a day of travelling if the roads are clear. As my job involves 12 hour days, adding even an extra hour on that is something ideally I'd like to avoid.

I guess I am going to have to suck it up though and take that time hit if I want to advance, at least until I could find somewhere to live that was closer.

I agree with DudeistBelieve. The company isn't showing you any respect at all. The fact that you care about doing your job correctly and you were marked for the job before the change in landlord says that you're probably quite good at your job. Being a good chef gives you loads of transferable skills. Are you set on a career as a chef? If not then maybe widen your job searching to other professions. You might find something with better prospects that's closer to home.

 

[Bobular]

I had been working in an office for three years, came in as a temp for a lady that never returned after an argument, after two years they decided she probably wasn't coming back and said they'd start looking in to making me permanent so I could have the fancy things like sick pay or annual leave.

A year later the other member of staff who did the same job as me left due to various issues and then the supervisor left due to having to re-apply for her job, not getting it and being told she could continue on at my level. This left me as the only person working at that office, they got some more temps in who had never worked in this sort of role before and expected me to supervise them, train them, do my work, their work they weren't aloud to do due to being temps (I was still a temp but I think the only person who realised this was me & HR), work 52+ hours a week go to meetings with management and was promised they would pay me at my old supervisors pay grade whilst I did it for the next few months.

After things settled down again, they told me that it was impossible to pay me my supervisors pay because all temps are payed the same flat fee so I didn't even get overtime unless I worked weekend when the office was closed. They told me they couldn't just make me permanent and had to put the job out to interview. After the interview I was told that I didn't get the job but they wanted me to continue on as a temp and to train the two new staff members that were replacing me and the lady that left as well as the new supervisor.

If it wasn't for the fact I needed the money I would have walked out in the middle of a busy clinic just to screw the management over. Instead I plotted and planed and eventually left when I was ready to open my own business. I still work at that hospital one day a week and recently found out that another temp I know that worked in a different part of the same department has just been payed her supervisors pay whilst she was off sick for a month.

My advise is plan to quit, as that kind of resentment will eat you up, but don't screw yourself just to screw them.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

Hrm, I used to for the NSW Department of Education.

Plenty of times you're going to be working with people (politicians, etc) who basically outrank you in every way and they'll expect you to follow some of their initiatives, and add in their 'perspective'. Thing is there's plenty of jobs out there where your field of specialization will naturally leave you isolated, and increases your exposure to others who naturally do not fully grasp what it means to implement a new program or initiative.

The only advice that I can suitably provide that is applicable to all these events you'll face is; "Patience, diligence, and always make sure you keep records of your activities."

It's rare to find that job where everybody can be guaranteed to do their elected duties with little need for outside experience to fill the gaps initially. So you can't just get annoyed at the drop of a hat, nor can simply quit when it happens. Because chances are any suitably diverse field of enterprise is going to run into the same problems from time to time.

 

[Vendor-Lazarus]

My soon-to-be-former job does this sort of thing all the time.

Those working at the HQ as our traffic guidance/control in cushy indoor offices get twice the salary (and pension) those out in the field do while we often have to do half their job for them, while also doing our own job which entails heavy lifting (about 3 Tonnes a day combined) in and out of beds, chairs, floors, wheelchairs and the ambulance stretcher. The people we transport may also be violent, carry MRSA or other transmittable diseases.
They have cut the field salaries twice and neglected the vehicle maintenance until cars fall apart, removed the reflexes on our clothes for cost-cutting reasons.
They've also stopped paying our over-time without warning or explanation.

All that makes them lose a lot of personnel and the new hires gets a 30 minutes instruction (by office workers, which get a tutoring salary on top of their ordinary one) before being sent out with the regular staff.
We are then forced to train them ( unpaid ) so as not to hold up the timed transports the traffic control lays on us.

They also hire oxygen-qualified nurses to teach courses to field personnel and delegate us to administer oxygen to our patients during transport.
The delegation only last a year and when my last one had ended they mixed old and new people, paired us up and made those that had taken the course before teach the new hires. Which we are NOT qualified to do.

I've saved up a 2,5 year living allowance and intend to terminate my employment at the earliest convenience.
One really shouldn't have to take such abuse or find oneself in such situations.

If you can get another job or have some money saved I would recommend you make a statement and quit, being mindful of your own unique living situation of course.

 

[Lightspeaker]

-snip-

Obviously I don't know your exact circumstances or the arrangements around the job you're describing there but assuming that job was in the UK (as per your profile listing you as being in the UK) I'm pretty sure there are laws against that kind of abuse of employees and the employer-employee relationship. Did you ever speak to an employment lawyer?


On topic: Yeah I've been expected to train superiors (albeit not in employment, during my PhD). But I'm a scientist so its a bit of a different case. Each individual scientist is going to have experience in specific specialised equipment, techniques, etc; so nobody knows everything. Training a professor with thirty years of experience on you in some new technique or piece of equipment that you have experience with isn't just not unheard of, its pretty much the norm.

Similarly when I manage to secure a job its highly likely that parts of my duties and techniques will have to be taught to me by people I am supervising. As an example...I applied for a senior technical role recently (didn't get it though). If I'd got that then I'd have potentially been line manager for other technicians, who would likely have had to teach me the specifics of the equipment we had.

 

[lacktheknack]

Nope.

I've been in the weird position where I get hired and about four days later become the main trainer, and the people I train end up advancing, while I don't, but hey. A good trainer is a good trainer, I guess.

 

[Bobular]

Obviously I don't know your exact circumstances or the arrangements around the job you're describing there but assuming that job was in the UK (as per your profile listing you as being in the UK) I'm pretty sure there are laws against that kind of abuse of employees and the employer-employee relationship. Did you ever speak to an employment lawyer?

Yup England, nope didn't speak to anyone as at the time I was too worried about loosing my job so I just got on with it until I was in a position to leave (A couple of nurses started a petition to get them to hire me but management threatened them with disciplinary action if they didn't stop). Last time I had issues the Union was no help what so ever so I had quit the Union a few years previously.

Don't be mad at the new boss for taking the position. It's pointless. You're teaching him and showing him the ropes. This is your opportunity to work out exactly what sort of person you're working for and try to improve the working environment.

I will defiantly agree with this point. Its not the fault of the new Head Chef so don't take it out on him, I tried to be pleasant with the new staff, though I did get in trouble with the management for 'frightening' the new staff by telling them why I was still a temp after 3 years but I never purposely held a grudge against them, I just refused to train them.

Me refusing to train them didn't help much though as before the interviews when I was supervising the office I was asked to write a complete guide to the office (which I named 'Codex Mamillia') so that when I was main permanent and we had some new staff in they could hit the ground running, which was handed out to the new staff when they started (I swear management was planning this all along).

 

[davidmc1158_v1legacy]

I have had to train my replacement. Does that count?

And for the record, I was quitting the job and refused to leave my boss in a bad way so I agreed to train my replacement on as much as I could before I left. Sadly, me replacement turned out to be nearly useless since he was only trying to use the position to get into another division and ended up not doing his job at all when that division didn't take him on. He then ended up quitting in a sulk when he was called to task for not doing his job.

At least I didn't hire the guy.