Advice - contract coming to an end

Dagenham Dave

I'd appreciate any thoughts/advice anyone may have on this.

Background - I'm on a temporary 12 month contract to design and market an outreach project. It ends in April.

The Manager of the project, while a very nice person, is a very poor manager. For most of the project he has sat back and let me take care of everything and has publicly admitted on numerous occasions that he doesn't know what he is doing

Last week it was revealed that he will now have to reapply for his managerial role through an internal selection system due to a change in funding requirements.

This week he sent me an email containing external job vacancies.

Yesterday he spoke to me to say the board members are meeting me today to discuss the final weeks of the project and what needs to be done prior to completion.
He also told me they'd be telling me 'theres nothing else for me at the company and not to get my hopes up for an extension'

I was very hurt by the approach. I'm well aware my contract is closing but I'm also wondering is he clearing the path for his reapplication and sees me as a threat?

Any advice on how to proceed would be great

robarmstrong

Sounds like he does see you as a threat or has been taking advantage of your skills (which obviously he knows and acknowledges you have due to him letting you "take care of everything").

Document everything, has he ever requested you to do his duties in an e-mail perhaps?

Personally if I were you I'd highlight to the board members that you would like to apply for the role of the current manager as he delegated most of the tasks to you and you felt you were more than capable to handle them.

Why should he reap the rewards for your hard work and competency?

Dagenham Dave

robarmstrong wrote: »

Sounds like he does see you as a threat or has been taking advantage of your skills (which obviously he knows and acknowledges you have due to him letting you "take care of everything").

Document everything, has he ever requested you to do his duties in an e-mail perhaps?

Personally if I were you I'd highlight to the board members that you would like to apply for the role of the current manager as he delegated most of the tasks to you and you felt you were more than capable to handle them.

Why should he reap the rewards for your hard work and competency?

Thank you for the response

I had the meeting with the board yesterday and it went exactly as planned.
Congratulations for making the project such a success, we'd love to keep you but we can't, sorry.

I didn't get an opportunity to talk about my manager sending job ads etc as he wouldn't leave the room.

From the minute I arrived to the minute I left he stuck to me like glue. Even going so far as to text someone to bring in coffee when he was asked to go and get some.

I have emailed the board asking to meet them on their own next week.

Fann Linn

Dagenham Dave wrote: »

Thank you for the response

I had the meeting with the board yesterday and it went exactly as planned.
Congratulations for making the project such a success, we'd love to keep you but we can't, sorry.

I didn't get an opportunity to talk about my manager sending job ads etc as he wouldn't leave the room.

From the minute I arrived to the minute I left he stuck to me like glue. Even going so far as to text someone to bring in coffee when he was asked to go and get some.

I have emailed the board asking to meet them on their own next week.

You'd nothing to lose, you should have opened fire with both barrels.

Dagenham Dave

I wouldn't mind a half decent reference from them lol

Dagenham Dave

Mr.S wrote: »

Can you apply for the internal vacancy as well? If the board meet with you on your own, I'd voice your interest and detail your experience working under your manager.

The board will likely side with the manager though.

Yes I can.
And I probably will but I'll putting in my complain at the start of the week

Dagenham Dave

Dagenham Dave wrote: »

Yes I can.
And I probably will but I'll putting in my complain at the start of the week

If I was applying for a job, I wouldn’t be putting in a complaint at the same time. It would be a risk to employ you while you have a complaint against another permanent member of staff, particularly if you might have to work with each other.

You are leaving on a high note with a good reference, what will you gain by making a complaint?