How to confront manager about progression

dartboardio

I work in a call centre.

Its a friendly, upbeat place to work. And everyone is quiet nice.

Im there now since May 2018. My job consists of inbound calls all day.

There are other small jobs that certain agents have the access to do because they are trained up on those jobs, and also take inbound calls when assigned to do so.

Theres always been a bit of an issue with basically favouritism. For example, people coming in the door, working there two months, and getting trained on emails, and outbound calls. With emails you have alot more freedom and can go at your own pace and of course, it's fun to do something different every so often, so they'll do a few emails, a few calls, back and forth.

Alot of people have been there years and still refused the ability to do emails, or progress further in the campaign.

Its clearly stated in the employee handbook that the company strive to encourage personal and work development and have this great training department etc etc bla bla bla and that it's your responsibility to drive your own personal development within the company. (which we constantly try to do by showing an interest in doing a different task like emails, or helping with newbies)

Im almost there two years and have asked many a time, to be given the opportunity to do emails, as have my Co workers, only to fall on deaf ears, and then someone who gets the job, two months later, go on emails.

Its really unfair and tbh were sick of it. I'm good at my job (it's not that)

How to bring this up in a non rude way with management? As every single time we ask it literally goes to the person who coincidentally licks up to the manager.

Sorry for the long post.

For context, there are many people waiting ages and asking constantly to be trained in different areas of the call centre day to day job, and told no, yet the managers friend will have the email job the next day

Basically the better jobs are Constantly given to the same people, and newbies in the door.

How can I approach this and try put my foot down without being rude? Another woman I work with told me she was in the same situation, and just kept pushing and pushing and they eventually let her.

Ohmeha

Going by our post you do seem frustrated and are not happy with the way things are being operated, do you feel that there wouldn't be any backlash? If you have a good trusting relationship with your manager and don't feel you have much to lose then I don't see why you shouldn't feel you can articulate your concerns in a constructive manner, just avoid throwing any of your colleagues under a bus whether you would be justified or not.

One way or the other it's a risk. I had a similar enough situation before frustrated over career progression, unfairness in taking heavier/less-appealing workloads, poor pay. I approached my supervisor who I got on well with, received a sympathetic understanding response and then within weeks I was deliberately hit with increased workloads! My same supervisor had got their promotion a year after apparently throwing a tantrum at their supervisor at the time at the desks infront of the team over similar frustrations

dartboardio

Ohmeha wrote: »

Going by our post you do seem frustrated and are not happy with the way things are being operated, do you feel that there wouldn't be any backlash? If you have a good trusting relationship with your manager and don't feel you have much to lose then I don't see why you shouldn't feel you can articulate your concerns in a constructive manner, just avoid throwing any of your colleagues under a bus whether you would be justified or not.

One way or the other it's a risk. I had a similar enough situation before frustrated over career progression, unfairness in taking heavier/less-appealing workloads, poor pay. I approached my supervisor who I got on well with, received a sympathetic understanding response and then within weeks I was deliberately hit with increased workloads! My same supervisor had got their promotion a year after apparently throwing a tantrum at their supervisor at the time at the desks infront of the team over similar frustrations

I do have a great manager and she's a really nice woman but many of us have asked to progress a few times ie be trained on emails, only for it to fall on deaf ears and be told yep ill try get your name on the list. Only for a newbie to walk in the door and get trained within a few weeks.

Just seems anything you ask the managers for, they are not pro active about it whatsoever

miezekatze

Is it the kind of call centre where there are multiple helpdesks for different companies? If so, maybe you could try and transfer to another team? If that's not an option, I would talk to the manager and ask if there's anything you can do better so you could be moved to this other role, or ask if you could do a trial period. I wouldn't be too confrontational, don't think that would help. Try and be enthusiastic about it when talking to your manager, rather than showing a negative attitude. They're not going to promote someone who just gives out about things all the time (not saying you do, but that's what I've noticed anyway and I worked in similar environments in the past).

Johnny Sausage

Will they support your progression after youve recently been found out to be cutting calls @and given a warning IIRC?

bucketybuck

dartboardio wrote: »

I do have a great manager and she's a really nice woman

What did she reply when you said the words:

"Why do people here only two months get to do that job but I can't? What is the reason for that?"

What did she say when you asked her that directly to her face?

Loopylineking

What’s happening here is that you are probably the best on the team at taking incoming phone calls along with other colleagues while others are struggling or crap on the phone.

Easier to train someone on emails and outgoing calls than incoming calls.

Manager just wants the easiest option.

i remember when i was managing people that i only ever made decisions based on favouritism and who was licking up to me. even when it wasnt the best thing to do based on skillsets or for the team i just made all the decisions based on licking up and favourites.

the best workers- the ones who saw everything in terms of licking up, and favouritism, and who couldnt make a case to me without seeing it as a "confront" style scenario- oh i just loved screwing them over for no reason at all whatsoever.

OP you may be detecting the sarcasm here.

a bit if introspection and some structured thought about the actual factors going into your manager's consistent decision not to place you on a requested duty would serve you far better here than an easy get-out of "favouritism".

this may set you up to ask what you can do to get the placement you want. certainly that's a more welcome approach from a manager's point of view than your confronting them as if repetition and a sense of entitlement was any reason to put anyone into a role.

Jim2007

dartboardio wrote: »

Basically the better jobs are Constantly given to the same people, and newbies in the door.

Five or six weeks ago you were given a final written warning:

Not fired! Final written warning and back to work straight away this morning. They said coming in and being straight up about it was really in my favour. Based on previous stats and general work ethic,

Very lucky as most were fired in this situation. Glad I copped on and went in, thanks for all the advice boardsies!!

I'd say you have a lot of bridges to repair before any manager is going to stick their neck out and recommend you for a promotion or additional training...