How to deal with a new boss that is trying to do my job

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ned
  • Start date Start date
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Ned

I know this has nothing to do with Windows 2000 but I am a MS network
administrator and I think some of you may have been in a similar
situation or can at least offer advice.


I was a business owner for 5 years, offering network integration
services until my largest customer (2,000 users) offered me a full time
job with a great salary and great benefits with the goal of saving
money.

As I was being hired for the new network administrator position the MIS
manager was retiring and a new MIS manager with only web design
experience was hired. The new manager confided in me that she didn't
think they needed both of us and that my 20 years of IT and management
experience would mean that it was likely she would be let go if their
were more budget cuts. From what I know of the department, there isn't
enough work to justify both salaries.

For the past several weeks the MIS manager has been running around
doing anything technical she can get her hands on. She has taken an
especially keen interest in what I do. She wants to manage active
directory, troubleshoot and replace network hardware, handle file
shares and security, etc. She intercepts support calls that usually go
to me and then asks me how to do the work. Today she asked me how to
create a share and add users permissions to it. I asked her why she
didn't just ask me to do it. She said she wanted to help me. I told her
I did not need help and she ignored me and asked me to show her anyway.

I'm not sure how to handle this situation. I want to go to our boss and
tell him that she is trying to do my job and that she is not qualified
and poses a danger to the network but I'm not sure that would be the
best thing to do. I don't mind her understanding how things work, but I
think it is wrong for her to assume responsibilities that belong to me
simply because she doesn't have enough to do.

She is definitely after my job and I cannot simply let her get away
with trying to take it.

How would you deal with this situation?
 
This is really an issue for your manager to deal with. If I was
in your position then I would request an interview with him
and mention these points:
- I have accumulated 20 years of IT support experience.
- I am making the best possible use of my experience, for the
benefit of my company.
- There is a lot of "know-how" that cannot be learnt through
text books but that is still essential in a job like this one.
- The new MIS manager is interfering with my job, picking
up bits of information here and there without having the
solid background that is required in order to perform the
job with competence, especially during times of stress and
when it comes to anticipating threats and dealing with them
before they turn into issues. For example: How to recover
quickly from a BSOD on a server.
- I would request that the respective roles be clarified: What is
my role and what is her role.

Make it clear to your manager that just about anyone can
perform simple network tasks (creating accounts, shares,
managing permissions) but that it takes years of training and
experience to deal with involved issues. If your serverd failed,
how long could your company survive? An expert can restore
a system far mor quickly than a dabbler who's picked up a
few tricks while watching the experts.

Don't engage in trench warfare with her. Put the issue on
the table with your manager and have it dealt with.
 
I had to deal with a situation that was similar to yours. When my original
manager left the company, I didn't get along well with the new manager. He
told one of the other engineers to learn how to do everything I did. His
intention was obvious. I simply refused to teach him. When he came into my
office, I stopped work and said I can't work with someone looking over my
shoulder. Eventually I left the company before the inevitable happened.
 
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