Jump to content

Recommended Posts

I work directly for my Finance Director.

He is very established, a pretty good guy to work for etc.

 

I am one though who will only go to him if there is a potential serious business issue.

If I can sort an issue out I will just do it and I don't (for want of a better phrase) blow my own trumpet by telling him ' I saved the company £3K'.

I just sort the problem and don't ever mention it simply because it's part of my job to spot things.

 

We had a thing this week where I spotted one of the guys had duplicated his expense claim for several hundred £'s and he was about to be paid on it that day. He was paid on this cost last month.

It was an error on his part and the people who process expenses don't check for significant claim amounts.

I actually mentioned it to my boss today (first time I have done this kind of thing in 8 years working there) asking whether significant expense amounts ever get checked. He asked why I was asking. I then felt a bit weird about telling him but said 'Well, for once I 'm going to blow my own trumpet and say I saved us £100's'. He asked a few questions and thanked me for spotting it.

 

I have a colleague (I will call her Sarah), she is a dept manager. She is one for blowing her own trumpet a lot. A real lot!

We butt heads on occasions as she questions queries I send (delegated to me by our FD) and I have to re-explain almost every month that I was delegated said task by our boss.

 

This week we had a meeting and I mentioned that 'X' task was completed. Sarah said 'Yeah, we (meaning me and her) were 'all over that'.

I just laughed to be honest. I said nothing.

She had told me 'something' about just one of the 30 items that were in query and she gave me the wrong info on it. So it wasn't like 'we' were all over that at all.

 

What would you do/have done?

I'm becoming aware that perhaps I don't blow my own trumpet enough but on the other side of things why waste my boss' time telling him I did this and that?

 

What do you guys do? What would you do in my situ the next time this comes up?

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Where I work, we are actually encouraged to keep a 'positive Activities' diary, for say, when a customer compliments us, or when we do something to help the company as a whole move forward, examples of incidents or occasions where we have participated to bring about a good result.

The manager, every week, has a spotlight' board, for employees who have been commended by customer feedback, and these are on show.

 

If you mess up, they have a word with you - officially or otherwise - in private.

If you do well, everyone gets to know about it.

 

It's absolutely brilliant for staff morale.

 

Today, for example, I was having a discussion with a Floor Manager, and a customer asked us the time limit on returning items with a receipt.

The Manager replied, "35 days".

I began to say something but stopped, as I didn't want to be seen as contradicting a manager, but she said to me, "Go on...."

"Well," I continued,"actually, the return date on receipts currently being issued is the 16th of January, to allow for early Christmas gift shopping. Quite a bit of that is going on at the moment with the Sale we have on...."

 

The first words out of my Manager's mouth were, "Oh yes, well done, you're quite right, I stand corrected, brilliant, I'm glad you mentioned it!"

 

Not only should people be praised, it really should be the case that others blow their trumpets for them.

The sound carries twice as far.....

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Author

Sounds good Tara!

Well spotted on your Floor Manager's error there too. :)

 

Sadly we have nothing like that where I work.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Could you suggest it to your Boss, in confidence?

Productivity would increase....

 

For example, some time ago, my company introduced a scheme available to staff AND customers where points, discounts and special offers were available, as long as you spent a certain amount with the company per month.

The company opened up this scheme to staff, ahead of the public. In other words, it saw to it that we were happy first.

We weren't guinea pigs... all the 'creases' had already been ironed out via staff feedback and opinions...

All our standard staff perks also apply, in addition...

 

As 'The Boss' sang: "We take care of our own"....

Link to post
Share on other sites

If your boss isn't aware of all of your accomplishments, then he can't really know your true value. Because my boss is terrible about not giving me yearly reviews, I keep a running self-evaluation throughout the year of my accomplishments. And, honestly, I wouldn't remember half the things I do if I didn't write them down.

 

So far, keeping that info has been useless because it has been over 3 years since I've had a review. Yes, that's very lame. Still, the more time that goes by, the more likely I am to forget the things I've accomplished. I have a different situation than you but keeping your accomplishments written down somewhere and presenting them to your boss every year or so might help.

 

As far as the situation with the woman that lied about that project, I wouldn't have said anything during the meeting, but I would've said something to my boss afterward.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Author

Sadly Tara, I can see any suggestions like that going down like a lead balloon! Plus it's not retail so the products we deliver are not relevant to us as individuals

The only incentive we get is a team meal which happens about every two years.

 

If your boss isn't aware of all of your accomplishments, then he can't really know your true value. Because my boss is terrible about not giving me yearly reviews, I keep a running self-evaluation throughout the year of my accomplishments. And, honestly, I wouldn't remember half the things I do if I didn't write them down.

 

So far, keeping that info has been useless because it has been over 3 years since I've had a review. Yes, that's very lame. Still, the more time that goes by, the more likely I am to forget the things I've accomplished. I have a different situation than you but keeping your accomplishments written down somewhere and presenting them to your boss every year or so might help.

 

As far as the situation with the woman that lied about that project, I wouldn't have said anything during the meeting, but I would've said something to my boss afterward.

 

Bathtub, 3 years since you had a review? It's been 5 years for my and my team so even more lame! :laugh:

 

You have given me an idea with your keeping track though. I do regularly have meetings with my boss and one in particular each month with is several hours long into which I could mention other things too to be honest.

I just need to remember to make a note of them and try not to feel an idiot talking about the achievements that he isn't aware of. :laugh:

 

With the particular incident that happened I have one angle I can go on to use as a query as to whether I should be looking out for X as well when I do task Y. Simply because the colleague who kinda took ownership over my task told me some incorrect information about the item I got her involved with. It was incorrect for that particular item but could have have relevance for the future in certain instances.

I can also state at the same time that it was the only part of the task I asked her about.

Link to post
Share on other sites
×
×
  • Create New...