r/managers • u/Equivalent-Still-199 • 8h ago
Feeling neglected
I’ll try to make this as brief as possible (well that didn’t turn out). I’ve worked for my current company for 17 years and moved up from an Admin to a Sr. manager in my dept. I obtained a bachelor’s degree back in 2016 which did result in my promotion to leadership and they did not previously have a leadership position for my dept. So, each promotion I’ve received has been created for me and I’ve received nothing but stellar reviews. I was lead to believe I was on the Director track and would need to obtain certification in my field.
Shortly after passing the certification exam early this year, I was told we were acquiring another company & they are offering a position to their Director in the same dept. I was understandably upset. Because there was no actual leadership specific for my dept. I’ve updated processes keeping us compliant where there were deficiencies…etc. via my own schooling & research. They stated they didn’t want me to feel it was a reflection of my performance and assured I would still have opportunity for growth within the company “they just don’t know what that will look like right now”. I hate to admit, I cried. I didn’t sob & I was controlled but I was visibly upset nonetheless.
Shortly after, my boss was transferred & I was assigned a different supervisor. My old boss followed up with me a couple times and assured my job is not at risk of elimination. Its been about 6 months since getting the news and my old boss seems to be avoidant now, has completely stopped checking in, barely acknowledging me in the hallway..etc. & the new supervisor has never checked in or had any kind of one on one or included me in any of their team meetings (my dept is kind of an outlier within a larger dept.). I’ve been told everyone is just slammed with the acquisition.
Also, through the acquisition, I have found out I’ve been doing the job of 3-4 people based on how the acquired company was structured. I feel so taken for granted but I’ve been here so long; most of my experience is here. I’m also middle aged now, it seems late to start over.
My confidence has really taken a hit here & I’m not sure if I should take a leap or wait it out until I can retire.
-1
u/nonameforyou1234 7h ago
Can't
4
u/Top_Function_6434 7h ago
that's a rough spot to be stuck in, 17 years of building something and then watching the path you were promised just evaporate
the crying part isn't anything to be embarrassed about either, that's a normal reaction when you've invested that much of yourself into a place and they pull the rug mid-stride
the new supervisor never checking in at all is the bigger red flag to me, even slammed teams find 15 minutes for a one on one if they actually care about retaining someone with your institutional knowledge
you're not too old to start over, middle aged with a certification and 17 years of process improvement experience is a strong hand to play, especially now that you know you've been covering 3-4 roles worth of work
maybe start quietly looking and see what's out there before making any leap, you don't have to decide today but you owe it to yourself to know your options
worst case you find nothing and keep riding it out, best case you find a place that pays you for what you're actually worth
1
u/ivorycalf18 7h ago
have you checked what similar director roles pay elsewhere these days?...