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Annnnd I just found out today we're losing him. Well, sort of. Our team is doing account management/collections on stuff that's really overdue. The plan is to clean up the messes that are causing this (not just customers not paying but billing screw-ups and contract catastrophes) and then get to work on the stuff that's not as old with the intent of never again letting it go as far as it has. (Some of these people have open invoices from 2 years ago.) We are pulling a chunk of collections back on-shore so they are saying that while our project is temporary, the direction we are going with this is permanent. Right now we are focused on clearing the books at a feverish pace until the end of the year so our boss, even though he's taking on more responsibility, will be focusing as much as possible on our group along with his new assistant. After the first of the year things will change but I'm not sure how. Basically, he was over our group but now he will be running the whole collections operation in the U.S. and Canada.
So here's where I run into problems:
1. His assistant is one of the supervisors who runs the regular call center department. She's coming from the situation with all the micro-managing I was just freed from. While Boss Man HATES micro-managing and treats us like adults and gives us a ton of freedom, I'm not sure how Assistant is going to be. I'm getting more used to ordering my own day according to what I think is priority & making financial business decisions while being totally backed by management. I can do stuff I was strictly forbidden to do 3 months ago (writing off invoices, waiving fees at will, saying pretty much whatever I want on the phone, within reason). Is she gonna come in and start running it like we're phone slaves?
2. I'm simply going to miss Boss Man. He gets so excited when we get money or resolve an account and keep a customer. He's driven which calls me higher. I'm not naturally competetive so I need a leader who is. He's super busy and running all over, but will always stop for us when he can. And he just likes his team. There are little things I do or ask that make him laugh. He makes us feel like if we knew him outside of work we might be friends. He calls us higher without lording it over us. He is in meetings all. the. time. and I know he has to answer for our progress and it's stressful but he never, ever takes it out on us. I know for a fact in one of the meetings he put me forth as an example of someone who's doing very well. His appreciation is so genuine. I just feel like
3. All the change is creating apprehension in me. Boss Man is moving on as he should be. He deserves that. We were told today we will be moving desks at some point. OK, that doesn't seem a big deal because working in my company is like playing musical chairs. I have no idea why. But I do know that it means staffing changes. My project is temporary and yet it's not and none of us know what will happen after the first of the year. People have tried to ask because we're all nervous. They just let an entire department go. They've done so before, within the last 2 years. One team they laid off and told all those people they could still work for the company but had to re-apply for their own jobs. Then they hired back half. I'm good at what I do but if I keep fixing all the messes and we run out of messes, what do they need me for?
I guess I'll have to mourn the loss of Boss Man and keep up my resumé. Our director always tells me I'm not going anywhere. It's nice that he's impressed but he really doesn't have control over staffing.
So here's where I run into problems:
1. His assistant is one of the supervisors who runs the regular call center department. She's coming from the situation with all the micro-managing I was just freed from. While Boss Man HATES micro-managing and treats us like adults and gives us a ton of freedom, I'm not sure how Assistant is going to be. I'm getting more used to ordering my own day according to what I think is priority & making financial business decisions while being totally backed by management. I can do stuff I was strictly forbidden to do 3 months ago (writing off invoices, waiving fees at will, saying pretty much whatever I want on the phone, within reason). Is she gonna come in and start running it like we're phone slaves?
2. I'm simply going to miss Boss Man. He gets so excited when we get money or resolve an account and keep a customer. He's driven which calls me higher. I'm not naturally competetive so I need a leader who is. He's super busy and running all over, but will always stop for us when he can. And he just likes his team. There are little things I do or ask that make him laugh. He makes us feel like if we knew him outside of work we might be friends. He calls us higher without lording it over us. He is in meetings all. the. time. and I know he has to answer for our progress and it's stressful but he never, ever takes it out on us. I know for a fact in one of the meetings he put me forth as an example of someone who's doing very well. His appreciation is so genuine. I just feel like
3. All the change is creating apprehension in me. Boss Man is moving on as he should be. He deserves that. We were told today we will be moving desks at some point. OK, that doesn't seem a big deal because working in my company is like playing musical chairs. I have no idea why. But I do know that it means staffing changes. My project is temporary and yet it's not and none of us know what will happen after the first of the year. People have tried to ask because we're all nervous. They just let an entire department go. They've done so before, within the last 2 years. One team they laid off and told all those people they could still work for the company but had to re-apply for their own jobs. Then they hired back half. I'm good at what I do but if I keep fixing all the messes and we run out of messes, what do they need me for?
I guess I'll have to mourn the loss of Boss Man and keep up my resumé. Our director always tells me I'm not going anywhere. It's nice that he's impressed but he really doesn't have control over staffing.
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