this is so unfair a practice in higher academia or other professions

Society Business and Career
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when a new boss, director of a center comes,
he either lets people go, due to stating that there are little monies

and says restructuring is due in the dept.

in my case, my contract was writeen for the next grant year, already approved by the dean and my previous boss assured me that from research, i will be an associate director… and rerport directly to the new boss.

2 months down into the new boss’s presence at the center,
when at the last day of the grant’s recent grant year, he met me, he says, the contract papers were hung up somewhere and that even the grant’s own papers have not been submitted on time.

that is why, it will take time.

and then he said, he envisions, a diff role for me. instaead of an assocaite director, he would like to see me work as a 'rotator program coordinator for three grants.

the boss was also threatening in saying that he is the boss and it is up to him to decide which direction the center goes, the previous boss is not no more there blah blah… & that he reports to his bosses up the hierarchy so i should mind what i say and not over step in arguing with him. plus he is nosy and annoying in general.

i will be full time, from 30 hours part time position to a 40 hours week

and he implied that the pay will be less than promised for the originally decided title of an associate director.

i am dead set to leave the job at this bigoted attitude. i am mad and dejected at this whole thing. i was promised a contract and now this manipulative soft coaxing is being done.

without accepting what he offered as yet, i clearly told him that at the least what i expect of the envisioned position, he has in mind for me, is a job description of the same and equitable salary, because if he thinks he can push a work over load of coordinating 3 grants and then also have me come for more hours to work, and give a lower title, less money, i obviously will leave the employer.

any advice. i have to make the decision soon.

i do know one door closes, 1000 other open, but i had invested
after my latest degree, an 8 months from the beginning of this year, into the current title and i wanted to grow with this same university.

but, i guess i have to change plans.
Umar bhai any advice??

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Re: this is so unfair a practice in higher academia or other professions

All bosses are the same.

Do not get emotional and take things personal, because when you leave a org you should go out with a good feeling. Go ahead and take this job. At the same time, try to win over your boss and if you cannot do it, then find another work and then quit.

2 day wedding instead of 3
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Re: this is so unfair a practice in higher academia or other professions

thanks, Victory. u make practical sense. thanks.

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Re: this is so unfair a practice in higher academia or other professions

Wow Dush… quite an off-putting experience to say the least – but like Victory said, it could’ve happened anywhere – moreover, based on my personal experience in both industry and academia, the chances of a cartwheel routine in contract negotiations is lesser in academia… the process generally tends to take much longer but once an agreement is reached, its very difficult to repudiate.

I definitely think you should get into renegotiation mode – let your new boss know that due to all the changes that he “envisions”, it has become crucial for you to rethink your contract. If the Dean was involved in the original contract stages, then there is absolutely no harm in involving him / her.

However, as you go about this, it is important to maintain your employment while you negotiate to fairly reflect changed circumstances or improvements in your terms and conditions.

Whilst renegotiating, make sure you keep in mind the three core tenets in any job negotiation process: Market Value ; Organization Value and Self Value…
Market value is the value of your skills in the open marketplace. What would most orgs (educational institutions) pay for your skills?

Organization value is what you're worth to the institution that you're negotiating. You say that you’ve spent a lot of time in learning the ins and outs of the position and the job… can the organization find a suitable replacement in little time? You have to stress this point to anyone you talk to.

Last but not in any sense the least, your self value is based on what this job is worth to you. How badly do you want it? This only you can answer because like you said, may be you’d be better off somewhere else where you don’t feel misled and deceived - may be it doesn’t pay as well but you have the peace of mind that you’re getting what you were told.

Do you have any contract drafts / email correspondence that can help you in the process?

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Re: this is so unfair a practice in higher academia or other professions

thanks for empathy and understanding, Umar bhai.

i will follow ur advice. maybe that will help me deal with it intelligently.

yesterday, he said, well i can understand with the changes happening, u are perplexed. i said no, in purity of conscience i must say to u as my boss, that i am not happy with this. the position u envision for me is of program coord, clearly less than what associate director is with the budget line of salary diff than that what prog coord will be offered.

he said he is going to open the position to public, for a search by university's HR and website. but he said that to him, that opportunity is for me to cease...

i was so mad at him , i dismissed him by saying have a good weekend!

there is already so much resentment built up.

god knows what the position description is like and what its salary will be.
i will look at it, see ifg i like it and then make the decision and later on write to the provost about what goes on at that dept.

then he started making little notes of letting me know that how i am more compassionate about the work, and he does not see me in the leadership role.

he did say that i am a very intelligent woman, blah blah.

i guess for me it is wait and see. it is a mater of principles and not reneging what i was prepared to look forward to.

i had planned to pursue further studies at this univ with tuition remission.

a part of me wants to fight back, and as i will never be the person who works at a place, where she feels short changed.

with becoming a rotator prog coord fop 3 grants, with what ever kind of money as a full time, its almost like a demotion from a research associate to someone handling mundane tasks of administrative work and i did not do my Master's in applied ed psych for that.

i had asked my previous boss, by speaking to him and he said i should not have been worried about the position as it wa already signed by the dean, before he left.
the HR never got my new contract. its been 2 months.

of course i made mistakes to annoy him, in the mean while. so it is easy for him to build a case against me, so he will act like always little minded people do.

but what this new dir is saying is that it did not go thru.

what a shumck.

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Re: this is so unfair a practice in higher academia or other professions

if that contract had made it to that level, you should definitely take this up with the Dean - also get HR involved early on… they might fear litigation and own up to their mistakes.

I certainly would fight this if I were in your position.

Best of Luck again :k:

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Re: this is so unfair a practice in higher academia or other professions

advice to others.
never settle for a less qualifying work, unless u are truly able to assure that u will still have job security and good decent human relations with those u work with and for.