Office LifeDec 8, 2019
Newmmg8911

Possible promotion or getting set up?

Background: worked at an associate level within a company’s internal marketing department for 3+ years. At my recent annual review I expressed my desire to move up within the department to Assistant Marketing Director, and my manager the Marketing Director agreed. We have had several employees quit this year including one that shared a salary guide with the staff broken down by location, position, and years of experience. I shared this guide with my manager and let her know who shared it since the person had left the company. I also wanted to show her some of our compensation is below market rate. A few weeks after that meeting I was called into the Chief Marketing Officer’s office and presented with printouts of my chat log with the employee who left with specific parts highlighted including me speaking unfavorably about my manager, salary, and the department workflow and also talk about another job I was interviewing for but didn’t get. I had the conversations at work using the company chat system so I took full responsibility for what I said. The CMO explained he and the marketing director were looking through the former employee’s chats and emails to find out if he was trying to recruit employees still working at the company when they found the compromising stuff I said. Both the CMO and Marketing Director said they want to consider it “water under the bridge” and move forward with putting me on track for the promotion including taking company-paid management classes etc. My question - should I trust this and believe I will still be conisdered for a promotion in six months or should I continue looking for another job?

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Amazon BlindIy Dec 8, 2019

What does it hurt to start looking regardless?

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mmg8911 OP Dec 8, 2019

I like my job so I would prefer to stay I just need a salary increase to be more comfortable there.

Amazon BlindIy Dec 8, 2019

You don’t have to say yes to any offers, but you might find something even better than that promotion.

Google EzGx25 Dec 8, 2019

You better do the marketing equivalent of leetcode and start interviewing. You should have better judgment if you want a director position. What you did was shortsighted. Not only the chat, but associating yourself with a troublemaker who left the company and trying to use it as leverage.

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JisBack Dec 8, 2019

Oh damn 🍿🍿

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JisBack Dec 8, 2019

Yea get out.. can't trust someone who is searching though your chat history and highlight it. You clearly have lost trust and at this point you have earn it back but if you make any mistakes ever before that they have a scapegoat to fire you whenever they want to. Not a good position to be in 😬

Empower RF Systems HQpC45 Dec 8, 2019

Take the classes, you need them and they are investing in you. A lot of people out there make below the market and my feeling is that you did not break some crazy news they did not know. Invite your boss to lunch and have an honest talk. Ask for her feedback on how this situation reflected on you, ask what it would take for the company to be able to pay market prices, ask how you could help. Create a safe space for her to vent. Then you will hopefully know what is going on. Good luck

Empower RF Systems HQpC45 Dec 8, 2019

Also, going through chats is a low thing to do but it may have two reasons: 1 your mgmt is not skilled and can’t use other data to figure out the high risk employees and whether someone important can be poached 2. They tried other means and had to resort to looking through chats. Find out which one and use this a great learning moment for yourself. What would you do if you were CMO and you had to pay lower wage, and people left and more can leave? It is an interesting management puzzle that you need to get used to solving on the fly if you plan to grow your leadership skills

Facebook tAGO84 Dec 8, 2019

scare the employee off with some weird power play, apparently

Empower RF Systems HQpC45 Dec 8, 2019

I don’t see the power play imho but a shitty situation overall. We don’t know enough to diagnose either of the choices made by their leadership. Personally I would never resort to low techniques like going through chats but I have been trained as a leader of the organization and manager of others for more then a decade. My wish for OP is to take the high road and learn from someone else’ mistakes

Gartner benni Dec 10, 2019

Take the role, play it safe and build up some experience. After one year if your working relationships are not stronger with the managers, look for a new employer to continue your management path.