I need to rant and I call to all the Computer techs, IT Techs and Network Admins to read this.
Five years ago, LordV started with Community Home Health and Hospice as a Computer technician. His job was to track and take care of over 250 laptops and desktop computers. It was only him and his boss in the technology department. A year later, his boss was fired. They came to him, hoping that he could handle the extra work. The extra work being all the networks, servers and websites that were run by him. He could and did. Saving their hide.
They hired Mike, whom LordV trained. They hired Wanda as the IT Manager. LordV was allowed in the interview process and did not recommend her, because although she had the college degree as a manager, she did not have any technical experience in IT. She was a teacher of software programs. That's it. They hired her against his recommendation.
The first two weeks, was LordV and Mike teaching her their job and her job. What they wanted out of her as their boss. They had to explain networking, servers and the purpose of a firewall to her. To their boss. Think about it.
Mike was fired and they hired two more people, on LordV's recommendation. Rena and Stephen. LordV trained them both and was promoted to Network Admin.
Rena and Wanda became close friends and so Rena was given a promotion, to a position she had no experience in. Three times, the company has done away with her job and three times, Wanda has closed her door and came up with a new job description to place Rena into. This is against Company policy, as each job needs to be posted to allow others to put in for it. Not for Rena's jobs. So, with Rena's promotion, they hired another, named Matt. LordV and Stephen trained him.
Monday, LordV was called into Wanda's office and told that he has until Friday to decide on his new job position. She has decided to do away with the title of Network Admin, because "it isn't needed anymore". So, his new position will be as Technical Specialist, with a 12% pay cut. Basically, he is demoted back to where he started with the company. He has been evicted out of his office in Longview, and is being sent to a cubicle in Vancouver. (Remember network and server is in Longview) He is told that his only job would be to "assist" Stephen, who is being promoted to Supervisor of the department. (Again, a position created behind closed doors, just for her favorites) There is no mention of him handling the networks and servers. Just take a note, Stephen and Matt have no experience with the networks and servers.
How important is his job? They have a email server. They have a phone server, so that the company can receive patient information from the doctors offices and other facilities. They have a fax server, to organize the faxes from the doctors offices and other facilities. The nurses that go out to the homes of the patients, use their phone to log the patient data from that day. At the end of the day, they hook up into the network and update the Patient server, with the new patient information. Every month, he has to do updates on the software and the server hardware, to keep everything up and running. Do you think this is an important job for a medical company? Apparently, "it is not needed".
LordV has supervisory and management background, but he simply doesn't have the college degree. He would be a perfect choice for the Supervisory position, as he has been doing it the last 5 years. Apparently, more than 10 years experience, and the last 5 years of loyality, taking care of their needs, means nothing.
So, this is what we are dealing with. He is meeting with Human Resources to see if he has any choice. He was told, either take the position or leave the company by Wanda. Those were his choices. He hopes someone sees how unfair this is of them. Its heartbreaking.
But, he feels betrayed, bewildered and extremely hurt. Trouble is, we just bought a house. He can't afford to be without a job, so he is going to be forced to take the job and watch the company implode due to an idiot.
We are cutting some of our costs, turning off the heater, changing cable and phone and I'm trying to find a job. All so we can live within the pay cut that he is going to have to take until he can find someone that can see what a dedicated person he is. But in this recession, its going to be hard, because again.......he has no college degree. That is ridiculous in my eyes, to discard someone at face value due to not having a degree.
/rant
COMMENTS
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Morrigon
19:34 Mar 07 2012
This is happening a LOT in the world of IT. I swear many businesses are plunging headlong into the technology gap and dying there because they don't understand what they NEED and they don't trust anyone to help them do it because it costs money.
You can't cut IT services to cut your costs. That's like selling the engine in your car and still expecting to drive to work.
f's sake.