Anyone ever have your job duties change drastically?

[alarimer]

I'm experiencing this right now.

My official title is Marine Fisheries Biologist 1. And for almost 2 years now, I have been doing the duties of a Marine Bio. 2, essentially. The job was advertised as a 1, for whatever reason and they filled it as such, even knowing that these other things (that made it a 2, really) were coming down the pike.

Now, they hired for another position at the 2 level, without realizing that the position was really only a 1. Many of the duties had gone to other places while the position was vacant. I'm sorry if this is confusing. I'm trying to explain as best I can so I can get the right advice.

Now that they have the new person in place, they want to switch our jobs. I have been doing the work of a Bio 2 (without the compensation) so this feels like a real slap in the face. My boss has assured me that it is not for performance reasons. Still I was shocked and upset to hear this. First off, I'm concerned that the new job duties will not challenge me enough, being more clerical in nature and less analytical. Plus, I have actually done the thing that makes my current job a Bio 2, so it strikes me as deeply unfair to then hand it over to someone else. Someone, I might add, who has never actually done what I have been doing for the last year and a half.

I don't actually know what to do right now. I'm inclined to start looking immediately for another job. I'm trying to be professional about this, but I am not feeling good about this at all.

[Scuba]

1. Was "down the pike" intentional?

Yes, "other duties as assigned" resulted in major changes for me on multiple occasions.

[alarimer]

2. No, I didn't realize that meaning of the word.

I guess down the pike really means like turnpike or something.

What do I know? I'm floundering here.

[Scuba]

3. C'mon, you did that on porpoise, didn't you? Or was it just for the halibut?

[Jenoch]

4. Tell me if I have this correct.

You were hired to be a 1 at that $ compensation level. You've been doing the job of a 2 which normally would have a higher compensation level, but you're identified as a 1 and they never gave you the raise to a 2 salary.

Assuming I'm correct, the questions I have are: does the new person have a higher education and/or experience level? Why do you believe they would give the new person the higher salary job even though you've been there for almost 2 years. Is the new person earning the salary of a bio 2 level, so that person is making more than you? If so, this does not sound like a place I would like to continue to work. You'll probably be resentful the rest of the time you are there.

Have you asked for the raise to a 2 and asked to continue with what you have been doing for so long?

[alarimer]

7. Well it's a state agency.

I think the job levels were set long before I came aboard. The duties shifted, but not the titles or pay grade. So there isn't much I can do about it. They should have advertised mine as a Bio 2 probably and the other one as a Bio 1, but they didn't. So, as I see it, I am being downgraded in my duties to match my title and job description. And she is being elevated to match hers. I thn a raise would only occur if they reclassified my job.

We have the same education and I have more work experience generally. I was a technician for 15 years prior to this.

I'm not sure why I didn't apply for her job when it was advertised. I guess I thought that since I had only been there for a year, it wouldn't have looked good.

[Jenoch]

11. Is the new hire getting paid more than you are?

I don't care if it's a state agency or not, your superiors should take care of you. If they needed to tell you to apply for the new job because they knew what the classification changes were going to be, then they should have clued you in. This situation reeks of government inertia.

[alarimer]

12. Yes.

Bio 2's are paid more. But they have more and different job duties (but which I was doing until they took them away).

I don't think this was particularly handled well by my bosses. I only found out last Friday, when it had apparently been in the works for a while (a couple weeks maybe).

I'm really upset and I don't even know if I should be.

[Jenoch]

13. It seems as if you should be upset.

Have you spoken to your boss about this? If you work for the state and have been working as a 2 but not being compensated and now they hire a two with less experience, that sounds like you're getting a bad deal. Are you in a union?

[alarimer]

14. No unions here.

BUT there maybe people I can ask at the state personnel office or elsewhere for advice, if nothing else.

It's not really about the money or title. It's more about the fact that what I will be doing is not really equivalent to what I was doing.

[Jenoch]

15. Good luck to you.

Have you ever fished a golfball out of the blowhole of a whale ala George Costanza? (Just trying to add a little humor to a crappy situation.)

[alarimer]

16. No, I have not.

I have, however, rescued sea turtles when it got too cold for them.

[elleng]

5. Yes, and somewhat similar,

was working on mergers (government agency,) 'boss' moved upstairs so I became 'boss,' supervisor, head of the effort re: a major merger, kept position for several similar mergers, and THEN, was asked to 'train' another (friend) to supervise what I'd been doing. (No salary changes through this.) Nice guy, but pissed off at head of the office. Later, my friend passed (heart attack,) but the politics were such that I did not return to 'supervisor' role.

Agency closed a few years later.

Not much to feel good about, and looking would probably be a good idea. I was lucky enough to get 3 good related contract positions after agency closed, but then area of expertise shrank drastically, so did a few 'temp' positions, and then retired.

Best

[alarimer]

9. I'm not sure this is malicious

I think it's just cluelessness.

Unless they really do think I haven't been doing a good job. But they didn't spin it that way.

[elleng]

10. Good.

Mine was rather political, almost malicious, so I try not to think about it.

[RebelOne]

6. I was a copy editor for hunting and fishing magazines

which are published in all the states except for Hawaii and Alaska. I worked with two other copy editors, and we each edited 10 different states. Some of the magazines covered different areas, such as New England, Great Plains and Rocky Mountain states. Two of the copy editors were laid off and I had to take on the burden of copy editing all the states. I had no boost in pay for the extra burden of work. I did it for a year and then I was laid off. The company gave me a very generous severance pay package, but I would rather have had my job.

So any of you who read sportsman's magazines targeted for your state, I am not responsible for any errors. For instance, the magazine for my state is Georgia Sportsman. I picked up one up from a newsstand and wanted to scream at all the obvious boo-boos.

[alarimer]

8. That sucks.

There is a small upside to my situation. I will now only have to supervise one technician rather that four. That can sometimes be a headache. I'm new to supervision, so maybe that part is for the best.