This is my story of me working hard, and having the rug yanked out for it. Now I don't care. They get my 9-5 hours and that's it. This happened a few years ago, pre Covid.
I always wanted to be a hard worker, thought that was what I should be. Worked really hard in a clerk accounting position for 7 years so I could move up in the company. I streamlined the whole department, of a multi million dollar company, to the point where I was the ONLY person in accounts payable for well over a year when another coworker quit to do her own business. I handled everything, start to finish, worked side by side with executives, handled company mergers and auditors and dumpster fires. I was always learning something new, something more, always helpful and strove to be more, to be noticed. If I had a free minute, give me something to fill it.
Was made very clear (verbally) by my boss, The Comptroller, that I was being groomed for a Staff Accountant or Assistant Comptroller position as she was planning on retiring and wanted me to move up, I just had to have a degree in my field, so I went back to school full time on top of my workload. Due to a previous degree, I only had to take accounting specific classes and was scheduled to graduate in 2 years. Worked my ass off. Full class load, to the point where I needed adviser approval, summer and winter semesters. I only had about 2 semesters left of classes (one a summer semester) and I would have the degree, with plans of continuing to CPA license if I thought the company might benefit from it. All of this education is out of my own pocket by the way. Went $25,000 in student debt.
Then it all came to a screeching halt. I had to do a capstone class where we did resumes and fake applied for jobs on Indeed and our professor would give us a mock interview.
Well, I found out my work was secretly hiring me a manager. No one mentioned it to me, no one told me anything, just found the job opening online. The duties listed: my whole job outside of basic clerical work. I kept my mouth shut. I was so angry, felt so betrayed, I started applying for jobs elsewhere but they weren't flexible for me to finish my degree, so I stayed put with a full exit plan once I graduated. They hired the manager, and it was a “hey, this is your new boss!” Type introduction. She was obviously uncomfortable when I expressed confusion about why they got me a boss, instead of an employee, especially when she realized I'd been in the department for 7 years, and would be training her on how to do MY duties. They immediately hired her a second employee and had me train the both of them. Also started doing the whole “write procedure manuals for everything you do”. My previous boss (the comptroller) was now nowhere to be seen. We used to talk, go on float trips, do dinner, super friendly, and now she ghosted me. I got the hint: she was no longer grooming me for anything. She was taking away duties, and not adding anything to replace them. More than once I heard new boss say “if we take X away from you, will you still have 40 hours of work?” And then they'd take that duty away. I was to be a clerk, a good little mule, with 7years of institutional knowledge.
I took a full 8 steps back from my job. No longer worked overtime, no longer went above and beyond. I guess my old boss (The Comptroller) noticed my change in attitude and work ethic and complained to other executives about me. This made her boss very concerned, because I was an extremely valuable employee who knew the ins and outs of their VERY EXPENSIVE MRP System. I was the “go to girl” for the company President, the CFO, the COO, and every manager in facilities spanning 3 countries. If I couldn't solve the issues, I could find the person who could.
We'll, not long after this “complaining” an executive gave me a call in the middle of work and said “hey, you want to change departments? We need an accounting-minded person in purchasing. Comes with a raise.” It was the beginning of December. The last month of our fiscal year. I was scheduled to graduate in less than 30 days. My “new” boss was still in her trial period, my “new” coworker was still figuring out how to use the freaking printer. It was just me in the department making it run.
I immediately said yes.
The Comptroller Lost. Her. Shit. She knew the offer was going to be put in front of me but went “nah, Specific_Hippo won't accept it because she's almost done with her accounting degree and won't want to take a job outside of her field”. WRONG! I saw the writing on the wall. I saw them slowly moving my duties away from me, or demanding “how-to's”. I saw them pulling back, icing me out of social events. They were either moving me firmly into 'Clerk' or firing my butt.
So I changed departments at the worst possible time, and it was glorious. The Comptroller dragged her feet, said I couldn't move until the new year as they needed to hire a replacement. One month away. Fine. They didn't put the ad out for over 2 weeks, then had issues with getting applicants. On the last business day of December, they dragged someone up from the production staff, a guy who could not have cared less, be trained for my position. It's the last day of the fiscal year. I don't have time to train this guy, but I let him watch what I'm doing and try to explain it as I go. He plays on his phone the whole time. I don't care. I'm doing general ledger stuff and things my new boss should be doing, but she doesn't know how yet.
The new year begins, suddenly they have not one, not two, but three additional people in the office, not including phone guy. (So 4 total new employees to fill my role. None with accounting experience or degrees in anything) They want me to mass train them. I'm in my new position. IT has already yanked my system rights and I can't. “Well, do your best?” Sorry, I literally cannot see the Accounting module anymore, so can't even do that. “Stand over their shoulders and point them while they work?” Can't, I've got to learn my new duties. The accounting manager will need to train her new staff. There's procedure manuals made for everything.
The first two weeks in my new position is basically me trying to learn my new duties, and getting interrupted every 10 minutes by accounting needing to know how to do XYZ. Then the best thing happens. One of my new coworkers in my new department gets Hospital Level Sick (I love this woman so I wasn't happy she was sick, I assure you. I was happy due to the situation it then caused. This was pre Covid btw) My NEW boss in my new department came in, full of apologies, and said “I can't train you, as I'm full up, but I need you to figure out how to do sick coworker's stuff. I'm so sorry. I will try to help as best I can.” So I dove in, figured it out.
And every 10 minutes, when accounting came by, I told them I couldn't help. I'm too busy. We're short staffed due to sick coworker. They'd have to figure it out themselves. Accounting went into full chaos mode. Two months in my new department, and the COO is asking if I can moonlight in accounting to help them catch up. Services are being turned off for non payment. Apparently having 4 people to fill my role just wasn't enough. Told them I couldn't, because it would be an audit issue, as I would have the power to create a vendor, create a purchase order, apply an invoice to the PO, pay said invoice, and reconcile it. Our auditors would flag us so hard for it. She understood. This was the comptrollers problem to deal with.
It's been years, and accounting is still a complete and utter mess. Their turnover rate is ridiculous. I am still being asked questions and for help to train the new employees, and I direct them all to the no-longer-new head of their department as “I haven't worked in accounting in years”. My new department is wonderful. My boss is the best. She's supportive and kind. She speaks with me when there's an issue. She encourages me to be better. She makes sure I'm not overloaded with work. When Covid hit and we downsized, and then had to rehire when the world turned back on, she was the first to insist on a new employee hired to carry the load, instead of giving it all to me and my other coworker. She's the only reason I haven't left to work elsewhere “in my field”. The few times I've gone interviewing at accounting firms, they always stress about the long hours and massive workload. Been there. Done that. Never again.
I learned my lesson. I don't ask for more work. I don't try to impress anyone. I don't care about the company anymore. I'm a cog in the machine, and I guess have been “Quiet Quitting” ever since this happened years ago. My hair is no longer falling out, I'm losing the weight I gained, I'm no longer driving to work fantasizing about getting in a car crash so I don't have to step inside. I'm no longer needing to crawl into a shower to cry after getting home. I didn't realize how abused and burned out I was until I changed departments. It was like a fog was lifted. These issues had just been slowly growing until they became the new normal. Like a frog in a slowly warming pot of water. I wasn't sui***al but looking back it was a scary time for me. I could easily see it having turned that way if things continued. I'd sometimes pull over on my drive home, and just bawl my eyes out on the side of the road because something had gone wrong that day, something had been missed and the department was in trouble for it. I would tell myself “I need to be better. I'm the problem.”. —-I wasn't the problem—-
I just want to be paid a decent wage, so I can pay my bills and be happy. I no longer aspire to be a manager or to be noticed. I am no longer the “go to girl” and I'm fine with that. They broke my spirit and showed their true colors. They don't deserve my respect or my hard work. Pay me, and leave me alone.