I am planning to leave my current job for MANY reasons – poor working conditions, terrible management, CONSTANT staffing problems, etc… My direct supervisor (DS) is doing the best she can. She has virtually no power to affect real change, but she tries to support us. The REAL problem is middle management – the Service Line Manager (SLM). I feel like it's a pretty typical power dynamic, with middle and upper management lording over the little guys. We raise issues, voice concerns, ask for resources, and DS tries, but the buck always stops at SLM. For example, we are supposed to have a team of 5 in my market. In the 10 months I have been there the attrition rate has been insane. We have gone through 6 people in the same 3 positions, and we are often short because people have called out like crazy. I have lost count of how many times I been the only one from my team to show up. Because we are so often short, we are behind on work, and clients have been complaining about the slowing turn around time. DS is acutely aware and helps as much as she can. When I discussed the stress of having so much to do and being so understaffed with SLM, her response was “you only have enough work for 2.5 coordinators, I don't know why you're so stressed. You shouldn't feel overwhelmed anyway. I'm not worried, and you shouldn't be either”.
ANYWAY… I would love to just fly the finger and not give notice, but that would hurt my poor DS more than anything, and the poor woman deserves better than that. Is there anything I can do to stick it to middle and upper management instead of just hurting DS and the one other team member that doesn't suck?