I am not sure if this is the correct sub to post this in, but I’ve seen similar posts and questions so here it goes. If this shouldn’t be posted here, please let me know. Also, this will be quite long. TLDR at the bottom.
Some backstory: I am a scrum master. I basically help engineering teams manage their tasks, remove impediments (blockers), run agile meetings such as sprint planning, sprint retrospectives, etc. The team has a Product Owner who is more customer/stakeholder facing. They speak to the customers/stakeholders and figure out what they want and then bring that info to the dev team, which has a Scrum Master and devs/engineers, so that we can break down those tasks into working tasks for a 3 week sprint. That’s the PO role in a nutshell.
I recently got hired onto a company that needed a scrum master to teach their teams scrum/agile. All of their teams have Product Owners, but I’m the only scrum master (learned this after I was hired on). This company acquired another company last year and that added 3 more, new teams. Now, during my first phone interview I was told I’d be the scrum master for 60 engineers. That’s a lot, but I could manage it. During my second interview with my manager, the agile coach, a product owner, and the lead engineer, I was told I’d be teaching their teams scrum/agile. I was never told I’d only be the scrum master for the 3 new teams they added last year and was never told I’d be teaching only these 3 teams how this company does scrum/agile. I was told I’d be teaching their teams scrum/agile. So naturally I assumed I’d be teaching ALL company teams scrum/agile.
Now, this company used to have scrum masters but don’t anymore. I couldn’t figure out why this was the case. I figured after I taught these teams scrum, they’d hire on more scrum masters. All they have are product owners for the teams, and one company wide agile coach. I just now figured out why I’m the only scrum master and why I’m the only one for these 3 new teams. They want me to teach these 3 teams how THEY do scrum/agile. That’s not what I was lead to believe when I was hired on. I asked my manager about this for clarification. She confirmed that yes, I was hired on to do just that and she even apologized that it wasn’t made clear previously (I have that in writing).
To add onto this, the agile coach said that he believes “if the scrum master is good at their job, they will work themselves out of a job”. I couldn’t figure out why he said that until I figured out all this other stuff.
What’s more, they are requiring I go to training for product owners and to be certified in it. They’re paying for that training (around $1,500). In the contract I signed when hired, there’s a section explaining that if I leave or am fired within a year of any and all training they paid for, I would have to pay them back for the training. I didn’t have a problem with that seeing as tho I thought I’d be with them for a couple years.
Here’s my concern: once these teams learn agile/scrum and are proficient in it, have enough experience to actually do it, etc., will they still need me, or will I be fired? Since they did not explain to me during my interviews and initial onboarding, and I figured it out on my own, that they only need me to teach the new teams how they already do scrum/agile (my manager even apologized for this), is that considered misinformation or something? If this is the case and they let me go once the teams have learned it, I have no long term job security. I planned to be with this company for at least a couple years. And I have to pay them back for this required training should they let me go within a years time. Which, it shouldn’t take a team a year to learn scrum/agile.
This explains why they no longer have scrum masters company-wide. They combine the scrum master job into the product owner job. So the product owners are essentially acting as both. It’s cheaper for them that way.
My husband is very concerned about this and even brought up hiring a lawyer should they fire me within a year. They didn’t explain properly why I was hired on and what my job would be, and would make me pay them back for training they required I do, fully knowing they wouldn’t need me for very long. Just long enough to teach the new teams.
I’m now considering leaving the company and going to find a company that needs a scrum master long term. Them lying to me about my job and responsibilities has me very concerned. I have a meeting with my manager this week and plan on asking her these questions for clarification, then asking her to provide all the answers in an email so I have it in writing.
So my questions are: should I quit and then hire a lawyer and sue them, and how would you all bring these concerns up to your manager?
Thank you in advance for all input and advice. I know that was quite long and I appreciate it if you read the whole thing.
TLDR: new company I was hired onto lied about my actual role and responsibilities, now considering leaving and getting a lawyer to sue them.
EDIT: to clarify, I was under the impression that after I taught the teams scrum/agile, I’d remain their scrum master because a scrum team has scrum masters on them.