Is This a Professional Ethics

[ivana24]

I am Mechanical Engineer working for Engineering Company in Canada( Government Job) on the lowest position of Engineer - Design Engineer, where P.Eng. status is not obliged, but as P.Eng. I approved many times drawings based on request of my Manager or Lead Engineer. They are also Professional Engineers and that means that professional engineer relation exists between us.

12 months ago I was accused by Manager in written form for the 4 months project delay. I checked my emails finding that that was not true. I found that Scope of Work was completed in details only a couple weeks before his letter.

I sent a message by email to my Manager and Lead Engineer explaining that SOW is reason for delay. Also I attached a name of the Director ( who supervises my Manager)on the same email.

From that moment I am getting only the lowest level of the projects. All other Design Enginers from my department ( without P.Eng. status) are working on the capital projects supervised by Senior Engineers. I checked each individual what is doing finding that I am getting only the worst - that what I learned in Technical School or lower what is not engineer work.

Last ten years I was Senior Mechanical Engineer before I came here, and my knowledge is the same as many senior engineers here.

Unfortunately, my career progression is stopped and my feelings are very, very bad. I am more and more nervous, keeping out of people - out of other employees.

In the meantime I tried to change department, but my application was rejected each time, also I can not discuss with Director - he left the Company. New one is close friend of my Manager.

I don't know what to do - for My Lead Engineer and Manager I do not exist any more - is Professional Ethics give them right to play that game with me ???

 

[patprimmer]

It is not to do with ethics. It is to do with politics and power.

Your manager saw you as a threat and set you up. As he has all the power he will almost certainly win.

You need to find another boss which is almost certainly only possible by changing companies or waiting in case your manager or his friend who protects him move on. Don't count on ther last options happening in a hurry.

It is always a danger to copy your bosses boss on anything critical of your boss. Only ever do it if you are ready for the repercussion.

It is often a danger to be at least equally qualified to your boss unless he is confident he will move on and wants you as his replacement.

Regards
Pat
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[MikeHalloran]

Like Pat said.
You are basically screwed, and it's your own fault, for copying anyone other than your boss.

>>>... professional engineer relation exists between us.<<<
That's your opinion.
Within a hierarchical organization, on this continent, it's not true.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[Ron]

Ivana...as Mike and Pat have noted, you have learned a hard lesson. It is better to move on, since you have now created a difficulty to your continued progress.

If legal issues didn't prevail, they would likely have fired you.

 

[jmw]

Agree with Pat but you are screwed anyway in this case because the fix was in before you copied other people - unless, of course, the original email blaming you was a mistake.

Incidentally, when you get this sort of news out of the blue, a decision handed down without benefit of trial or charges you can usually guess with some confidence either:
[li] that some brown noser has been at play[/li]
[li] that the boss is paranoid you will take his job someday[/li]
[li] that the boss was getting the blame for something and he chose you as scapegoat. Nothing personal and nothing lasting.[/li]

If it was a brown noser then a private email saying "I think there is a mistake somewhere. I don't know how this came about (which brown noser told you all this) but the truth is.... and here is the evidence." might have served.

Not sure about the second option. But since your friendly director ain't there any more, the risk will probably diminish. In truth, the fact of the friendly director may have contributed to the problems.

Supposing you were elected scapegoat.
The job of a scapegoat is simply to take the heat for the boss who can then make excuses on behalf of the scapegoat he could not make on his own behalf.
He offers you up as sacrifice. This gets him off the hook.
He may then maybe try to protect you. The worst he gets is an admonition to supervise you more closely. After a while all will be forgotten. Worst for you is if his manager wants more aggressive action - you got a letter and that may have been it.
So just bleat quietly (see letter above) and then get on with life.
If it got your boss of the hook and you got a letter that would probably have been the end of it, you may even have found that life would have gone on exactly as before (expecting for more than that might be pushing it).

In none of these scenarios are you supposed to have blown his excuse out of the water and copied your response to his boss. That just made it all the worse.
This was a no win reaction.
A private complaint would get you an explanation, some platitudes etc. A "Nothing I can do, my hands are tied but don't worry. It's just a letter. I'll make sure there is no permanent copy in your personnel file if that will help."

But since you chose a no win response it doesn't now matter who you are or how good you are at your job, they'd now like you to take the hint and go.
The options are:
[li] they will let their campaign reach a natural conclusion in the fullness of time. i.e. you will quit.[/li]
[li] if, in the fullness of time you do quit, you will find a perfectly good personnel record and a good reference.[/li]
[li] if you don't get the message or take too long then maybe they will up the game. This might mean they will try and set you up for a fair dismissal. In this case you will go when they think they can get away with sacking you and you may find you no longer have a decent personnel record and you may find you don;t get a good reference.[/li]

Be sure that you will not get a pay rise next time around even though they might be forced to give you a passing decent review.

In some countries you have a right to see your personnel file, and it is worth having a look to see if there is something in there that is wrong and you don't know about it. Get a copy from HR.

But basically, yes, you are screwed unless you want to wait it out a few years till yet another new manager/director comes and goes. That was what I had to do (I actually had to wait out two new business managers. And in the end the only beneficiaries were the company.) Not sure how it works when you work for the Government.

A friend of mine was a victim when the director who hired him left the company.
The new director progressively fired all the old directors appointments and gave the jobs to his hanger ons. My colleague was one of the victims despite being a very high achiever.

There is no logic no appeal and this is one of those times when the management gives not a stuff for the interests of the shareholders (er, tax payers in this case. Same difference).
The best you can do is go to a new job.

12 months ago I was accused by Manager ....

This is 12 months during which, win lose or draw you should have had your CV/Resume out there. In such cases you might even win the battle, but not the war. But 12 months is a long time to wait them out. Their patience may be going.

In the meantime I tried to change department, but my application was rejected each time....

This simply said you hadn't got the message.
Doesn't matter if your director was there or not.
In these cases there are no friendly directors.

They don't want anything in writing that will hang them in a court for wrongful dismissal or anything like that. Nor harassment. There will be no emails to shred. But worth getting a copy of your personnel file anyway.

I doubt you have any union representation nor that they will help anyway.

Move on and put it down to experience.
Good luck with finding a new job.

By the way, you should be documenting everything at this point and backing it up.
If they tried to set you up once they may try again.
If you are intent on hanging on then you may want to start ensuring you get all your instructions in written form..... if given a verbal directive/request simply ask for it to be confirmed by sending an email request for confirmation.

What you need now is that they will be happy for you to go to the point where they will give you an excellent reference if you go soon.

It will be useful to read the Cass thread on "Report a client for fraud."





JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[SNORGY]

ivana24:

Don't spend another minute of your life in a toxic environment. If I thought that was how people around me felt about me, I would be gone in 5 minutes or less, about the amount of time it would take to log out of my network account, grab my calculator, stuff it into my briefcase, and get to the lobby.

Regards,

SNORGY.

 

[bridgebuster]

I agree with the others, but why don't you sue? Isn't it true in Canada you can claim to be a victim of anything and win?

 

[SNORGY]

Yes.

That is why we are suing the Boston Bruins!



Regards,

SNORGY.

 

[JeffTech]

The most we ever get when we win said lawsuits is a New took and some Maple bacon

Jeffery V C.E.T.

"If Brute force doesn't solve your problem, your not using enough"

 

[ewh]

I miss my took.

Technically, the glass is always full.

 

[btrueblood]

...mmmm....maple bacon. Now my tummy is rumbling. Late breakfast, anybody?