Quandary

[unclesyd]

Attended a large meeting this morning on a repair plan for three large pieces of critical process equipment that I had helped maintain and repair for a number of years. I guess that I was a guru at one time.
Having been physically removed from the area for five years there were only a few people that I knew or knew me. As I had been given a few days notice I had been able to find my working files and drawings of the equipment and several proposal for major refurbishing of same.
Here is the kicker.
An engineer that had been hired shortly after I left was running the meeting and was going to be in charge of any repairs that were to attempted. He started out with a general outline of the current and potential problems of operating the equipment without refurbishing. It struck me as strange that he was using an overhead projector until he started to present some drawings and sketches that had been on my computer when I left the plant. Everything he displayed was originally drawn by me and his presentation was an outline I was prepared to present in time. He continued for about thirty minutes with nearly all his information that had come my notes left on the same computer. I don’t know whether he knew me or of me but his presentation was given as if all this was original work on his part. One other person in the meeting knew what was going on but made no mention of the origin of the work. I had all the drawings and data he presented in the folder I had at the meeting sitting in front of me.
Another problem cropped up later in the day when I received a call from his boss and was asked what did I think about the presentation today and did I have anything to add. He qualified this question with a premise that I was awfully quiet during the meeting even though I did make so very helpful comments and suggestions.
After this call I checked around and eventually found out that this fellow really doesn’t have a clue about the refurbishing job if undertaken.
Just a short while ago I got a call from the engineer that knew the origin of the material asking me if I was going to say anything to their boss. He also told me that this same engineer had given several presentations about equipment in the area using my data and notes.
The papers he used were printouts from a word processor that I used the outline feature to help resolve problems. He was just full ideas and information, mine. I don’t mind him using it if he will give some credit where credit is due.

Another thing is that the computer that this material came from was supposed to reformatted by the IT dept as I had quite few personal, paid for by me, programs on the machine.

Does anyone have any ideas to approach this problem as I quite sure he will be partially exposed when he has to come up with the calculations that backup the different drawings and sketches on written repair plan for bids. I estimated the repair to be in the $60,000-$70,000 range for each piece of equipment. This bad enough but if there is screw up the cost will get into the millions pretty quick. This is when my name will come to the forefront not because the ideas are bad, but by not being able to carry them out.

 

[MintJulep]

An interesting quandary indeed.

Had you been asked when you left that particular department, you would have been glad to turn over the information in your files to the new guy, right?

So I guess one question you could ask of his boss is "What has the new guy done in the past five years? It seems that he has not built upon the information that I left for my successor to use at all."

Of course it might be entertaining to participate in the review of "the next step".

 

[DrillerNic]

As I see it, you did a good job with comprehensive handover notes, which are still being used. Maybe the new engineer hasn't done anything in the last 5 years because this work has been delayed by 5 years....?

It is a bit dishonest to present your work as his rather than say "previous plans for this work.."

 

[CajunCenturion]

unclesyd - Interesting problem. Before offering any suggestions, I have to ask how would like this situation to turn out. What do you think would be the optimal outcome?

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[Maury]

The computer and the information on it belonged to the company, so he was right to use it, but presenting the work as his own was dishonest. There's not much you can do except let the situation play out and see if he can carry the project through. If he has to come to you for help, so much the better, just ask him to explain "his" ideas.

Time wounds all heels.

 

[PSE]

The information and files you created when you did the work years ago belong to your employer. As such, they were apparently kept available for anyone's use (or approved use). If there was no indication on the files that you were the creator of the work, the other engineer would have had difficulty citing you directly. I would agree with DrillerNic that at least the data should have been presented as being from previous plans or research.

I will admit though, it does sound rather suspect in that you were contacted by his boss (supposedly your former?) for comment on the presentation. If his boss knew you originated the work, the omission of your accreditation should have been corrected. I almost wonder if the boss is giving the engineer enough rope to hang himself.

Plagiarism is unethical and assuming that you had signed your work and data, you should have been cited in the presentation. If your name or signature had been removed from the drawings and other documentation used in the presentation, you have a right to make it known.

Regards, and good luck in deciding if and/or how you wish to proceed on the matter.

 

[BobPE]

unclesyd:

Take the high road...Play team and let that engineer know that it is professional curtousy to let other engineers know that they are uning someones work. This courtesy has nothing to do with the company and everything to do with us as engineers. Be proactive, make time in your schedule and ask your boss(s) if you can take a technical advisor role on the project since you played a pivitol role in its development. what company wouldn't want to make things a success?

I agree with mury, there is no ownership of company material and the information has every right to be shared and further developed by the company and its employees.


Do let us know how things pan out....

Bob

 

[EddyC]

I agree with BobPE. Let the presenter know that you are aware that he utilized the material that you had created, but also offer to assist him if you are able. If this assistance is appreciated, it will be good for both of you in the long run. If not, then you have exposed the true nature of this individual and will deal with him more cautiously in the future.

 

[JAE]

I would agree with BobPE on the team part. The work does belong to the company so the guy hasn't done anything unethical; perhaps untactfully, or without honor, but not unethical.

Here's a further suggestion:

[red]1. First find one thing that you know might be a problem, unresolved issue, or something that could be further improved that was left undone in your original work.[/red]

[blue]2. Write a memo to the engineer and copy the supervisor who seemed to understand what was going on.[/blue]

[green]3. In the memo, do the following:
a) Thank the engineer for his presentation.
b) Offer to help in any way by clarifying any of the issues involved since you had previously worked on the stuff.
c) Note the one thing that still needs work and perhaps offer a few suggestions as to how to resolve it.
d) Thank him again.[/green]

So you basically are creating a memo that tells the world that you had previously worked on the project, created all of "his" points in the presentation, and notified him that there are unresolved issues that still need work (which he is apparently incapable of solving).

And you have done all this somewhat "innocently". You have to sometimes toot your own horn but you can do subtly.

 

[zdas04]

I once sat in a presentation by my bosses boss to his boss. The entire presentation was a PowerPoint that I had prepared to present a project that I'd developed (the custom automation was something that none of the other engineers bothered with). About 3/4 of the way through there was a link to a file that he hadn't been smart enough to re-link (my name was clearly on the screen in the missing file path) and he said something like "I don't know why that is in my presentation". The whole thing was slime. He was slime. I wanted to pull off his slimy head and spit in the hole. What I did was exactly nothing. I was doing a job that I loved, had no illusions that I would ever be promoted again, and sooner or later he would be asked a question about something he had stolen and would be exposed.

I heard this week that he had been sent to Siberia as an individual contributer (a couple of grade reduction) so I guess he must have gotten caught. I just hope he gets crosswise with a hungry polar bear.

Unclesyd, I'd suggest you do the same thing I did--nothing. If the guy was innocent and just liked what he saw on the computer then no harm was done. If he was slime then it will eventually catch up to him.

David

 

[unclesyd]

I reckon that I’ve been exposed to the new world order, if you don’t want something copied or stolen don’t put it down in words or figures. Especially on a computer or company files.

One thing I didn't mention is that all the drawings were done on a cad program on my computer at home and I still had the files or printouts. The reason I did the work at home was I had a better computer at the time. I had gotten permission from the Software Company and the IT department to install a second copy at work in order to display or plot my drawings and sketches. I also had done this with other programs, like MathCad, SigmaPlot, Symphony, etc all that I had personally purchased to install at work or had gotten permission to install a copy on the on the office machine. This is why the IT guy was going to reformat the HD to eliminate the possibility of unlicenced software from being on the HD. From what I been able to ascertain this morning is the HD was dumped to a network drive and one or more people my be data mining it.

The name blocks on the transparency’s evidently were removed with “WhiteOut” . All the “thinking type drawings” that I drew always had a small Greek character on the drawings, it was just a dot but it was there just zoom in. To me this wasn’t a look what I found because he went to some effort to make the presentation.

Company owned?
The material presented was technically outside my field of responsibility as far as the manning table job responsibilities were concerned. These flies contained a lot of work and thoughts done at home or outside my work envelope. I did this work based on a my philosophy that I should come up with a idea outside my field of responsibility that would pay my yearly salary. As I’ve stated before I worked under a philosophy of AIA not the normal NIH and cared little for inside the fence syndrome. I was able to accomplish this every year for 42 years except one year when a similar incident happened.
Another interesting point is that I never signed any agreement saying that any idea or whatever belonged to the company as I hired in as senior engineering technician as I didn’t have degree at the time, no contract.
Supposedly this engineer is quite sharp, not a front row sitter but in choir. I was told that he is studying and plans to get a masters and his PE next year.

As I’m past my prime and don’t stand to get a substantial financial gain from this project I would hate to hinder the gentleman’s career path. But he needs to be appraised as to the proper conduct of doing his own work and not off the backs of others. A team had come up with a solution to the outage problems incurring on the equipment would be best served by a major refurbishing and he as tasked to come up with a plan.

As to a remedy; a simple introductory statement at the begining of the meeting stating that this proposal was based on some work done by unclesyd several years ago and he is sitting right over there would have sufficed . If he had done this his next statement probably would have been if you have any questions ask him. To me it’s a little different after the fact, I’ve never like having someone do something then saying I’m sorry.
I’m going to let it ride as it stands now as I will not be directly involved at the company end only with the company that will do the repair.

 

[BobPE]

zdas:

What a graphic picture your post elicited im my mind...LOL

Not that I am questioning your approach since I do not know all the circumstances, nor do I know unclesyd's circumstances, but I always err on the side of TEAM. It drives the slime nuts...absolutely nuts...if they question you when you are playing team...they are the fool...I have done that to several slime over the years and they just oozed back under the floor where they came from. The end result was that I won my battle, but the comapany won also. I continued to play team without the slime and was rewarded because of it.

Team is an effective weapon in the world of slime....There is no I in team...and slime cannot defend against that...

Bob

 

[Heckler]

Your computer should have been sanitized before you left the job. by you or the IT dept. I personally would've taken care of it myself. I would have removed my personal programs. The data belongs to the company so I would have burned a CD and given it to my boss. That would've allowed him/her to pass this information out to the new engineer. But since the information has already been presented as such I would schedule a meeting with the new engineer and his/her boss and voice your concerns. It's obvious they value you technical expertise since you were invited to the meeting. I would also reference the other engineer as knowing this data was originally your proposal. I agree you should get credit for the design. Best of luck


Heckler

 

[metengr]

unclesyd;
It would seem to me that we need more professional types like yourself - courteous and willing to step back, if necessary, to avoid embarrassing others in certain situations. I would concur with your approach. I was told that what goes around will eventually come back around - in ways that the new hire or boss may not like.

 

[dik]

Can you offer your services as a consultant?

Dik

 

[unclesyd]

dik,
They let the bids out today and I have been contacted by both companies to oversee the quality aspects of the job as their employee. This was requested by the company, the production supervisor of the area. This will give me access to the repair work in progress and be able to keep anyone from getting burnt by hopefully keeping the job out of the ditch and have access to right people. It is going to be a little tricky as I won't have any responsibility other than make sure everything is in order and correct as the job progresses. Ostensibly I'm there to oversee the large amount PT work required before, during and after the refurbishing.

This is what you would call an open job, everyone standing around waiting for something to happen and for someone else to make the call. I hope to prevent this as the job will be on a fast track and it doesn't need someone shooting from the hip or lip.

I'll probably follow the first job through and get retired again. Probably get called back in a panic mode. It will happen as the second piece of equipment has a lot more repaired cracking and some isn't showing, yet.

 

[AndrewTX]

I can understand how you would feel put off by not being given the appropriate credit for your original work.

I've read that you will just let this one slide. That is a good decision, especially if you aren't up for a lot of political fighting.

If you were up for the political fight and considered it worthy, then the method outlined by JAE would be a good start.

 

[dik]

unclesyd:

Yup... panic mode is about $1000 an hour <G> always good for retirement...

Dik