Caught In The Middle

I have been with this employer just long enough for them to realize that I am a valuable asset. Now, having worked in several departments, I am “in demand.” Two department heads are pushing and shoving over which days I will work for whom, and I am caught in the middle. You might think this could work to my advantage. Not so. In this economy, there is plenty of room for advancement, as long as you are willing to do twice the work for the same pay.

The department for which I was hired is run by a nice woman who thinks of me as her child. She dotes on me, expects little, and appreciates even the smallest accomplishments. But she is reluctant to train me and discourages any ambition on my part, assuring me that I’m doing enough as it is. This department cannot justify fulltime hours. There is no opportunity for advancement, unless someone dies.

To fill my time, I am occasionally sent to another department to file and perform other menial tasks. That department head has seen potential and has been training me in her own duties, hoping to take a long vacation this year. She’d like to leave her job in hands she can trust and wants to offer me a fulltime position in her department. She is much more exacting, but still very nice.

Well, this week, due to a death in the family, the second department desperately needed my services. However, my department head forbade it and they worked something else out to get things covered in the short-handed department. I don’t mind working in either department, but the relationship between the head of HR and my department head worries me exceedingly. I think, ultimately, it could prevent me from receiving any sort of promotion in the future.