Can't take any more!

[motorollin]

The company I work for was recently taken over. Prior to the takeover, a few members of the team I work in resigned. My new employers will not recruit replacements, so our team has shrunk from 8 to 4 people.

Effectively, our workload has doubled. We just can't keep up with the work coming in, and we're getting it in the neck from all directions. Our customers are unhappy because stuff is broken and we don't have time to fix it. Our managers are unhappy because we are failing to meet our targets. And somehow, this is our fault :roll:

Yesterday I was so stressed due to all of this that I was physically sick twice.

Their "solution" is to get temporary contractors in to "help" us. But they are more of a hinderance since they don't know anything about our bespoke apps, infrastructure, or even where the customers are in the building. By the time we have explained to them how to fix a problem we could have done it ourselves.

Add to this the fact that our pay review recently was pathetic. It barely outstripped inflation and no way reflected our increased workload.

Sorry to moan. But my employers are a bunch of c***s. It seems clear to me that they are trying to get rid of us by getting us to resign. But surely they can't treat us like this?

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moto

[motorollin]

Problem is that if I get signed off for stress then it fks things up for everyone else, who will then have to pick up my workload. I know I need to think about myself if it's making me (physically) ill, but the people I work with are my friends. I couldn't in good conscience do that to them :-(

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moto

[motorollin]

Maybe you're right. I'll think about seeing my doctor, and in the mean time I'll pray for redundancy.

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moto

[motorollin]

We do not have a union. I suspect the company which took us over already has staff who can do our job so we are now surplus to requirements. And it is better for them to "encourage" us to resign than to pay redundancy to get rid of us.

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moto

[motorollin]

Sorry to hear you have also experienced this. Rubbish innit :-(

I heard today that my higher management have noticed that our output has dropped and are considering outsourcing our department. Hopefully that means redundancy.

Unfortunately I think they have met the TUPE requirements as my pay and benefits package has remained unchanged.

I hear what you're saying about not giving up. Sadly my manager (who  was put in place by the company which took us over ) is not doing very much to resolve my issues. So I expect the problem will just continue until I leave in September to start Uni.

Before I leave I intent to take a backup of the database application I wrote for them (much of which was done in my own time, and was not part of my job description), and then destroy any copy left in the company.

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moto

[motorollin]

Van_M wrote:
I don't think that it would be a very good idea. They could drag you to court claiming that you "Vandalized" their property.

They would have to prove it.

Van_M wrote:
I don't know what sort of project management and quality assurance steps your employer company follows, but it would be hard for you to prove that the parts of code and/or executables you destroyed, belonged to you and not your employer.

Well, the app is a web-based asset register written in PHP/MySQL. It is running on a computer under my desk. There is no way for them to prove the code belongs to them.
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moto

[motorollin]

Thanks for all the advice. I actually received an email today from a contracting agency letting me know about a vacancy. I've sent them my CV so hopefully I will be invited for an interview. I'll keep you posted :-)

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moto

[motorollin]

@A4K_Mad
Yes, despite being a lowly proletariat I will not bow to the whim of the bourgoisie overlord! :lol:

This situation is getting worse now. It's looking like contractors are being brought in on "long term contracts", though I seriously suspect that it is a surrepticious cross-training exercise so they can get rid of us (suits me, though I won't cooperate by training anybody!)

It's starting to affect our friendships too now. Two members of the team are not talking to each other, and we're all best friends :cry:

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moto