Is it true that seniority is more important than ability, performance etc?

[Applewhite]

Is it true that in the US seniority in a profession is more important than ability, productivity, performance etc? Does this vary by field/profession?

 

On a second note, I am having trouble with a particular work related situation. I was told during training that x, y decisions are up to my discretion and other staff will back me up on it. Someone with higher rank has been overriding my decisions and suggesting alternatives (that are really not feasible, and that I don't feel comfortable doing) that have short deadlines. I've asked this person if they prefer that I ask them before making x,y decisions and they said no it is my call, that I have to make judgement calls. Once I do make judgement calls (even on seemingly obvious decisions) he has over-rided the decision and suggested something that I feel uncomfortable doing. (example: give a non-zero grade to student(s) that have submitted copy/paste work belonging to other authors).

 

My second problem with the same person is that once something like this comes up he will send an email or voicemail saying "Let's talk". It's really inefficient and annoying. We have different schedules, and I really don't have hours on end to chat with him on the phone. (He will digress and discuss a 3 min issue in 1 hour, and we don't really even precisely cover the important topic! Everything is still vague, undetermined and not resolved.). Not that it matters too much in terms of cost, but I don't even have a company phone and is it really normal to discuss everything over the phone instead of written when you can refer back to it? (It's an ONLINE job!)

 

How do I deal?

[Generation]

In terms of real estate, most people will prefer someone who has a lot of experience, so someone with seniority generally speaking, which also comes with having a lot of contacts etc.. Young people will have the hardest time in that field, they'll have a lot more to prove.

[Godless_Heathen]

It varies tremendously based on profession. Even then you'll always find local exceptions in particular companies. Some people are simply going to be more focused on status than results, and some will care more about results even when the culture is to favor status.

 

Text is actually a very slow, inefficient method of communication. It takes minutes to compose something that can be said in seconds, and it lacks the nuance of voice. Voice is inferior to face-to-face communication. I've run software development teams and I've dealt with outside programming contractors, and it's always much more difficult to resolve things over the phone. You can't point to something over the phone.

 

The main strengths of text are precision and permanence. For data, such as numbers or addresses, text is great. Text is often essential support for a voice conversation.

 

The problem with the guy you're dealing with isn't that he wants to talk on the phone, it's that he's unfocused and a poor communicator.

[FathomFear]

Is it true that in the US seniority in a profession is more important than ability, productivity, performance etc? Does this vary by field/profession?

 

I can't speak for the U.S., but I'd say that seniority tends to play a larger factor in government jobs--at least in Canada. In private/public companies which are for-profit, performance usually wins out. The company I work for, for example, weeded out all seniority-based perks (shifts, bonuses, etc) and instead now ties everything to performance. A person coming in off the street who performs better than someone who has been here 5 years will take home more more money, generally speaking.

 

On a second note, I am having trouble with a particular work related situation. I was told during training that x, y decisions are up to my discretion and other staff will back me up on it. Someone with higher rank has been overriding my decisions and suggesting alternatives (that are really not feasible, and that I don't feel comfortable doing) that have short deadlines. I've asked this person if they prefer that I ask them before making x,y decisions and they said no it is my call, that I have to make judgement calls. Once I do make judgement calls (even on seemingly obvious decisions) he has over-rided the decision and suggested something that I feel uncomfortable doing. (example: give a non-zero grade to student(s) that have submitted copy/paste work belonging to other authors).

 

Assuming that you work for an academic institution of any merit, plagiarism should be taken seriously. It shouldn't just result in an F--it should result in academic probation or worse. If you were advised to handle it differently I would advise going up the food chain until you get a better answer.

 

My second problem with the same person is that once something like this comes up he will send an email or voicemail saying "Let's talk". It's really inefficient and annoying. We have different schedules, and I really don't have hours on end to chat with him on the phone. (He will digress and discuss a 3 min issue in 1 hour, and we don't really even precisely cover the important topic! Everything is still vague, undetermined and not resolved.). Not that it matters too much in terms of cost, but I don't even have a company phone and is it really normal to discuss everything over the phone instead of written when you can refer back to it? (It's an ONLINE job!)

 

Speaking on the phone is always the best option. Writing is kind of passive. Generally speaking, if I want to flesh something out I always do it over the phone. This is something that is considered a best practice in the business world, so it's probably something you should try to get used to.

[mhowe]

Speaking on the phone is more efficient. However, if you are consistently being over-ridden, you might want to document your acquiesing on paper. Since you are an on-line job, does anyone else know that you decide X and this other person chooses Y and you do Y?

 

You don't have to email it all around, but I would keep detailed notes.

[Liraele]

It depends a lot on the culture of the business.

 

Sometimes, yes, seniority is preferred, especially if that "senior" person has proven results and productivity.

 

In regards to the rest of it - sit him down and have a chat. Request that he/she stop undermining your authority. If it continues, go over their head - not in a finger-pointing way, but take the approach of "When I was hired, I understood that things were going to be x, y, z - but I am having a difficult time getting compliance with my efforts due to x person superceding my authority on projects" or whatever the case may be. Ask the superior to clarify things for you, and have a meeting with everyone (if necessary) to lay out the guidelines and the way that project breakdown works.

 

Communication and having a backbone about things goes a long way most of the time, so long as you don't act like a whiny jackbag about it. It's a fine line.

[Alezia]

I understand why these issues are done over the phone instead of via e-mail. Anything where a lengthy explanation, or reasoning, or negotiation is required - phone is better than e-mail. Emails are great for brain dead reminders, or small coordination work.

 

Generally speaking, your supervisor (I assume this is what it is - someone with authority vs. a coworker or peer), will always have the last word. They generally have their employees attempt to make decisions in order to get them thinking about making these decisions, and learning the proper path. If you do not feel comfortable with the overriding decision, this is what you need to discuss.

[Applewhite]

Actually that wasn't the case at all. What ends up happening is these hour+ long conversations where we don't even discuss the problem at hand. (In my opinion it could/should be settled via email - precise and takes all of 3.5 mins). On this particular case we spoke on the phone 1 hour. Most of it was irrelevant things, not even about work - it's always like this. We also often repeat conversations we have had before (again about irrelevant things). He is old so I guess that is part of it. He really is pleasant to talk to, but I don't have the time to talk to him for hours every week - nor was this part of the job description.

 

In the end we went along with my original decision.

[Alezia]

I would just tell him that you have X amount of time to talk and you have an appointment, or whatever else excuse you want to come up with. I assume you don't work on a regular schedule, but on flex time between your classes.