Steamd

It’s been a little while since I’ve written anything on my blog. A lot has happened just in the last month.

I’ve been working as an IT Assistant for the same architectural firm for the past 3 1/2 (almost 4) years. The decision was tough but, to be perfectly honest, was inevitable. Early last week I turned in my resignation. As of February 1st I will be a full-time web developer for Collabpad.

I say inevitable because a number of events have led up to my resignation. Now, before I go on I will point out that I have no wish to burn bridges. The architectural firm I worked for is a good one and I wish them continued success in the future. As such I will not refer to them by name or any of my co-workers by name. Instead, I’ll take the Harry Potter approach and refer to them as “The architectural firm that must not be named” or “You Know Who”.

Working for “You Know Who” has been a great experience. The decision to leave was tough because I enjoy the people I work with, many of whom I call friends. The decision ultimate boiled down to three main things: philosophy, ownership, and pay.

3 1/2 years is a long time and in that time my philosophy about IT has changed quite a bit. I’m more of a Mac guy now than a PC guy. I no longer believe that Microsoft provides the right solution for businesses. A lot of that is due to the release of Windows Vista. But that’s beside the point and is actually a fairly minor reason for my departure from “You Know Who”.

What weighs more is my feeling that “You Know Who” has not placed the proper emphasis on the IT staff. My philosophy is that you take care of your IT staff, you give them a proper budget, you allow them to dictate a common sense set of IT standards and procedures, and that you don’t take their requests with a grain of salt. IT is not an after thought and it most certainly isn’t “just another admin position” either. The IT department should be placed in as high regard as the production, management, and accounting staff. Just because the IT department doesn’t generate revenue doesn’t make them any less important than the ones that are. Without IT the whole infrastructure of a company can fall apart.

I’m a firm believer in a bottom-up approach to business management. The only way to succeed with a bottom-up approach though is to make sure you’re employees are happy and productive. Productivity these days is big business. You can’t go a week without hearing about some kind of seminar about how to be more productive at your job. Businesses are learning that boosts in productivity have a tremendous impact on the bottom line. One of the ways to do this is to reduce stress. If an employee is comfortable physically, emotionally, and financially then they are more likely to be more productive due to the reduced amount of stress. Let’s face it…personal finances is one of the biggest contributors of stress and quite possibly the primary factor on a loss of productivity on the job. With a bottom-up approach, everyone benefits from gains and growth in a company…not just the upper management!

“You Know Who” tries to be a bottom-up company (or at least pretends to be) but practices more of a top-down management style. There are nuances here and there of a bottom-up approach but, to be honest, I think you have to have some vested interest in the firm before you see them. “You Know Who” would do well if they leaned more towards a bottom-up approach. Hell, if they did I probably wouldn’t have left.

When I started, I was told that after 2 years I would be eligible to become an Associate with the company. What that means is that the company acknowledges my desire to stay with the company over the long term and that I have a sense of ownership in what I do with the firm. It also means that I would get actual stock ownership in the firm…which means vested interest, better bonuses and pay. 3 1/2 years in the firm and not once has anyone asked me of my interest to become an Associate in the firm.

I’ve been an IT Assistant for 3 1/2 years…but what I actually did was more like an IT Supervisor. Based on research done on PayScale.com and Salary.com, my salary was well below the 25th percentile. I addressed this early last year and asked for a raise. I felt a 20% raise was necessary but I would have been satisfied with a 15% raise. What I got was a mere 0.5% raise. Not good! The topper came at the end of the year when I got my bonus. Prior bonuses were pretty good. This year was an absolute slap in the face. It was literally almost half of what it was last year.

Now, I’m no dummy and I do pay attention to what my employer tells me. It was said to everyone in the whole company that revenues were not as good as last year and that profitability wasn’t as good either…which translates to our bonuses not being as good. However, what I don’t understand is if the total net profits are the same as last years why would our bonuses be so much smaller? Where did the profit go? How much was distributed to bonuses? These are the questions that ultimately led me to believe that I was not being treated fairly as an employee of this company. 3 1/2 years in this company and I was still being treated as “just the IT guy”. Something needed to change.

Collabpad shares my vision and philosophy and is a good fit for the future of my career. I’ll also have ownership in the company and in what I do. As a web developer and contributor to the MODx project I have an opportunity to make an impact in an industry that has a tremendous potential for growth. Going with Collabpad also means getting an instant 30% increase in pay. But that’s just the start. Compensation over the long haul of my career could potentially increase substantially based on many developing Collabpad, MODx, and other personal projects.

Collabpad is the new home for my career. I’m very excited and proud to be a part of this company. The future is looking a little brighter!