To be pissed off that someone else has got credit for my work

[treetops46]

So last week, I cancelled my days off and worked all hours on a presentation that I was leading with my boss today.

I wrote the entire presentation, developed the strategy, designed it - literally everything, because it had to be done so quickly and we are all busy so I just took it on the chin and made it happen.

There is a (wonderful and lovely) more junior team member who proofed the deck and is usually part of this team but was too busy to help last week. This week she is off sick so couldn't attend the presentation either.

We just did the presentation (my boss and me) and it went brilliantly. The clients said numerous times how much they loved the deck and the ideas, I was so happy that all my hard work had paid off.

Then straight after the presentation, boss messages me and more junior girl on our Teams chat saying 'brilliantly presented, TreeTops, and Junior Girl, they loved your deck!'

Now I know because I am quite senior that I should just try to let this go but it's annoyed me so so much!! I can handle not getting much praise for it, but to give credit to someone else entirely just really stings. Ugh.

I feel like I will be being really petty if I mention it, and doubt junior girl will really notice the message amid the mountain of stuff she'll have to catch up on when she gets back so probably won't correct him either. Gahhhhhhhh!!!!!!

There's nothing wrong with slide deck, it just comes from when it was actually slides that you put on a projector.

I don't think there is anything wrong with what @SirChenjins suggested, and you do absolutely deserve the credit, it is not "cringey" to reclaim it in a tactful way! Why do we encourage women to be doormats? If it was one of my team members subtly correcting my misdirected praise, I would be mortified that I had misrepresented things and want to sort it out, it's so demotivating!

I would correct them privately just because if you have your end of year review this is possibly part of it.

@hopeishere

Did she proof the presentation ( I refuse to say deck!!)?

What the hell is a deck.

When the hell did people start saying deck instead of slides/power point? Is this just something in particular industries or do lots of people do it?

Agree with SirChenjins' suggestion, and other similar ones! I would definitely correct your boss's assumption if I was you. If you haven't already, it's not too late to send a light message saying you are happy your presentation went well, and thanking Junior Girl for proofreading.

@AngelinaFibres it's a PowerPoint presentation, rebranded to make it sound less dreary.

I did an extensive piece of pathway mapping for our very specialist department at work, several spreadsheets worth of detailed information. My then boss took it & added a single column of equivalent staff costs to the times I'd recorded, and then in a meeting with senior staff passed it off as work 'he'd done'. And got praised for doing it. I was at that same meeting but since we had to be professional with the other senior people there, I couldn't rip him a new one. He would have deserved it though, and I now have learned that no matter how much of an authoritarian arsehole a boss is, you should call them out on blatant unfairness.

I would correct them too. I think a lot off PP have misread it as you both being thanked
for producing the deck. When as you have stated you were thanked for presenting and she was thanked for producing the deck.

I don't think it seems petty. I would spend time on how I would correct it but it is definitely worth correcting. Maybe as how a PP said by replying to both and thanking the junior for proofing your deck.

I have no idea what "proofed the deck" means so you could maybe drop some of the workplace jargon when posting here.

As long as people have said slides, I guess. They used to be pyhsical things that you projected, so a collection of them was a deck, like a deck or cards.

That was in reply to @Housinghelp321!

I'm surprised at how many people think it would be 'cringe' to correct this. I would use one of the suggestions above to gently set the record straight. This is the sort of thing that gets remembered at promotion or bonus time - it'd be shit if you brought it up in a future interview or review and they thought you were taking full credit for a joint project.

Oh I see - it's taking an old technology term (deck of slides) and translating it to newer tech for a powerpoint presentation - no idea why though.
Presentation makes more sense.

So - I like the "thank you for your praise, glad it went well after all those hours I spent creating it, and thanks to Jnr Girl for proofing my work!" style of response.

It's not being petty, it's correcting a misperception he has that, IMO, should be corrected. You might not think so now but this sort of thing comes back to bite people on the arse so often, just take it in hand now and make it clear that it was YOUR work, but in the nicest way possible.

@BloodyN0rah

I'm surprised at how many people think it would be 'cringe' to correct this. I would use one of the suggestions above to gently set the record straight. This is the sort of thing that gets remembered at promotion or bonus time - it'd be shit if you brought it up in a future interview or review and they thought you were taking full credit for a joint project.

It’s how women are socialised sadly. A man wouldn’t think twice about taking credit for their own work.

Ehh…what’s with all the hate for “deck”?. Is t that what they are called?

"It’s how women are socialised sadly. A man wouldn’t think twice about taking credit for their own work."

...or taking credit for the nearest woman's work as well! I know, NAMALT, but enough are.

Are you actually 'quite senior'? Doesn't sound like it. As someone senior, you should no longer be interested in credit, but in helping those who do good work in your teams be recognised and to help them move forward. You should be motivated by the business's success, that's your measure of success when you're senior, not little tasks like creating presentations.

Let this go and boost the junior lady (not girl, I assume she's an adult!!!!)

I've had this and I think you're right to be offended...it's careless of your boss. I wouldn't overstep someone beneath me in this way unless I was making a point..

I can see why you're upset, you spend hours on it and want to be recognised for the effort you put in.

I understand because I was in a similar scenario literally a week ago. But with a senior member of the team. I had created the entire document (not 50 hours worth, but about 20 so just over a couple of days) and I'd found it a real challenge. Senior colleague looked over it to make sure it was all ok. That was their input, and they didn't change anything I had done.

In a meeting, he then went on to say HE had produced the document , 'with some help from Bookworm'. Some help! I wrote the entire fucking thing! which I was proud of!
This was a presentation to the boss.

I wished I'd said something at the time, but I was a bit taken aback! No idea how I'd even go about correcting him though without looking petty, but yeah, I get where you are coming from.

@ThumbWitchesAbroad

"It’s how women are socialised sadly. A man wouldn’t think twice about taking credit for their own work."

...or taking credit for the nearest woman's work as well! I know, NAMALT, but enough are.

Very true!

@thisplaceisweird

Are you actually 'quite senior'? Doesn't sound like it. As someone senior, you should no longer be interested in credit, but in helping those who do good work in your teams be recognised and to help them move forward. You should be motivated by the business's success, that's your measure of success when you're senior, not little tasks like creating presentations.

Let this go and boost the junior lady (not girl, I assume she's an adult!!!!)

But the junior staff DIDN’T DO THE GOOD WORK.

You can’t get credit for things you don’t do.

@fruitbrewhaha

Blimey, is this what it’s like?

I work for myself, two small businesses, one pub, one making curtains, other than the pub being in The City is very far from the corporate world. I sometimes lament my missed opportunity to work in the cut and thrust of a large business, the sharp suits, the strategy meetings, the highs of meeting kpis and budgeting busting profits, but fuck me reading this I’m not missing anything. Surely when you work somewhere, ‘your’ work belongs to the company? How can people complain that someone else is using their work? Are you suggesting each time someone has to start from scratch?
I know it’s good to be recognised but ultimately you get paid and it’s teamwork.
OP you are good at your job and dedicated. Don’t do anything petty, go big. Are you due a performance or pay review? Set up a meeting and ask for pay rise. Tell your manager you are committed and your presentation won over a new client/ has made the business money etc.

FWIW I worked in quite a high-pressure corporate environment I've never worked with people like this - never for more than a few months anyway!

Trying to claim credit for every bit of a group task is now how you succeed in business.

*But the junior staff DIDN’T DO THE GOOD WORK.

You can’t get credit for things you don’t do*

It doesn't matter. Boss congratulated the team. Say thanks and accept your hard work as part of a team and accept that it's the junior's time to shine be recognised. Senior people shouldn't need praise for such practical tasks.

I'd reply privately to him, glad you are pleased, it was 50 hours of work for me last week, I was pretty proud of it too. 😁

@MrMrsJones

I think I would mention that this was your own work and Junior wasn't involved.

My daughter recently had exactly the same scenario.

In the meeting a male colleague tried to take the credit.

My daughter said, I would just like you to know that this was my work, but if Bob, needs it for his promotion then let him crack on and take the credit. She then got up and walked out.

I was so proud of her

Well done to your daughter for standing up for herself, although I'm not sure about walking out. But I think you're being harsh on the the ops colleague. This isn't at all the exact same scenario. Your daughter's colleague deliberately tried to take credit for her work. The junior here hasn't tried to take credit for anything. She probably knows nothing about it.