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!!!!!!

Just email back and say actually it was all your work and the other person was off sick whilst you stayed at home to work flat out on the presentation.

Don't stand back on this your boss wants to know and should know how much hard work you put in

Does junior girl normally design the deck? if not, I don't think he'd think she designed it - he'd just assume she'd helped/proofed and is acknowledging that. I always acknowledge as many people as poss - and I'm sure that makes some people sometimes feel they aren't getting enough credit.

I wouldn't raise it formally, but if it's important for him to know you designed it, then just drop it into conversation (once!) over the next couple weeks - eg I think I might use the XY idea I came across when I did the old deck.

Also, check in with yourself you aren't expecting praise for a job that's now beyond you. IE is the key part of your job to make the sale, rather than actually design decks.

I disagree with many of the posters above, I think you do need to set the record straight in a positive way. The suggestions above seem sensible - along the lines of thanking boss for the message, thanking Junior Colleague for proofreading, and reminding boss that you'll need to speak with him about rescheduling the annual leave that you cancelled to put this presentation together. There's really nothing 'cringe' about women being assertive in their own workplaces.

You might also need to consider how your managers allocate work for this client going forward- if they think Junior Colleague has put this presentation together, they might assume she has more understanding of the client's needs than she actually does, which could leave your company looking amateurish.

Has she not msgd back saying actually I just did the proof reading. That's exactly what I wld do in that situation. I've had similar things happen to me and others and either myself of the other person has corrected them so they know who did the bill of the work. I'd be pissed off she hasn't responded telling him she didn't actually do it.

Seriously? It’s a junior member, let them have some credit. I thought your boss was trying to claim some work. You’ve been recognised too, let it go.

Christ all these suggested replies to the message are like a cosplay version of what people think a corporate environment is like.

I genuinely wouldn't read too much into it, recognition is a great thing at all levels and presumably this senior person trusts you to do a good job so thanking a more junior person is a nice nod to the fact they contributed.

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!'

Is the boss maybe meaning you both when he says 'your deck'? Just a bit badly worded?

He mentioned you first, then kind of her as an after thought, then 'the clients loved the slides you both worked on'. That's the meaning I took from it. Yeah you did most of the work, but he's just including her as more of an afterthought and not discounting the help she gave.

Think it's just badly worded praise.

@pradavilla

Has she not msgd back saying actually I just did the proof reading. That's exactly what I wld do in that situation. I've had similar things happen to me and others and either myself of the other person has corrected them so they know who did the bill of the work. I'd be pissed off she hasn't responded telling him she didn't actually do it.

She is off sick

@treetops46 what does your boss think your cancelled your annual leave for, if he does think she created the presentation?

@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

This isn't a comparable scenario - no one is stealing the OPs work.

I'm glad your daughter spoke out when someone tried to claim credit for her work, but why did she walk out? That isn't a mature way to behave - you can stand up for yourself and stay in the room.

@AllOfUsAreDead I think that too.

Of course somebody else isn't being credited. You were mentioned first. So folk would presume it was you helped a bit by the junior. It would look really petty if you objected to this IMHO. An e- mail going round saying sorry mistake treetops has asked us to point out this was all her own work. Cringe cringe. Just no.

"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."

And this is really the problem, isn't it.
Women generally are too bothered about looking petty, when it's not petty At All to want to be acknowledged for the work YOU have done, and not have some bloke, or senior person, swan in and take all the credit for it.

It's Not Petty to want your work to be attributed correctly. We are judged on our work, our performance - and if someone else gets the credit, then likely they will also get the pay rise, and the promotion, and other recognitions which we then don't get because we didn't stand up for our work.

When it's a genuine team effort, then of course it's team recognition and it would be a little petty to say "well I did this, and that, and Jim did the other bit" - but when someone else is credited for pretty much all of your work, then it's not petty.

@Viviennemary

Of course somebody else isn't being credited. You were mentioned first. So folk would presume it was you helped a bit by the junior. It would look really petty if you objected to this IMHO. An e- mail going round saying sorry mistake treetops has asked us to point out this was all her own work. Cringe cringe. Just no.

I was credited for presenting well, she was credited for developing the actual presentation

It's all in the commas isn't it? I could read the message in two ways, one way meaning "JuniorGirl made the slide deck" or there's an alternative meaning "I've just remembered JuniorGirl's existence so I'll mention her in an aside".

@pradavilla

Has she not msgd back saying actually I just did the proof reading. That's exactly what I wld do in that situation. I've had similar things happen to me and others and either myself of the other person has corrected them so they know who did the bill of the work. I'd be pissed off she hasn't responded telling him she didn't actually do it.

She is off sick so hasn't been able to respond

Never cancer any of your days off again

If you're female, I wouldn't just let it go. I'd reply with something like "yes, fab effort all round & great feedback from the clients. Makes the late night on Friday formatting PowerPoint all worth it."

*cancel!

Why’s everyone calling it a deck? When did a PowerPoint presentation start being called a deck?

*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!'
..

He congratulated me for presenting well then said to her 'they loved your deck' - ie the interpretation being I presented the slides she created*

OP I'm wondering if what's actually happened is he's put an unnecessary Oxford comma in between yours and Junior Girl's name and that's given the impression the "loved your deck" comment is aimed at just her, when it's actually aimed at both of you? Ie, it should read "Brilliantly presented, Treetops and Junior Girl, they loved your deck!"

I suppose you could still be annoyed he credited her at all, and I admit it's not well written but since it's not clear to me that he was definitely intending to credit Junior Girl solely for the deck, saying anything about it could come across as pettier than you intend if he was actually praising you both.

@SirChenjins

I'd message back along the lines of 'thanks, I was so pleased with the way it went! A huge thanks to Junior for proof reading my presentation (STOP with the deck, that's beyond irritating), your help and support was hugely appreciated. Can't wait to get started on this work'

Only leave out the oproof read bit cos she didn't. Do say the rest, tho. How has your boss been so mistaken? I'd say he hasn't got his eye on the ball at all to think someone other than you has done the work.

The manager was in the right. He acknowledge everyone's work on it. Presumably he knows you wrote it and he knows you presented it. So he is simply acknowledging the work of your colleague as well.

I’d honestly just reply and say thanks for the feedback, that’s great to hear. Thanks again for proof reading @junior

Then move on. No biggie

I would play the long game here…

You will have an opportunity to see if the Junior member of staff is trustworthy and honest, if they take the Credit for the presentation you know that they are out for themselves so at least you will have learnt something from the episode and be pre warned for next time.

I would then speak to your manager in your next 1-2-1 or formal review and clarify you did everything in the presentation as Junior bod was off sick. ( the manager can easily check this to see you are been honest)

It may may even turn out the manager may have doubts about the honesty of the Junior so they are themselves seeing what happens next, surely the manager would know who was off sick in the office

hate office politics

And as a junior worker, it is annoying when everyone who you do bots of work for all get praised, but your work remains invisible.