Told to let someone else lead on my work

[Dawevi]

I am a specialist in my workplace, and the only one in our team with this specialism, however I work in a particular field with trained professionals and I'm not trained in that field. This is relevant because I think I and other non-industry colleagues are generally seen as lesser.

For over a year now I've been doing a piece of work all about my specialism working alongside another member of the team who is also not industry trained.

Some months ago, our boss decided that an industry trained member of the senior leadership team should be involved and so she joined our discussions. However, she has only really turned up to things rather than got involved and I have continued to lead on all discussions and events. She hasn't asked to present anything or be involved in any meaningful way and has been happy to just turn up almost as an observer.

We have a final event coming up which is basically all about my specialism and will then feed into the industry specific work. Therefore, I am mostly leading the day and my colleagues are generally helping with practicalities.

I have just had an email from our boss saying that this colleague is the "industry lead" on this (which is news to me, I thought she was involved to keep an eye on things and ensure SLT input and knowledge) and that the agenda for our event needs to be changed so that she can run a number of the sessions on the day.

This is a problem because she doesn't have the knowledge and experience in my specialism that is needed to run these sessions and there is very little else that she could take over because the entire day is about what I do.

There was also an event recently that should have involved me and my specialism, but I was completely excluded from all planning and was not involved on the day except as an attendee so it feels there are some double standards at play.

I don't really have any option but to include this person and give her some sessions to run even though she will basically be presenting my work. But I am rather annoyed about it because I am expected to create the slides and use all of my work from the last year to create them and then hand them over to my colleague to present as though it's hers.

I think I'm venting more than looking for advice because I don't think there's anything I can actually do.

I'd try to reframe how you see this. It's an opportunity for you to work with this senior person on preparing a day that will show you in a good light because it's all about your specialism. You can build your working relationship with them and hopefully they will then have a positive view of you, which will help you going forward.

The reality is that senior people might "lead" on the day but all the work to prepare is done by others, so get going with your best impression.

The day is already prepared and she has been involved in those conversations or at least present at them. But in order to present on the day she will be using my work that I have done and she has not had input into. We have a good working relationship anyway inasmuch as we get on.

Indeed. I said as much in my OP.

I would have been very happy for her to take the lead on some things prior to this. I'm just rather annoyed that I have done literally all of the work and now I'm expected to hand it to her to present. Especially as I've been really looking forward to leading on this day and showing what I can do.

Really? I'm used to working in a different arena and it's not normal to me at all for other people to steal people's work and present it.

She isn't experienced in presenting as that isn't her skill set but I take your other point.

Are you the poster who is a contractor who has also been told that her contract will not be renewed? Despite previous conversations that you might be made a permanent employee?

If so, this women is clearly being set up to become your successor in this topic

@boxedfresh the tone of your emails seems to more about putting the OP down and a bit goady, rather than offering any advice or support. She's getting enough of that at work already.

I don't think this is that normal and I can see why you're upset OP. Can you ask to be involved in some of the presentations as you've worked so hard on it? Will this other person acknowledge that you've lead on all the work, or just take the credit for themself.

Can you put your name at the bottom of all the slides?

Oh my God don’t do this!

Can you talk to the woman and ask her whether she even wants this?

I have often presented the work of others less senior than myself in events.

The idea that i’m “stealing” from the analysts doing the work i present is… well, ridiculous and, demonstrates, at best, your lack of experience OP

Of course it doesn't demonstrate the OPs lack of experience?

Do you not acknowledge the person that has actually done the work at all? In my profession we would never take the credit for someone else's work, no matter how senior we are. They are always, and rightly so, acknowledged.

I can see why you are upset - however you claim to have knowledge of a niche subject - maybe she has learned about it from your meetings?

Also it is normal for colleagues to share presentations - though I feel your boss should have been clear from the outset that this was her plan

which industry is this?

I don't think she does but the boss says jump, we say how high. Questioning is not allowed.

Yes they will acknowledge me I'm sure, I just really wanted to present this work myself and was really looking forward to it. It's creative stuff rather than data, so not like the analyst example given above.

It feels really odd to me to ask someone else to present someone's work, but I can see from some of the replies that in some industries it's normal (even though I think it's totally weird and unfair).

I'll take a big breath, focus on the bits that I am doing, and move on. I can't change it anyway.

To the poster who asked which industry, I'm trying to be vague on here so I'm not going to say, sorry.