A month ago, my company was told that we were going under.It was unexpected that day to hear that I was going to lose my job. I work for a sports retailer that owns several big name sportswear and gear stores. One of the stores, which is ours, is going to close. I'm also a graphic designer apart of a small marketing team. As soon as we all heard the news, everyone's been talking amongst themselves about what they're going to do to take the next step. My boss surprised me by saying that she would let us go freely to interviews if we had any and gave us a website to this company that can help with writing our resumes professionally. That's a nice gesture but minimal effort on her part.

At the end of 2010, my old boss (who went on mat leave) had an idea to do an archive of all the window displays and store signs. It was a document so we could always have a record of what we had done. So it was my responsibility to collect and archive all that stuff for January 2011 and on. No problem...I usually did it during Christmas when the office was dead and there wasn't much to do. With that said, CURRENTLY, after the news that the company was going to close, there wasn't any indication of where all our "stuff" is going (stuff, as in the backup disks of work, equipment like the camera etc). There would be no point in doing a 2012 archive because the company is heading to close down mode after the Back to School season. I've already collected all the work I wanted for myself and am done with organizing the portfolio. Same with the other graphic designer.

Anyway, the whole point to this is that my current boss picked up on the idea of the archive and decided that I would do a project that's pretty much off the record. She wanted me to do the archive from Dec. 2011 and all the way until the end of Back to School 2012---to include windows and store signs. The reason is because she wants the whole marketing team to take this document and use it as their own portfolio piece to get other jobs. Meaning, I'm not doing this for the company and it's a "project" outside of the company's interests. The senior graphic designer and I don't need something like this because we have our own portfolios. But there's my boss and 2 other people---I can see that my boss wants to show future employers they had a hand in steering the art directing on the projects and all.......but, considering it's for their portfolio for them to get jobs outside of the company, I feel like I'm being made to carry them by doing ALL the leg work. My boss' reasoning is "we all have to help each other in this crucial time, blah blah.....so ZombieCandi, do this project for everyone because this will help us get jobs". Am I wrong in feeling that I'm being taken advantage of? I wouldn't feel this way if the company was still ongoing and I had to do this because it was a regular task. She didn't even approach me and say, "Hey, it would be great if you did us a favour because it's outside of company parameters...." or something. She intended this project to benefit the whole marketing team when in reality, it only benefits 3 of them. What's more, my boss didn't want this portfolio archive done in Adobe Indesign (so it can be turned into a PDF), she wanted it specifically done in Microsoft Powerpoint. That means, not only am I collecting all photos and graphic files, I have to individually convert every image from working file to a format that only Powerpoint allows. The reasoning for this is because Powerpoint would be easier for my boss. The slides each have an ugly blue template background and the store sign sections are going to be a combined mess of photos and graphic files. Not that I really care anymore what the archive will look like---I've given up stating that the archive won't have a unified look (and that it looks like a highschooler did it for a class presentation).

Now my boss is getting impatient and been nagging me about having everything completed from Dec. 2011 to June 2012 by next Tuesday.

My official end date with this company is Sept. 28th. I've been looking for other jobs elsewhere but there's nothing yet. I hate doing this project because all the other people on the marketing team just have to sit back and wait for their portfolio piece to be done. It doesn't help that I've hated this boss ever since she got here. I resent her even more for making me the workhorse that will benefit them getting new jobs. I've questioned her about it and it basically makes me look like I'm just out for myself and not wanting to help anybody out. I also remember her saying, "Since we're pushing toward the end, we all have to work harder because that's how we'll be remembered." Basically, all the work we've done before hearing the news about closing is tossed out the window....and everything now for here on out will only be counted". And if I refused in any way to do this archive project (which HER BOSSES don't even know about), I'm going to be looked at as a poor worker.

Sorry if I missed anything - I read this really fast.

Are you getting paid for doing the work?

Who owns the copyright for the team design work? Who would get the credit for the portfolio pieces? Can you control how the credits are presented?

Can you leverage it to your advantage, say, by asking the beneficiaries for linkedin recommendations and other references?

Also, linkedin has a free app called behance that people can put portfolio pieces in. Would this be an option that may be helpful to anyone?

I guess I would try to think of ways this project can work to your advantage, unless you think doing it presents a disadvantage to your job search.

I would definitely want to be paid, though, (either by using company time or a separate contract) unless it only takes a few hours and is worthwhile to you.

It'd be against my principle to do this...

Definitely sounds like you're being used. Is it taking up a significant amount of your time at work that you should be spending on other tasks?

Frankly, I would just forward her the files and let her sort through them. Let HER do the work of making a powerpoint, since it sounds like she literally wants you to make her portfolio.

Not to sound cold, but what would they be doing in return for your work on their portfolios? It sounds like she is just pulling the "I'm your boss, so you do as I say" card for something that is outside of your responsibility. What's going to happen if you don't do it? Just obviously don't list her as a reference for any jobs if you refuse to do it...

Is she someone who will have to give you a recommendation in the future? Meaning, is she your boss? If so, and if she's asking you to do this on company time (so you're being paid for it), it's what you need to do, even though it's unsavory. Is your boss being an arse? Definitely. But she is your boss and your job is whatever she tells you to do (as long as it's legal--and this is definitely legal). And as much as you dislike it (and I don't blame you for that), it is your professional reputation on the line (i.e., even if you never use her as a reference, future employers may still call her since she's your latest boss, and then there's the whole informal professional network you need to consider). And she's right about one thing: how you leave a company (your last weeks, months there) is what people are going to remember about you the most. There's also the possibility (let's hope rare) that she could be your boss again in the future. So you do need to handle this professionally, even though I agree with you that it sucks.

Meanwhile, you know you can just save the InDesign pages as PDFs and then place the whole PDF as an image in PowerPoint. If the dimensions are different, you can cut the PDFs in half and layout the PPt in two column/side by side, if the design of the pages work like that. In any case, since it's not for you, I wouldn't worry about spending time on designing it and just placing it in like that and let her take care of the design aspect since it's no longer an archival piece for the company and is for personal use.

Originally Posted by athena21

Definitely sounds like you're being used. Is it taking up a significant amount of your time at work that you should be spending on other tasks? Frankly, I would just forward her the files and let her sort through them. Let HER do the work of making a powerpoint, since it sounds like she literally wants you to make her portfolio. Not to sound cold, but what would they be doing in return for your work on their portfolios? It sounds like she is just pulling the "I'm your boss, so you do as I say" card for something that is outside of your responsibility. What's going to happen if you don't do it? Just obviously don't list her as a reference for any jobs if you refuse to do it...

The problem is even if she doesn't list her boss as a reference, any future employer can call any of your bosses whether you list them or not. And since it's a recent boss, most probably will do so because it will look suspect that they are missing in her reference list. Check out these links about references:

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/...job-references

http://www.askamanager.org/2012/06/y...eferences.html

Also, people talk. And you never know how leaving a place on bad terms with your boss could affect your career later. I just want to provide this info for you because I'd hate for you to have this come back to bite you if you didn't realize that it could. Never burn bridges if you can help it. It's really bad for your career.

Well, caveat 1, I am pretty pigheaded and have much less professional experience than Poppet.

That said, I kind of believe in burning the bridges you know you don't want to take. I left a previous job more or less in flames, and frankly I am pretty proud of it. It did not affect my search for subsequent jobs. In fact on several occasions I explained the situation briefly and broadly and got positive reactions.

Then again, I changed careers, the previous work issue involved morality rather than ethics, and most importantly I felt pretty strongly that it would be a waste of my limited time on earth to spend any more of it with similar people in a similar situation.

I would not be as upset about what you are being asked to do, but I probably would not do it either. As far as references, if the company is going under, prospective employers won't be able to contact your current boss for a reference unless you provide her information. If they ask for the reference, you can say you are unable to provide one and give the short-form reason. Not that many companies are going to be upset that you refused to abuse company time. As far as talk, I think at a certain point people figure out who to listen to and who to ignore.

Plain Jane: You know I love you , but I really disagree with this advice (sorry! ). It can be very harmful to the OP. They work in the same industry. People know each other in that industry. Additionally, with LinkedIn and other ways of finding information via google, the new employer has a very good chance of finding her old employer, even if the company is no longer together (I know from experience). It's not that hard and new employers can and do google for any information about the applicant. Additionally, she could very well end up working with/for her old employer again in the future (or interview for a great job somewhere only to not be considered because her old employer now works there). This actually happens quite a lot, you might be surprised.

Burning the bridge probably worked out better for you because you switched industries. And you didn't go into specifics, but perhaps your reasons were stronger? For OP, while she doesn't like what she's being asked to do (and I don't blame her; I wouldn't like it either ), her job is to do whatever her boss asks her to do. If her boss asked her to pick up her dry cleaning (and get paid for doing so), then that's her job. The job market is really really tough out there right now; OP needs to not do anything that could tarnish her reputation.

OP: it's definitely your choice. I understand exactly how you feel about this (I used to work in this industry). I would be tempted to not do it too. But burn the bridge at your own risk. Just know there is a very strong chance of repercussions if you do. Good luck!

If I'm misunderstanding the original post...forgive me, but isn't there an ethical dilemma here too? The entire company isn't going under; just this store, correct? Is is possible for the OP to collect references from someone higher-up that this boss? It seems that doing what is essentially non-company work and being paid by the retailer, on company time, isn't quite aboveboard.

Originally Posted by thepoppet

If her boss asked her to pick up her dry cleaning (and get paid for doing so), then that's her job. The job market is really really tough out there right now; OP needs to not do anything that could tarnish her reputation.

Not to hijack this thread, but I'm very curious if a lot of others believe this. Unless my job was assistant to the boss, I don't think I would agree to do personal errands like this (but maybe my thinking is a generational or cultural difference type of thing(?)). That said, I do agree w/a lot of your points b/c you really don't know who'll you'll run into later in your career so better to be cautious.

In general, as long as it's legal, your job is whatever your boss says your job is (at least in the U.S.--I know labor laws are different in Europe and in the U.S., California has more employee-friendly laws, but they are the exception). Does that suck? Absolutely. Is your boss being a jerk if they ask you to do that? Definitely. You can take a stand, but you risk getting fired or stunted in other ways (no raise, no promotion, no good projects). Unfortunately, most of the states in the U.S. follow at-will employment rules. This means they can fire you for any reason except for those that are included in a protected class (race/ethnicity, religion, sex, etc.). There was a famous case of an employer firing someone because they didn't like the color of their shirt.

That said, it's really bad policy on the employer's part. Good people have options, even in this market. And an employer who behaves this way guarantees she/he will only be left with those who have no other options and very high turn over rates of good people.

But sadly, this happens fairly often, where employers make unreasonable demands. You're only choices in those scenarios is to refuse and risk being fired/demoted/punished or do as you're told while looking for another job (or straight up quit if you have that option, before you have another job lined up).

OP,

i feel for you but pls don't burn your bridges...you just never know. i don't recommend having an enemy especially some not very nice human being. i had a subhuman boss, i really understand your situation.
you go to work from 9-5...so just use that 9-5 to do whatever your boss asks you to and finish as much as 8-hour day allows you. and leave it as that.

you have no idea how vindictive some people can get.

remember, you can offend anyone, just not some pricks....

Maybe I'm missing something, but I'm not sure I see it as non-company work. I used to work for a large company and if I remember correctly, they sponsored programs to help people who were getting laid off to find jobs. They even hired a career counselor to provide free assistance to anyone who wanted it. For companies who don't offer a termination package, these efforts could reduce unemployment claims, which may benefit the holding company.

If it involves archiving work that was done by the company, that work could also be used to benefit the holding company in some way. It could be copied and used again in a different way, learned from, or recorded as part of their history.

FWIW, when I was part of a big layoff, my boss later became my customer and sent me several leads, many who became my new customers. We weren't particularly friendly when she was my boss, but then, half of her department was getting laid off. How happy could anyone be about that? Sometimes people we don't like become our best allies when in a different situation. Another reason not to burn bridges. OP, your boss may like you more than you like her.

Originally Posted by Jesssh

Sorry if I missed anything - I read this really fast. Are you getting paid for doing the work? Who owns the copyright for the team design work? Who would get the credit for the portfolio pieces? Can you control how the credits are presented? Can you leverage it to your advantage, say, by asking the beneficiaries for linkedin recommendations and other references? Also, linkedin has a free app called behance that people can put portfolio pieces in. Would this be an option that may be helpful to anyone? I guess I would try to think of ways this project can work to your advantage, unless you think doing it presents a disadvantage to your job search. I would definitely want to be paid, though, (either by using company time or a separate contract) unless it only takes a few hours and is worthwhile to you.

Originally Posted by athena21

Definitely sounds like you're being used. Is it taking up a significant amount of your time at work that you should be spending on other tasks? Frankly, I would just forward her the files and let her sort through them. Let HER do the work of making a powerpoint, since it sounds like she literally wants you to make her portfolio. Not to sound cold, but what would they be doing in return for your work on their portfolios? It sounds like she is just pulling the "I'm your boss, so you do as I say" card for something that is outside of your responsibility. What's going to happen if you don't do it? Just obviously don't list her as a reference for any jobs if you refuse to do it...

Originally Posted by thepoppet

Is she someone who will have to give you a recommendation in the future? Meaning, is she your boss? If so, and if she's asking you to do this on company time (so you're being paid for it), it's what you need to do, even though it's unsavory. Is your boss being an arse? Definitely. But she is your boss and your job is whatever she tells you to do (as long as it's legal--and this is definitely legal). And as much as you dislike it (and I don't blame you for that), it is your professional reputation on the line (i.e., even if you never use her as a reference, future employers may still call her since she's your latest boss, and then there's the whole informal professional network you need to consider). And she's right about one thing: how you leave a company (your last weeks, months there) is what people are going to remember about you the most. There's also the possibility (let's hope rare) that she could be your boss again in the future. So you do need to handle this professionally, even though I agree with you that it sucks. Meanwhile, you know you can just save the InDesign pages as PDFs and then place the whole PDF as an image in PowerPoint. If the dimensions are different, you can cut the PDFs in half and layout the PPt in two column/side by side, if the design of the pages work like that. In any case, since it's not for you, I wouldn't worry about spending time on designing it and just placing it in like that and let her take care of the design aspect since it's no longer an archival piece for the company and is for personal use.

Originally Posted by plain jane doe

Well, caveat 1, I am pretty pigheaded and have much less professional experience than Poppet. That said, I kind of believe in burning the bridges you know you don't want to take. I left a previous job more or less in flames, and frankly I am pretty proud of it. It did not affect my search for subsequent jobs. In fact on several occasions I explained the situation briefly and broadly and got positive reactions. Then again, I changed careers, the previous work issue involved morality rather than ethics, and most importantly I felt pretty strongly that it would be a waste of my limited time on earth to spend any more of it with similar people in a similar situation. I would not be as upset about what you are being asked to do, but I probably would not do it either. As far as references, if the company is going under, prospective employers won't be able to contact your current boss for a reference unless you provide her information. If they ask for the reference, you can say you are unable to provide one and give the short-form reason. Not that many companies are going to be upset that you refused to abuse company time. As far as talk, I think at a certain point people figure out who to listen to and who to ignore.

Originally Posted by lizavet8

If I'm misunderstanding the original post...forgive me, but isn't there an ethical dilemma here too? The entire company isn't going under; just this store, correct? Is is possible for the OP to collect references from someone higher-up that this boss? It seems that doing what is essentially non-company work and being paid by the retailer, on company time, isn't quite aboveboard.

Originally Posted by juneping

OP, i feel for you but pls don't burn your bridges...you just never know. i don't recommend having an enemy especially some not very nice human being. i had a subhuman boss, i really understand your situation. you go to work from 9-5...so just use that 9-5 to do whatever your boss asks you to and finish as much as 8-hour day allows you. and leave it as that. you have no idea how vindictive some people can get. remember, you can offend anyone, just not some pricks....

Thanks for your input everyone I have grudgingly taken on the project. I just wanted to explain a few more things. I've only worked under this boss (let's call her H), for about 8 months now since she was brought in as a replacement for my old boss (who went on maternity leave). The whole company isn't going down, just our specific store (the entire company is made up of several stores). Now my old boss, who was planning to resume her job in November 2012 won't have a job to go back to.

There are fewer departments and employees that work at our store's head office. We are a satellite office in Ontario Canada, apart from the real head office which is located in another province to the west. Since we're kind of small, many of our roles are cross-functional. So my present boss, H, is not only the "Manager of Visual Merchandising", it also happens to be an unofficial Art Director job. She was hired from outside the company, not from within. Our store is made up of multiple brands like Nike, Adidas, Puma etc. We don't have our own brands or anything. The brands that supply our store are called "Vendors"---they are the flip side of the retail business. I was told that H, was hired for her "outsider fresh perspective" because she's from the "Vendor side". I've seen her LinkedIn profile and she has a wealth of experience in managerial/operations duties in other sportswear companies........but what SHE IS NOT is any sort of Art Director or creative type. One of my points from my first post is that she has ZERO experience in the creative field and also ZERO experience is Visual Merchandising in general, which is why she so heavily relies on the VM Field Coordinator all the time. She's unqualified but it doesn't help that she thinks she is.

I'm done with retail graphic design. It's a soul-sucking place and in the past I didn't believe one of my friends when they told me. Thank goodness graphic design isn't attached to just retail. That being said, I don't think any other company that is more in tune with their design or have more specific levels of office would hire someone as inexperienced as her---someone who's only dabbled as a semi-"art director".....hell, I'm creating her first portfolio FOR her and in Powerpoint no less....real art directors would employ PDF's and non-template designs.

I've ask my other boss (mat leave) if I could list her as a reference and she sounded happy to be. I've also asked her for a recommendation letter. The other two is the Senior Graphic Designer and the Manager of Inventory, who I talk to a lot regarding new product in store (so I can talk about it on our social media).

On the bright side, my end date with this company is at the end of September.

It does sound a lot like they are taking advantage of you. Trying to rush you to get everything done before they go under. I would just show up and do the minimal work. They are not concerned about you. Only themselves.