I automated a full time job before it could be advertised

[Whotheone]

I work as an Accountant and last week my Manager let me know that some new work had been passed to our team which would require hiring a new full time admin person (it was estimated that our team would see an increase of 160-180 hours of work).

The work was essentially transcribing tens of thousands of lines of data from our suppliers website who doesn't permit anyone access to their databases, only allowing them to view the data through their website.

So I went home and came back then next day with some freshly written Python code and now all that work has been fully automated, can run in the background and completes all the work in an hour.

The funny part of this story is that I forgot to ask for a raise before I handed over the code.

[hlthe2b]

1. With the population desperate for jobs during COVID, I'm not sure this is what I'd be bragging about

(sorry, but I was sickened reading about how proud you are having done this. God for YOU, I guess)

[Whotheone]

2. Ouch

Over the past two years I have gone out of my way to assist a dozen people in my department with automating their workloads whilst not letting Management know just how much time was saved.

The majority of these people really enjoyed working from home as a result as they could let my programs do the bulk of the work and had a lot more time to relax.

Surely I'm not so bad just because I'm proud to have accomplished something fairly difficult.

[hlthe2b]

3. I'll tell that to all the newly unemployed friends now one mortgage payment away

from homelessness. Honestly. I guess you are ok and will get a promotion, so no worries. That's all that matters.

[Whotheone]

4. Well then you missed the funny part

I'm not getting anything out of this because I handed over the code without negotiating a deal.

[hlthe2b]

5. Funny, funny, funny. Just damned hilarious.

[Whotheone]

6. Pretty much

I saved them almost as much as I'm paid in a year, so now it's like I provided them with my own salary.

[hlthe2b]

7. Wow. You really just don't get it, do you?

Uggh.

[Whotheone]

8. No I don't get it

My employer had a problem, I fixed the problem and I asked for nothing extra in return.

I don't see what the problem is there.

[hlthe2b]

9. Apparently...

[Trueblue Texan]

18. This is the fine line between progress and poverty...

...but progress needs to happen. And while it may not always be popular in the moment it occurs (look what happened when we finally got a black president: the political right went apeshit. Look at the resistance to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy sources). I think the balance is to do the best work you can to make the world a better place and don't hold back because it may cause some change. Some change is good as long as it is measured and balanced with compassion.

Congratulations on your accomplishment and for helping your co-workers and your company stay competitive. Jobs that might have been available without your code would have soon been gone anyway.

[mopinko]

12. it's one job. a boring damn job too.

you're overreacting. and being rude.

[hlthe2b]

14. No. I am pointing out the insensitivity & total lack of compassion that appears to be contagious.

and celebrated among a few here this morning.

I'd expect this from some websites and posters. Not DU. That "as long as it benefits 'me' attitude' doesn't excuse in my mind.

[mopinko]

15. well, this is one noob who had a great idea.

you're being harsh. it's not needed here, either.

[hlthe2b]

16. Mirror back at ya

I always thought better of you.

[mopinko]

17. ya know, i got sensitized to how noobs get treated on here.

and it aint pretty sometimes.
so i tend to stick up for them. so sue me.

[TlalocW]

10. My first corporate job

Was connecting to hospital and doctor BBS systems to download health claim files. Sometimes we had multiple hospitals and doctors going to the same BBS, and we had separate scripts for them all. I combined a bunch of the scripts into a single simplified one for several of them that ran a simple loop-through of the business codes that distinguished them to go through the various menus to download to our system. A new line of business used to take two weeks to develop, but my code was deemed solid enough that that dropped down to the 20 seconds it took to open the main file, add the code to the list, and save it. I then did it to all the other scripts to other BBS systems that we had multiple lines of business going to. The hundreds of scripts we had went down to two to three dozen, and I made the logs easier to read. If for some reason there was an error with one of the lines of business, you could re-run the script with the business code as a parameter, and the scripts would only run for it.

I asked for a raise and promotion based on it. We were in a hiring freeze so my manager told me no and also told me I had a reputation. A reputation I got from taking the initiative to do what I did after another group told me that they didn't want to change anything (because they were afraid of change). He told me if he didn't have any complaints by the time the freeze was over, he'd give me the raise/promotion.

He lied. When the freeze was over he suddenly didn't remember making that promise, and I turned in my two weeks notice the next day. He looked at me reprovingly saying he was disappointed I wasn't sticking around to work things out. I told him I was disappointed that he wasn't a man of honor who kept his promises. Things were frosty after that.

TlalocW

[Whotheone]

11. Yes an unfortunate issue with doing something like this

If you're taking the initiative to do it without being asked then there's not as much incentive to reward you than if you had been contracted specifically to do it.

It doesn't help that a lot of employers don't see the hard work you put into getting it all running, they just see the finished product which can be used without you.

[mopinko]

13. welcome to du.

i get ideas like that, and have helped friends do things better in their businesses.
i see dumb shit and go- why are you doing it that way?

ie- i do a lot of business w a place the recycles building materials.
the manager was always running around like a chicken w his head cut off, cuz it's hard to keep everything price marked. so, he ends up having to set prices all day.
but they have a good computer system to track sales, so they have the most recent prices there w a click.

so one day i said- dude. your ppl dont need you to tell them how much to charge for a toilet. they can look up the most recent sales, and charge that.
we're talking a variance of $5-10 here. a cheap toilet in $25 and a high end toilet is $50.
your ppl are good. give them the reins.

and now his job is WAY easier.

it's a kind of vision. it's rare. and those of us that have it are often thought to be nuts.
but it's a gift. good job.
and shows you are a good person that you just did it, and gave it to them, to make everyone's job less boring and dumb.

there's always someone here w buttons that are too easily pushed. you'll get used to it.

[Whotheone]

19. Thanks

I just like making things easier for everyone when I can.

As a bonus it makes work more fun, something different than looking at spreadsheets all day.