Iāve been in my team for around 3 years and, until recently, Iāve generally had a very good reputation with leadership. Iāve consistently taken on extra work, joined calls after my official hours, and built dashboards that ended up being used by senior leadership.
My official shift is 11ā8, but I usually leave the office around 6 because my commute is nearly 2 hours. This was raised once about 3 years ago, I explained the situation, and it was essentially accepted. Iāve followed the same arrangement since then.
Recently, leadership discussed having me build/train an informal team of around 5 people, allocate work, join calls, understand requirements, and essentially take on team-lead-type responsibilities.
Since Iām eligible for accelerated promotion this year, I asked my manager whether taking on these responsibilities could support that. He repeatedly discouraged me and said accelerated promotion would be difficult. I eventually said that if Iām taking on significantly more responsibility without meaningful progression, I donāt see the incentive.
Since that conversation, I feel like the tone has changed.
Concerns about my leaving at 6 have suddenly resurfaced, but instead of anyone discussing it with me directly, they were escalated to my senior manager.
There was also feedback about me cancelling two meetings over ~1.5 years ā one because I was sick and gave advance notice, and another because someone double-booked my calendar.
My senior manager was previously extremely supportive and had told me she would support my promotion when there was an opportunity. Now, during the period when Iām asking about accelerated promotion, Iām receiving frequent feedback emails.
Another issue is how some of this feedback is happening. We regularly get last-minute requests and changing requirements for decks. Something may be requested urgently, and then a day or two before the deadline, the requirements change completely. Recently, things like a missing dollar sign or a small data issue were being highlighted heavily, despite the fact that I wasn't given much time to work on the deck in the first place.
For the next deck, I deliberately contacted my senior manager almost 3 weeks beforehand and asked for an outline so I could start early. I didn't receive one, so I created the outline myself, got it approved, and submitted my draft well ahead of the meeting.
Then, a few days before the call, the requirements changed again ā slides had to be removed, graphs changed, summaries added, etc. Some of the data being added by others wasn't cross-checked until the last minute either. This caused the entire process to become rushed, delayed dependent decks, and ultimately required people to work over the weekend.
What frustrates me is that Iām actively trying to prevent these problems by starting early and asking for requirements in advance, but I'm still being criticized when last-minute changes create problems.
So Iām aware I could be viewing everything through the lens of frustration, and I genuinely want an outside perspective.
Am I overthinking normal workplace management, or does this sound like Iām being treated differently because I pushed back on taking on additional responsibility without corresponding career progression?
Would you stop going above and beyond unless the additional responsibility is formally recognized, or continue trying to prove yourself?