How politely but firmly request project to be assigned to another coworker?

Question

Background

During my 3 years at this company and my experience so far (almost 6 years) in programming I never faced such a situation.

I worked on a small project more or less six months ago, this project is a C# windows form application to be added to a third party application written in VB.NET.

I've completed 90% of the job, but, after two months, a new problem came up: the third party application requires the use of a VB.NET .dll to call my component. This dll is important, it enables users to easily trigger my component's functionality in the final application.

After I (partially) solved the problem with the dll, I have to communicate via email with the third party developers to get some tokens to test my application, but they take a long time to respond, sometimes there were communications problems with the other part of the development, etc, and other priorities arrive.

The project was put on hold due to the above reasons.

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Current situation

Now, the work with this project has started again, but I really don't want get involved anymore with this project. My company (from what I've heard) prefers to continue with this project (and maybe, improve it to sell to potential customers).

I'm no longer motivated to work on this project.

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Approaching my boss

I approached my boss a few times¹ (verbally) about this issue, but his responses are:

• "There is no one else available".
• "This must be done".

¹ about his refusal to contact third party developers for assistance with the use and implementation of the .dll with the third party application.

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As I am reluctant to resign, I've search similar question and read their responses in The Workplace, trying find alternatives in order to get my point across.

These are the questions I found:

This answer says:

• Talk with your boss (which I already did, a few times).
• Make it work (I worked, but I don't want to be involved in this project any longer).

This answer says: - Use tutorials and StackOverflow: I have already received help, but I'm at the point where development is not the problem.

This answer says: - "Convince/communicate" to your boss about time you had use: A coworker (in a different problem) approached him and his reply was: you did spend much time in that and you had to find a efficient way.

His answer in my case was: this must be done. = basically, ignoring my request.

In this answer says: - Quote:

take the initiative and ask for something you want in return when the project is done

But again, lost of motivation, there is not a project scope.

Similar answers:

• Find tutoring = this is not possible (I won't spend money in something that doesn't have my attention).
• Find help from coworkers = I have, but this is related to understanding the third party application, and is beyond programming.
• Find another job: so I don't make this story longer than it needs to be, I can't do it until I have another job and I have no other offers.

What else I can do to politely, but firmly request that this project be assigned to another co-worker?

Answer 1

You work for this employer. Your choices are limited, especially since you've already been told it will not be reassigned. The problem here, as I see it, is that you're acting a bit of a diva.

There was a work issue with a coding project when I started at my current job where the manager we were writing the code for wouldn't test, and so came back time and again with issues, problems and addition, then got upset that he had to come back. I got to a point where the mere mention of the project made me want to throw staplers at people.

That said, in order to keep my job, I did what they asked. Why? Because I do not presume to know why they need it or why they continue to place it in priority. What I thought was merely an annoying waste of time was explained later in a congratulations letter on my performance was considered by management to be a prime concern, and the work I put into it was lauded BECAUSE I persevered.

You may get annoyed, but if you like your job, you'll do what you're hired to do, which is to follow your manager's instructions. I know it sounds terribly subservient of me, but I am not diva enough to demand that a company project be placed in other hands just because it annoys me.

Answer 2

It is always about business value

I assume you are a senior developer in your organization.

Management's job is not to make you happy, but to maximize the value of every penny spent on an activity.

Therefore, go to your boss and explain the business value of having a junior developer finish the work for you.

It is a better use of company money to have you work on more valuable things than this project. And, by assigning the work to a more junior developer to finish - even if it takes them longer - the company will benefit because they'll learn new things and cost less to finish the project than you.

That way, your time is spent focused on more valuable activities, the juniors learn something new and the project is finished. An optimal use of money.

That is what you have to show.

Answer 3

Be a professional. Get back to work.

Answer 4

As an employee, it's somewhat natural to be asked to do something you aren't necessarily motivated to do. You get paid because you do things you might not choose to do just for fun.

However, if you are really opposed to working on this project, for whatever reason, you ought to consider your boss's response:

Approaching to my boss

I approach to my boss a few times (verbally) about this issue, but his responses was:

•"There is not one else available".

•"This must be done".

Do these reasons hold up? If you're intent is to have this project reassigned, who do you think it will be reassigned to? If you have someone in mind, consider if they are qualified to take on the task, and if they are otherwise occupied. You may wish to talk with that employee to see if they are actually interested in taking the task, otherwise you are just putting them in the same position you are in.

If you cannot find someone who has availability and the skillset for this task, then that alone might be reason enough to justify your bosses decision, but it opens up the second reason: "This must be done". You seem to think that is not the case, that this project isn't a real priority? Then tell your boss what the real priority is. Figure out what you believe is more important to work on, that you can do, and ask your boss if you can take on that task instead. He can decide what will happen to your unwanted task afterwards, but you can't simply reject doing your job if you don't have something else more productive to do.

Answer 5

If after talking to your boss you don't want to do the tasks assigned to you, then you have a few of options.

Quit and find a job that allows you to do whatever you want. These tend to be family sinecures or govt, there's not many other jobs like this.

Start your own business.

Use up your sick leave or have a family emergency, and they will be forced to put someone else on the job (assuming you have any sick leave).

Answer 6

The idea of paid work is that you get money for doing what you wouldn't do on your own anyway.

All jobs have tasks which nobody likes, but somebody has to do. In this particular case it is you as your boss says there is nobody else to do it. You can then either suck it up and do it and perhaps grumble a bit, or find another job which you then risk has other menial tasks you do not like either.

In this particular case you happen to know the project well. That is an advantage not all have for menial tasks. So, I would suggest you just do what your boss asks you to do, and get it over with quickly so you can get a new and better task!

Answer 7

The bottom line is that this is a negotiation. Of course there are other people to work on this project. Of course the project does not have to be done now.

Your job is how to convince your boss to have someone else work on it.

I am currently reading the book: Never Split the Difference it is negotiations from the standpoint of an FBI hostage negotiator. They cannot really "split the difference" when it comes to negotiations, it is only negotiate to get it all.

Hopefully you have some more delays from the third party guys, you can get this book read, and try it on your boss.

Answer 8

The approach I'd suggest is not your current one, "someone else should do this because I don't want to", but rather "it is better for the company that someone else do this, because then I am free to do , which has more value to the company".

Naturally, you'll need to come up with a solid rationale that will convince your boss. And even if convinced, it may be the actual case that there's no-one available, or the quickest way to get this finished and off everyone's plate is to have you do it.

So: make your case, and if you fail, suck it up or resign.

There's stuff I like to do and stuff I don't, but sometimes I have to take a dose of the latter.

Answer 9

Threaten to leave if you are assigned to this project.

If you’re a senior programmer, replacing you would be a very expensive process for the business - not just in terms of the job search process, but also in terms of training the new hire and getting them to an equivalent level of knowledge of business processes.

As such, you could talk to your boss and simply lay out the facts: either they can assign this project to someone else, and they can keep your expertise within the business, or they can assign it to you, you’ll work on it for two weeks while looking for a new job, and then they’ll need to assign it to someone else while going to the expense of looking for a replacement for you.

If this succeeds, it will likely harm your relationship with your boss, so only use this strategy if you’re genuinely willing to quit over being assigned to this project.