Director won't write reference for professional organisation

[warch]

I work in a job where it is highly advantageous to be a member of a professional (now chartered) organisation. I actually joined the company I worked with on the basis that it was a corporate member of this organisation. I have been actively encouraged to join and have submitted all my paperwork for validation. Unfortunately they only meet to do this every few months. I have already missed one meeting because my boss hasn't written a reference for me, I'm about to miss a second meeting.

I have asked him several times, twice he claimed to have written or sent it, but the professional organisation have received nothing. He actually got quite stty with me last time I asked and said he would sent it.

I'm getting fed up with this. I've decided not to do any extra work, just my normal Mon-Fri contracted hours, and am considering looking for a job elsewhere. The stupid thing is that I can't easily get a CSCS card for my specialism without my professional membership so this is harming my ability to work for the company.

What is the best thing to do in your experience?

[anonymous-user]

write it out yourself and get him to sign it, as long as he is happy, maybe can't be arsed.

[deckster]

Thesprucegoose said:

write it out yourself and get him to sign it, as long as he is happy, maybe can't be arsed.

Definitely this. Writing a reference will take time and doubtless be low on his list of priorities, whereas if you just present him with something to sign he will more than likely just do it.

It's a variant of the old truism that you don't ever go to your boss and tell him about a problem, you go to him with a solution.

[silent ninja]

deckster said:

It's a variant of the old truism that you don't ever go to your boss and tell him about a problem, you go to him with a solution.

Good advice in this case, but this truism doesn't hold true in the new world we live in. What is a manager's job anyway?

Managers and leaders that only want solutions are idiots. They are assuming the person(s) bringing the problem can figure out a solution independently - do they have access to the knowledge, resources, people and so on needed to crack it? Probably not, but it's probably a fantastic hole they've spotted. This is where management should come in to steer and navigate, perhaps elevate to a different forum and figure out if it's worth exploring. They miss out on a whole load of good ideas by only wanting solutions.

Raising problems and asking questions (that currently have no answer) are very important activities.

[rog007]

As has been suggested, prepare the draft for his signature.

One sometimes has to manage up, and this may be an example of such a situation.

One can’t imagine he’d refuse to sign, but if he did; this is where one leaves one’s manager and not necessarily the role.

Keep us posted.

Good luck!

PS. Professional membership, association and registration are worth pursuing, so don’t give up too easily.

[BobSaunders]

I had similar and used sticky labels for my boss to clearly see where he had to tick boxes based on his opinion, and then sign.

Otherwise i completed everything for him.

I am the same with my staff, but i tell them to document for me when they ask. I just do not have time to write references in detail.

[warch]

rog007 said:

Keep us posted.

Good luck!

PS. Professional membership, association and registration are worth pursuing, so don’t give up too easily.

Thank you. I have now been accepted as member (at the second highest level) of my professional organisation so I am very pleased with that. I agree that it was worth pursuing.

[anonymous-user]

Well done.Did it work?

[warch]

I think I managed to convince my director that his life would be much more pleasant without me badgering him every time I bumped into him.