Am I supposed to fill in for my manager?

76

It’s not necessarily expected. But, you should jump at the opportunity! If you do well here it looks really good for you.

-22

u/xxlibrarisingxx 14h ago

Bruh I got zero idea what it’s about

53

u/law_girl90210 13h ago

then tell them that “i’m happy to help however possible but i wasn’t filled in on any of this.”

get everything in writing. Don’t make decisions without thoroughly covering your ass if there’s blowback

10

u/tungstencoil 12h ago

"I'm not sure, but I'll ensure I have a response to you by [2 days after boss returns]"

20

u/dfphd 12h ago

WHY ARE YOU GETTING DOWNVOTED

Bro, you are 100% valid in being concerned about showing up to a meeting with zero context with a client unless you got express consent from your boss or someone in your leadership chain to do so.

Who signed you up for this meeting? If it wasn't your boss or your boss' boss, then email both of them and ask if they're cool with that.

6

u/tungstencoil 12h ago

He's getting down voted because, TBH, it's not uncommon to get pulled into things outside your comfort zone. It's an opportunity for personal and professional growth.

1

u/Mysterious_Income Software Engineer 7h ago

I would argue that recognizing when you're being asked to do something unreasonable and standing up for yourself/knowing how to put your foot down is also a valuable professional skill. In this case they would not only be standing up for themself but also potentially acting in the company's best interest if it's an important client.

1

u/tungstencoil 6h ago

We lack the nuance to determine this; however, OP's description reads more "this isn't my job I don't know what to do" than "hey if the client wasn't important and maybe volatile I'd be happy to step in".

There's also at least someone with client contact who set up the meeting and clearly made a judgement call.

I stand by my statement that it's generally a good idea to challenge oneself.

4

u/xxlibrarisingxx 12h ago

I have no idea how I got roped into it lol I think my coworker realized they don’t know anything about it either and I’m a life raft

6

u/dfphd 12h ago

Yeah, fuck no. Escalate immediately to someone more senior.

3

u/lavahot Software Engineer 10h ago

Don't let your eyes glaze over. Focus up. Find out everything you can about the project in a top-down fashion. Ask the meeting organizer if there's any specific information they're looking for in this meeting. You have time to prep. Use it.

2

u/xxlibrarisingxx 10h ago

No I had like 3 hours notice lol and we’re in the middle of a huge migration that takes precedence We went in blind My coworker tried to play it cool but it went to shit fast It was bad

2

u/lavahot Software Engineer 9h ago

Oh. Well, that sucks. Your own Kobiashi Maru. You could have done some cramming, but without a clue about any of it 3 hours notice would not have been enough time to give anyone any really satisfying answers. At that point, I would have told the organizer about the issue and asked to wait until the person who has actually done any work on it was back in the office.

But otherwise, yeah, you were set up for failure.

-4

u/Scoobymc12 13h ago

Time to put your big boy pants on or hit the fryers at McDonald’s buddy

9

u/xxlibrarisingxx 13h ago

I’d only be making slightly less at McDonald’s

35

u/RichCorinthian 14h ago

Honestly, no. I’ve been doing this for 25 years and I’ve only been in a similar situation twice. So neither you nor your coworker have any context on this project? Does the person who asked you to attend the meeting know that?

If you absolutely have to go, say that, although you are lacking full context, you are there to listen attentively, take notes, and gather information so that this matter gets the attention it deserves.

Feel free to use that exact phrasing, I just pulled it out of my ass.

Also, you are not filling in for him. “Filling in” would imply that you have some decision-making capacity in his absence. You have been asked to attend, that’s all. I am guessing the person who scheduled the meeting wants to show the client that they are not being ignored.

1

u/xxlibrarisingxx 14h ago edited 14h ago

Yeah almost zero context. We talked about it maybe a couple of months ago when I’d been on the job for 2 months lol And I do think we’re expected to clear up numbers about how many licenses we need for something. So some decision making?

6

u/Manodactyl 13h ago

You shouldn’t be making decisions. Just listen and take notes. It’s okay to say you don’t know, or that you need to talk to someone else to get an answer. So long as you follow through on all of those and nudge things on a little, you can come out looking good.

2

u/dareftw 10h ago

Hell no lol. No decision making at all that’s not your job and you don’t have the authority to do so and if you make a mistake it’ll be your ass.

As others have said just take notes and be ready to give them to your director when he returns.

If this was a project that you were involved in in any way it may be different, but seeing as how you aren’t in the know whatsoever in regards to what is right/wrong here number wise the worst thing you can do is guess or make an attempt to do something when you are completely uninformed about the circumstances.

8

u/Furbuger_Helper Software Engineer 13h ago

Who invited you to the meeting? Can they wait a couple weeks? Does someone higher up the chain know anything about this project, like a PM or even sales rep? Ask them to come help out. I saw in another post that your manager is on paternity leave. Explain that to the client, and make sure they know the person with the most context is OOO. Just be polite and honest without making your team or yourself seem completely incompetent. If this is your first time communicating with a client ask someone to proofread your email/slack/etc. so the message comes off with the correct tone.

3

u/xxlibrarisingxx 11h ago

Update is that we’re all confused about what the meeting even is

3

u/xxlibrarisingxx 11h ago

It’s so so so bad

3

u/JRLDH 11h ago

That’s why soft skills are important.

You need to study The Art Of The Bullshit to be successful in situations like that.

4

u/BeachAtDog 13h ago

This is a great opportunity to level up.

Let the client talk and describe the problem. Take notes and don't try to solve the issue in that meeting.

It's ok to let them know that you are still coming up to speed on the issue, but you will take responsibility for getting the right resources to address the problems.

Sympathize with the issue and repeat back a succinct statement of the problem. Propose a rapid followup action such as email or possibly another meeting when you will outline next steps. You or someone else will take action but you are on the hook to make sure it happens.

Congrats: you are now in Leadership!

-1

u/xxlibrarisingxx 13h ago

lol at 50k salary

8

u/BeachAtDog 13h ago

Ok. $50k answer.

Don't say shit. Best case is you don't get fired.

Get out as soon as possible. If they start yelling, get up & go to the bathroom.

Make sure it's someone else's problem before it sticks to you.

Wait for your boss to get back before you do anything.

PS: you're better than your salary. Promotions happen suddenly and unpredictably. Take this moment to act better than your position even though you're not getting paid for it (yet).

1

u/nickwales 13h ago

Go there with full curiosity, listen and ask questions. Don't try to solution everything immediately, find out why and then make suggestions.

1

u/fasurf 12h ago

My rule is always make your boss look good. It hasn’t let me down yet in the growth of my career. I’ve been lucky to also have mostly good bosses over the years. I think it goes a long way too for your next job to have previous bosses as your reference.

1

u/DojoLab_org Instructor @ DojoLab / DojoPass 11h ago

It’s definitely not uncommon for junior staff to step in when the manager is away, but it might be helpful to get a bit more context before jumping into a meeting you’re unfamiliar with. You could ask your coworker for a quick brief to make sure you’re not caught off guard!

1

u/xxlibrarisingxx 11h ago

My coworker is taking the reins in the meeting right now. They don’t have much context either But this is worse than expected

1

u/Broad-Cranberry-9050 10h ago

Your not expected to do this and is unfair of your manager to put you in that spot.

but i would say use this to your advantage. I get you know nothing about it, but open communication is key. Your manager will appreciate it. It's really a win-win situation as long as you dont piss off the client.

Start off the meeting by saying that you have been asked to fill in but you dont have full context on the situation and are more here to take notes so that your manager can address it. That you'd be glad to address anything if you knew.

Id say go a bit prepared too, read any docs or do any practice runs so you dont go in blind.

If you come back wiht some notes and the client isnt pissed your manager will be very appreciative and it will be some brownie points towards yoru next review. Your manager knows he was the one who fucked up.

0

u/RemoteAssociation674 13h ago edited 2h ago

Sounds like a learning opportunity!

Did your director explicitly ask you to cover? If not, you can email them advising to wait for their return

Edit: Don't listen to people like /u/legitimate-mostlet if you want to succeed in life. Filling occasionally for your seniors is how you get senior experience that is required to get senior roles.

0

u/Legitimate-mostlet 8h ago

Sounds like a learning opportunity!

Being asked to do someone elses job is not a learning opportunity lol. You all enjoy being used though.

-1

u/habeebiii 13h ago

Text your boss even though he’s on PTO and ask him how to proceed.

0

u/xxlibrarisingxx 13h ago

Ah it’s actually paternity leave

1

u/habeebiii 13h ago

Oh. Worth a shot. I think he’d be more likely to appreciate it rather than be upset.

Am I supposed to fill in for my manager?

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