StarsFan4Life
Golden Member
If I work for a Corporate business and as a "Help Desk Technician" (don't ask) I have recently been asked to do Outlook email searches for subpoena's against our company, is it illegal for me to do so with both terminated and present employee's?
Let me give you a bit of background of my job. Two years ago, I started out with this company as a Help Desk Technician. To this day, I work 10x harder, faster and do much more than any of our other IT people (and I do mean this). Clearly after 3 months of employement, my boss at the time knew I should have come in as something much higher. A few months later, he was no longer my boss, and I received a new one.
Around 6-9 months of proving myself to the new boss(even though my reviews clearly show I should be promoted) she realizes that I should move up. There is much talk, but no action taken. I am told that I am "promoted" but my actual title never changed, and my pay never increased. I essentially did a whole other complete job, still with the title of Help Desk Technician and the same pay rate (hourly salary).
Earlier this year(March 10th to be exact), our company for 500 employee's lets 80% of the IT department go. I changed bosses AGAIN (3 in 1 year). I was one of 6 that was asked to stay. That day, I was told I was being promoted to LAN Support Analyst. About 2 months later I had enough of this waiting crap and confronted my new boss and asked about my title change and about a pay increase (since I was doing 3 people's jobs now). I was told that by the end of May, he would have my job profile sent to HR for approval, and I would have my new job title, but I could expect little pay increase due to the "soft market" our company is going through.
Since then, I have been running around like a chicken with his head cut off. I do everything 110% and have not had a single complaint, even though a lot of the time I felt overwhelmed and that I was about to fail at my job...but I never did. I had been too busy and again stayed loyal to myself and to the company.....and remained a "Help Desk Technician".
Two weeks ago, our executives decided to hire a VP of IT. I am sure this guy makes a good 6 figure salary, but wait....I thought we didnt have the money to give me a $10k raise or something....and we fired all of these people, for what? All in all, this guy is pretty great, he is shaping up our IT department. My first meeting, I let it all out with him and he was surprised I remained with the company. He said he would "take care of the title change and salary increase". No word yet.......
Back to my orginal subject.....
About 4 months ago, we were advised in the IT department that Texas had passed a law that "any" computer technician would need an investigators license in order to "search" email. Our company at the time was not sure if that pertained to us or not, so to play it safe, we did not do this. Since then, our legal department has requested several times to get access to terminated and current employees emails pertaining to the subpoena's. Up until the new VP came in, I was advised to give the legal department a full PST of the email requested, and that they would search through the email themselves. My new VP came in and the legal department got ahold of him quick and requested that "we/me" start searching through the PST's for the "subjects at hand".
Now, I do not mind work. However, doing what is asked takes a ton of time to do and frankly takes me away from doing my real job.....the HelpDesk Technician Lan Support Analyst Do Everything Guy. I also feel uncomfortable actually performing the task if it is actually ILLEGAL for me to do.
Two things, is it illegal for me to search through terminated and current employee's PST's/Mailboxes?
Also, how in the hell should I deal with the title and salary increase I was promised close to 9 months ago? Now, if it was NOT for my wedding that I am spending $35k on, I would have dropped this company like it's hot, but I am trying to be as careful as I can to continue to have a job in this dire time of job losses. All in all, it hurts to be raped in the butt this bad, but I am trying to be as responsible as possible.
Any advise would be appreciated
FRANKLY, this is how I feel:
Peter Gibbons: The thing is, Bob, it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care.
Bob Porter: Don't... don't care?
Peter Gibbons: It's a problem of motivation, all right? Now if I work my ass off and Initech ships a few extra units, I don't see another dime; so where's the motivation? And here's something else, Bob: I have eight different bosses right now.
Bob Slydell: I beg your pardon?
Peter Gibbons: Eight bosses.
Bob Slydell: Eight?
Peter Gibbons: Eight, Bob. So that means that when I make a mistake, I have eight different people coming by to tell me about it. That's my only real motivation is not to be hassled; that, and the fear of losing my job. But you know, Bob, that will only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired.
Let me give you a bit of background of my job. Two years ago, I started out with this company as a Help Desk Technician. To this day, I work 10x harder, faster and do much more than any of our other IT people (and I do mean this). Clearly after 3 months of employement, my boss at the time knew I should have come in as something much higher. A few months later, he was no longer my boss, and I received a new one.
Around 6-9 months of proving myself to the new boss(even though my reviews clearly show I should be promoted) she realizes that I should move up. There is much talk, but no action taken. I am told that I am "promoted" but my actual title never changed, and my pay never increased. I essentially did a whole other complete job, still with the title of Help Desk Technician and the same pay rate (hourly salary).
Earlier this year(March 10th to be exact), our company for 500 employee's lets 80% of the IT department go. I changed bosses AGAIN (3 in 1 year). I was one of 6 that was asked to stay. That day, I was told I was being promoted to LAN Support Analyst. About 2 months later I had enough of this waiting crap and confronted my new boss and asked about my title change and about a pay increase (since I was doing 3 people's jobs now). I was told that by the end of May, he would have my job profile sent to HR for approval, and I would have my new job title, but I could expect little pay increase due to the "soft market" our company is going through.
Since then, I have been running around like a chicken with his head cut off. I do everything 110% and have not had a single complaint, even though a lot of the time I felt overwhelmed and that I was about to fail at my job...but I never did. I had been too busy and again stayed loyal to myself and to the company.....and remained a "Help Desk Technician".
Two weeks ago, our executives decided to hire a VP of IT. I am sure this guy makes a good 6 figure salary, but wait....I thought we didnt have the money to give me a $10k raise or something....and we fired all of these people, for what? All in all, this guy is pretty great, he is shaping up our IT department. My first meeting, I let it all out with him and he was surprised I remained with the company. He said he would "take care of the title change and salary increase". No word yet.......
Back to my orginal subject.....
About 4 months ago, we were advised in the IT department that Texas had passed a law that "any" computer technician would need an investigators license in order to "search" email. Our company at the time was not sure if that pertained to us or not, so to play it safe, we did not do this. Since then, our legal department has requested several times to get access to terminated and current employees emails pertaining to the subpoena's. Up until the new VP came in, I was advised to give the legal department a full PST of the email requested, and that they would search through the email themselves. My new VP came in and the legal department got ahold of him quick and requested that "we/me" start searching through the PST's for the "subjects at hand".
Now, I do not mind work. However, doing what is asked takes a ton of time to do and frankly takes me away from doing my real job.....the HelpDesk Technician Lan Support Analyst Do Everything Guy. I also feel uncomfortable actually performing the task if it is actually ILLEGAL for me to do.
Two things, is it illegal for me to search through terminated and current employee's PST's/Mailboxes?
Also, how in the hell should I deal with the title and salary increase I was promised close to 9 months ago? Now, if it was NOT for my wedding that I am spending $35k on, I would have dropped this company like it's hot, but I am trying to be as careful as I can to continue to have a job in this dire time of job losses. All in all, it hurts to be raped in the butt this bad, but I am trying to be as responsible as possible.
Any advise would be appreciated
FRANKLY, this is how I feel:
Peter Gibbons: The thing is, Bob, it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care.
Bob Porter: Don't... don't care?
Peter Gibbons: It's a problem of motivation, all right? Now if I work my ass off and Initech ships a few extra units, I don't see another dime; so where's the motivation? And here's something else, Bob: I have eight different bosses right now.
Bob Slydell: I beg your pardon?
Peter Gibbons: Eight bosses.
Bob Slydell: Eight?
Peter Gibbons: Eight, Bob. So that means that when I make a mistake, I have eight different people coming by to tell me about it. That's my only real motivation is not to be hassled; that, and the fear of losing my job. But you know, Bob, that will only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired.
