FWD: Bad employment situation advice needed

["Eric J. Ray" <ejray -at- RAYCOMM -dot- COM>]

Name withheld upon request. Please reply on list.

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I need some advice on a pretty thorny employment situation. For me the
question is not whether to quit this job, but when.

Toward the end of last year I took a job as lead technical writer on a
complex software development and localization effort. I work with a group
of developers who are localizing the software, and they depend on another
group of developers to supply the base set of functions and upgrade them.

There are two sets of documentation requirements: one for the base set of
functions, and one for the localized modifications. The base documentation
is not in good shape, requiring lots of updating as well as editing
translated English. There are three writers on the project (for both sets),
and the base documentation consists of about 1500 pages documenting the
various software components. The documentation of the software?s localized
modifications would be in addition to this.

The problem is with the base development group, which cannot seem to
deliver a version of the product stable enough to document or develop from.
No one in the management hierarchy I work under exercises any control over
this group--either they can?t or they won?t. New releases of the base
software are accepted without regard to software quality assurance.
Developers are expected to produce working modifications off of this.
Nobody seems to be able to refuse releases from the base group until they
are stable. Project management expects a functioning version of the
localized software, with documentation, by the end of the year. Lately,
developers have been quitting the project at the rate of one every two
weeks.

If you?re not laughing (or crying) by now, there?s more. My employer was
originally developing this software with a company having business
expertise in the software application, but they ?fired? us. The project
manager who hired me was fired in part for his inability to set a direction
for the documentation group.  This hardly improved the situation, though,
because since then I have produced information plans at the request of
management every few months or so, which are approved and then scrapped a
few months later when management decides to re-direct the documentation
effort. Arguing with them about how it?s better to set a course and stick
with it does no good. Of course, very little gets done, and then I am held
accountable for this.

The problem with quitting is that because I was relocated for the position,
I?m liable to reimburse this employer for relocation costs since I signed
an agreement to that effect. The agreement expires in a few months, and I
suppose I could hang on, but I?m sick of being miserable here and I may
have the opportunity to accept an offer from a quality organization with
better pay and benefits shortly.

Can anyone advise me on the enforceability of the relocation reimbursement
agreement, how likely it is they will hold me to it, or how I can get out
of it given the ridiculous circumstances? Is there a way to broach the
subject without giving away my plans? I?m tempted to quit without giving
notice since I?m quite sure they will screw me out of two weeks? pay, in
accord with HR policies regarding resignation by relocated individuals.

I?d be interested in hearing about what you would do in this situation.
Needless to say I?ve learned a lot from this experience about how to
interview a company before accepting an offer. Thanks for your advice.

 From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=