So I experienced a first today. Well, perhaps it's not actually a first, but it's the first time this something has happened to me and I can clearly point to it and recognize it!
I started work on a big, complicated, much needed project a few years ago at work. I volunteered to take the project on and put A LOT of work into it. I got a professional (albeit freelancer I had a personal relationship with as well) involved, the project was quoted and a little bit of work was even done on the project. I have tons of emails and documents on the subject. I researched it. I made phone calls. The project stalled out sometime last year when I sent a working proof to my boss and never heard back. She has even acknowledged receipt of it and that it's waiting for her feedback. Today, I got an email from same boss asking for more information on the project to give to another colleague at our company who is taking it over.
So the project that I put HOURS into is now being taken over by someone else in my firm. The professional we "hired" long ago gave up hope of taking the project to fruition and is now no longer even part of my personal life (for separate, unrelated reasons). I have yet to give very much information to the colleague who took the project over but I have provided what has been asked. I'm sure my ideas will not be used but my research and such will.
How frustrating! It seems a bit traitorous, counterproductive, and unprofessional to take work away from one person and give it to their colleague. To be fair to my superiors, I don't think they intentionally did it or perhaps even see it that way. But that is the essence of the situation. I don't currently have time to do the project myself right now (and no longer have the help of a professional) anyway. It's frustrating nonetheless. I've always read about this sort of thing happening in business; I've even seen it in the movies! But it's the first clear time it's happened to me!
