I’m learning that being an employee with ‘digital’ in my title makes me very necessary and completely unnecessary.
When I need a day off or call in sick, no one fills in for me. Employees pick up the slack – posting stories on our website and on social media – if/when they have time. On the flip side, if a producer calls in sick, there is no question as to whether their job will get done, whether someone else comes in or two people split their duties.
If I were completely unnecessary, my job wouldn’t exist. So that makes me feel good. But my job isn’t quite important enough to have someone do if I’m not here.
I recently asked for additional support for the digital products I manage in the way of an additional employee. I was met with the recommendation to have producers and anchors do my job when I can’t.
Do I ever get asked to produce or anchor a show when someone isn’t in? So why do you assume one of them can do my job when I can’t? Is web just so easy because everyone knows how to use an Internet browser?
I realize media business professionals are required to know and use the digital products stations use, but knowing how to make digital really work for a station is a completely different thing.
Having non-digital employees routinely manage digital products is how stuff like this happens.
Any other digital professionals experience this idea about digital?
*Author note: I write these posts assuming my bosses can see them. I’m not saying anything I don’t or wouldn’t say to them. Maybe that’s part of my problem…. But we’ll address that another time.