This sort of happened to me once before - I was working at a job I hated, with people I didn’t care for, but when I tried to quit, they talked me into staying. Bad mistake - when you’re so fed up that you actually tell them you quit, you need to leave then.
Here’s a thought for you - if you can’t be replaced, you can’t be promoted. You have no future with this company anyway, and you would be fired in a heartbeat if the owner of the company felt it was in his best interests to do so. Never forget that this is how business works now - there is no loyalty to employees, and any employee that feels loyalty to a company is kidding themselves.
Wow! I didn’t think I would need to update this thread until after my interview on Friday, but there has been a very interesting development. I saw a resume come over the fax here this morning. Hmmmm…
Okay, so at first I was thinking that maybe they thought about what I said and decided that it was in their best interest to start looking for someone. That’s exactly what I suggested that they do. I’m sure there would be a time this afternoon when they would tell me that. No, they don’t owe it to me to tell me, but it’s a little shady if they don’t, while at the same time, telling me how valuable I am.
I was in looking for an order that was in my boss’s office just now and saw another resume. From March 27! I had “The Talk” with them this past Wednesday, April 6. So now I’m wondering how long they’ve been looking for someone!
So, I’m thinking that this goes back to a couple of months ago, when I had it out with my boss and tried to give him my 2 week notice (which he talked me out of doing, by the way) and that all of the sweet talk they’ve been giving me is because they don’t want me to leave before they find someone.
All of your responses here have already given me the backbone I need to tell them I quit, but now the gloves are off and I’m not going to sit around and wait to be fired. I’m calling employment agencies immediately! The next few weeks will be interesting.
There’s at least one boss who isn’t like that, mine. And the one I had before him too. I work hard and am appreciated for it. I’m loyal to the boss, and he shows it. If your current position is unsatisfactory, would it be possible to look for another?
I suppose decent bosses exist - they’re just few and far between, and in my opinion, any employee making decisions based on the illusion of loyalty is not using their best judgement.
I’m glad that your boss is good - I believe that he will also screw you if the bottom line tells him to - as a decent boss, he might actually feel bad about it, but he’ll still do it. I don’t know your situation, of course; my past experiences working for a living have made me quite bitter, and I don’t trust any employers at all, even the ones that appear to appreciate me.
Good for you! They were just sliming you so that you would be around until a new person started. Your earlier behavior is what I call “battered employee syndrom” - you were a co-dependent to your dysfunctional boss. Time to take care of yourself, sweetie.
I work in finance as well - the demand for good people has gone through the roof due to Sarbanes-Oxley. It is a good time to look for a job. Good luck!
Hate not to be as sympathetic as others here, but really who can blame them for looking for a replacement when it’s clear you’re going to be off as soon as you can?
Maybe, just maybe, they genuinely do think you’re great at what you do, and certainly better than predecessors. That doesn’t mean you’re indispensible though, and you realised that before they did. Go get yourself something you’ll enjoy more, and let them get on with the job of replacing you.
The interview went well. I got along with the Business Manager and the Accounting Manager, but the Business Manager is very hesitant to hire me because she thinks that I’m “more than capable of doing the job”, but I won’t be challenged enough and I’ll leave.
Even before she said that, I told her that I want to find a place where I can plant my roots, so to speak. After her concern about the pay cut I would be taking, I told her that after “working the numbers”, I was comfortable with the cut and that I was willing to make less money for the sake of my happiness. So after voicing her concern, I reiterated my desire to be in a job long-term, even if it means not having as much responsibility. But I don’t think I was as convincing as I could have been. I just didn’t want to appear to be begging.
The temptation to walk out of here is so great right now. The guy at our warehouse called me a “stupid bitch” under his breath as he was hanging up on me. All because he couldn’t talk to our order person because she was on the phone. How that makes me a stupid bitch, I’ll never know. He’s a miserable a-hole to everyone, but it still bugs me.
I don’t have a whole lot of leads from Robert Half (employment agency). There are a couple of good companies, but the agent has to see if they’ll bend a little on the bachelor’s degree requirement. I’ve got 13 years of experience with an associate’s degree, so I hope they’re flexible. It would be nice to work in a professional environment again.
This is a frustrating day. I need to go work out tonight, but maybe I should get a bottle of wine instead. ::sigh::
Maybe there is a grain of fear in your bosses’ desperation to “make things workable” for you? Maybe they fear you will sue them for causing stress related illness due to their histrionics? That might be a part of it too. Stand your ground, maybe if you’re feeling generous enough tell them you will help break in your replacement for a time, but that then they are on their own. Set a date for your freedom, and stick too it. They got along without you, they can manage again somehow. Good luck.
At the least, it could be that they don’t want the fact that they made an employee documentably ill on their records. You could probably get unemployment compensation from them, and they know it. If you are too ill to work from the “stress” of a job, that looks VERY bad on the employer, and maybe now the realization has dawned that their reputation as an employer could be on the line?
You may be right about him being afraid, but it may not be his reputation he’s worried about, since it’s a small company. It’s more about money to him. The more that comes out of the unemployment account, the higher his rate will be in the future. It’s like working for Montgomery Burns. The greed and the disposition are identical in those two.
Yesterday, I typed a letter of resignation, but I wanted to wait until I heard from the agent at Robert Half about the job possibilities she told me about. Now that things have slowed down on that end, I’m scared to give notice without at least a couple of good interviews. I could end up doing temp data entry and making half my current salary, while the bills pile up.
You’re right to try to wait things out until you have someplace to land. My brother made the mistake of quitting without notice or another job two years ago, and is still trying to find an employer who will hire him with a negative reference followed by a hole in his resume.
