I am facing a dilemma at work and wondering how you all would approach this situation, or maybe it’s something you’ve already dealt with …
I currently work full-time, Monday-Friday, 8-5, in a boring, nonchallenging, going nowhere type clerical job, with an unprofessional bully of a boss. Although I have discussed his behaviour with Human Resources, they are unable or unwilling to effectively deal with the situation.
The pay is good and the benefits are awesome, and I have a lot of friends and contacts here, so I want to stay with the company. There is really not another employer in this small city that offers comparable compensation.
I have an opportunity to work, for the same company, in a different position. The pay is slightly higher, but it’s shiftwork and just part-time, with no guarantee of hours, and no predictable schedule. It’s a different type of job, one which I’m not sure I would love or anything, but it wouldn’t be boring, and it would definitely be challenging.
I’m having a hard time deciding if I value security above all, even if it causes me unhappiness and stress.
Any ideas / experiences / opinions?
PS - Money IS a factor but it’s not the MOST important part of this decision, as I’m sure my S/O and I can work around a smaller income.
A while ago I saw an article on a study about whether or not having more money makes people happier.
What the results show is that up to a certain point more money does increase happiness, but beyond that point it made people progressively less happy. The dividing line was where people had enough money to meet their needs and have a modest amount extra to enjoy some leisure activities.
From personal experience I find that that is true. I wouldn’t stay in a crappy job (I know because I’ve worked for an absolutely insane person) so we could eat out more or buy fancier cars but I would if otherwise we would be living paycheck to paycheck. Health insurance is also a huge deal, I would work at a crappy job for benefits or to ensure that we had extra money for emergencies.
We recently had a 28% reduction in our family’s income. It made the difference between getting to always buy whatever we want (we don’t really want much anyway) to having to plan for larger extra things. We’re definitely not less happy. So overall I would say your happiness is more important. I no longer work for the insane person and it’s like having a whole new life.
Thanks SP2263 - sounds like things worked out great for you, and that’s inspiring.
If I qualified for stress leave, I would definitely take it, just to escape the hell that is my current job.
I truly feel that ANYTHING would be better than this feeling of being “trapped” in a job that I hate, with a boss that I hate, and who hates me.
I guess because I am not the only one affected by this decision, I’m having an extra hard time. I know my SO wants me to be happy, but we also have plans for house reno’s, travel, etc and changing jobs will definitely set us back financially.
My boss would have to be particularly evil for me to give up a regular paycheck and good benefits. If I were in your situation facing the same decision, I’d keep my present job.
That’s just me, though. For me, it’s not so much about how much money I make as it is how regular it is.
I’d rather make 25k a year knowing I’ll have a job 10 years from now than I would have a 50k a year job and not know from one day to the next if I’m going to have a job.
Yeah. Seize another opportunity at this company, but not this one. If one position opens up, others will. Does the company offer any sort of job training or way to move up and on? Do they pay tuition at a local university, for example?
I used to work for a guy like that. Paid pretty well, gave great benefits, and sometimes a really great guy, but quite frequently a complete assgasket. Screaming, throwing shit, blaming me for losing stuff he’d thrown away, reaming me out for stuff other people did wrong, you name it. He wouldn’t really let me do anything, either, so I felt like a trained monkey could do my job–unless the other techs went on vacation or sick leave, at which point I was expected to be able to do everything perfectly.
I quit by force of circumstances (7 hours each way is a killer commute), and it was absolutely the best thing I ever did, both personally and professionally. It took me a while to find a job down here, and when I did find one I took a fairly significant pay cut. But I was in an environment where people respected me and my contributions, gave me more responsibility and autonomy than I’d ever had before, and taught me a wealth of new skills. Until then I never really realized what a soul-sucking experience the other place was, and what a drain it had been putting on my self-esteem and my relationships with other people. The difference in my overall quality of life was just unbelievable…and with 6 months I was making slightly more than I had made at the other place. If we weren’t moving this summer, they would have offered me a supervisory position last fall, after 18 months of employment.
So if taking this new position means putting off some renovations and travelling, as opposed to not making rent or buying groceries, I’d say go for it. You never know what it might springboard you to.
A year ago I had a 9-5 job, 32k (canadian) a year. The job was pretty fulfilling and the company was looking pretty stable, but suddenly the bottom fell out, and my wife and I suddenly became independent contractors, relying of the occasional contract, at times seriously worrying about money, and having no security whatsoever.
I say go for happiness. It’s been my experience that my money seems to go farther when I’m happy in my work than when I’m unhappy. I think there is an aspect of human nature that wants to compensate for psychological unhappiness by trying to fill the void with material stuff, which, of course, requires money. Maybe you’ll find that once you’re happy in your work (and possibly dumping less stress on the SO), you’ll find that the linoleum in the bathroom isn’t quite as ugly as you think it is now.
I really like that word, and plan to use it at every opportunity from now on.
I was in that job - except for the hell boss aspect. I just felt trapped in the job and all I could see when I looked at the future was me doing the same job for the next 30 years, hating every minute of it. It was regular pay, sure, and it paid well…but I dreaded going into the office every day. I was pretty damn depressed - but someone else had to see it (and actually that person was my boss. I don’t know that she knew how depressed I was, but she knew I wasn’t happy.
I went back to grad school, finishing last May. I now make 3/4 of the salary I made before, but I’m happy. All my bills are paid, I have a little extra and more important, I look forward to going to work every day. One of the students I work with said to me yesterday: “You’re always so happy looking, whenever I see you around campus.” That said a lot - because apparently I never looked happy before.
I’ve found that if I go for something I really enjoy, the money follows. If I’m excited about my work and eager to do a good job, I perform better so the promotions (and related raises) come quicker.
That said, there are sometimes it’s worth it to work for a less than ideal manager if you get “hazard pay.” My boss is notorious for her poor management skills. I put up with it and stay working for her because I love what I do, the company is great, and I have good co workers. I can handle her bluster because I’m pretty thick skinned about it. I can shrug it off as just the way she is. That, and she pays well because she knows she’s difficult. No job is perfect. I do interesting work for good money at a great company with nice people. I can live with a socially inept boss!
It doesn’t sound like you’re in that situation. You don’t like the work itself, so it’s not worth having a crappy manager.