I need some advice, where I currently work, I’m not exactly popular with my manager, after falling out with her friend on our team, the relationship has turned sour, especially after she called me into a meeting about my performance which was affected by them talking over me for long periods of time (I was placed in the middle of them) I explained how their talking affected my performance and I subsequently moved desks, now a few months later I’ve been put on a performance improvement plan.
I’ve been actively looking for another job and my best friend has offered me a job for more hours (42 compared to 37.5) But $500 less money per year, now bearing in mind my career misshaps, I’m quite apprehensive in leaving this job for this one as I’m worried about any long term implications to our friendship.
Should I stick it out at my existing job, I’ve not signed anything or had any SMART goals put to me, or should I take his job or should I keep looking?
What are you planning to “stick out” at your current job? Continue grinding away for a boss who doesn’t like you until they let you go?
I tend to be leery about mixing professional and personal relationships, but maybe taking the job with your friend isn’t such a bad idea, You can always keep looking.
Is there room for advancement? If you take this new job, will you be getting more money in year 2 or beyond? If so, I wouldn’t let the slight dip in pay dissuade me.
Additionally, though, is it the kind of work you want/know how to do? If it’s in your wheelhouse, then I’d say you should go for it.
Then again, is there any concern that your friendship may be compromised by working for that person? If so, maybe hold out for another opportunity.
I guess I don’t know what to recommend, other than to consider how this change may play out over the next several years.
If $500/yr a big deal or a rounding error in your budget? I’d happily pay $500/y to escape a toxic situation. That’s about $2 per workday. Besides $500 gross difference is probably more like $300 net difference after taxes. So more like $1.50 per workday difference
When you’re stuck in a shit situation, it’s hard to locate other jobs and hard to interview successfully; the shit situation pollutes your mind too much. Escape the shit situation sooner rather than later
Does the new job position you better for the job after that than the current one does? The friend thing is tough and you may need to depart this new job for another to preserve the friendship.
I read that as $500 less a year, after working 4.5 hours more hours a week/234 hours more a year than the current job. That’s a lot more than a $500 a year difference if I interpreted that correctly.
If you have been placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) they are planning on dismissing you for cause; specifically, inadequate performance). Not only is this a bad thing to have to explain to a future employer, it is also demoralizing, because the purpose of a PIP is to find criticism with your work and document it as justification as cause for termination. (I’m sure someone somewhere has completed a PIP with “improvement”, and I always give employees a fair shot at showing improvement, but if the process is that far along HR is involved and giving guidance to the manager on how to document performance for justification.)
If you think your company might offer a layoff or resignation with some severance you might try to negotiate that because a PIP sucks almost as much for the manager conducting it as the subject, and they might be willing to pay you out to go away without an unemployment claim. Otherwise, start looking because you are going to be leaving one way or another, and even if they string out the PIP it is going to be toxic and miserable for you.
The job your friend is offering might sound like a lifeline, and it could work out, but have a serious think about the implications if it does not. In general, you are better off separating supervisor-subordinate and friend relationships for a multitude of reasons. Also, not to be critical of you when your current work-life sucks, but have an honest think about your work behavior and if you did anything that contributed to this situation or that you could have done to mitigate it, because shitty bosses are a dime a dozen and rolling the dice on a new job isn’t going to make it better if you can’t cope with office politics and peoples’ general bullshit.
Although I’m not a fan of his obsession with LinkedIn, I think this guy offers a lot of good, practical advice about jobs, layoffs, termination, negotiating, et cetera:
I read it as more hours yes. But that the difference between the old hourly rate times the old hours vs new hourly rate times new hours totals $500. So the total W2 difference is $500
Yes, he’s absolutely working more hours for less money. In general a bad idea, all else equal. But as he’s said, all else is not equal. So we need to dig deeper.
If the $500 is 500 he can’t afford to give up and meet rent & car payment or whatever, then the question of which job becomes moot: he’s stuck where he is until he can find an alternative that meets or beats his current W2.
But conversely if the $500 is a tolerable loss, then we can set that aside at least temporarily as a decision factor and talk of other things. Including whether working an extra 234 hours/year is a big deal. e.g. depending on commute distance, he might actually save hours away from home at the 42/week job.
And my converting it to $1.50 net reduction per work day wasn’t meant to minimize it. But to suggest thinking about how that might be offset. Can you ride the train to one job, but need to drive to the other? If you normally buy lunch, is the new job in a cheaper location where you might save $1.50 per day on meals? Or is the new job more expensive? etc.
The big picture point being there’s more to (most) jobs than just hours & hourly rate. A more holistic view will produce a more meaningful comparison.
I don’t know the OP; I recognize the name for years but it doesn’t bring a bio to mind. If the OP is used to taking shit jobs and being glad of the fact the paychecks usually don’t bounce that’s very different than if he’s been working at least a little farther up the food chain and has some ability to pick, choose, and compare. Trying to cover several bases here.
You should definitely be looking for your next job. Should that be working for your friend? What other options are in the horizon? How long might it take for those to pan out? Would it be awkward to work for your friend for a couple of months and then move to another job? Can you afford to be unemployed for a while?
The job with the friend is not a great option for several reasons. The question is whether it’s better then the alternatives, and for how long you’d have to stick it out.
If you take the new job, how closely will you be working with or for your best friend? And, as he/she is your best friend, are you two comfortable candidly discussing a set of rules about maintaining a work/off-work distinction in your relationship?
Someone isn’t reasonable at your current job and, based on your description, it definitely sounds like your manager, however, think about what Stranger says as well if you can “step outside yourself” and look at your own behaviour objectively.
And regarding the $500 per year sacrifice, depending on your current and potential salaries, is it affordable and if so, can the sacrifice be made in your case, in exchange for peace of mind?
I wouldn’t focus on the $500, because this job, and all its pay, are going away soon. I’d focus on where to jump. How does this option compare to other places you can jump.
Yeah - we need more info as to the OP’s overall financial situation and career desires.
At one point, I left a job for one that ostensibly paid slightly more, but nvolved far more hours and stress. I quickly returned to my old job as the additional $ did not add enough to make up for what the time/stress detracted.
Being put on a PIP is rarely a good sign. I would strongly consider jumping ship for the position with the friend, and then using that haven to seek something that you felt more in line with your professional/time commitment/income goals. Of course - working for a BF does have potential issues. How much does it matter to you that working for the BF - and eventually leaving for another job - may affect the nature of your relationship?
You are already leaving the job. They are going to force you out as soon as possible because I guaranty no matter what you do, you will be fired. I mean you are on a PIP, that’s the paperwork they need to justify your firing.
I’d work for the friend. And if you find a better job, give him plenty of notice.
Or just quit your present job. Waiting until they fire you will affect your work, your sleep, and your ability to work on finding another job. And getting let go will take a while to recover from, at least psychologically.
I was in a bad environment at work, and working 60-80 hrs/wk with no overtime pay. When I realized I was missing out on spending time with our kids, I worked hard on finding a less-stress job.
And took one that meant a cut in pay (of a lot more than $500!), but it was an excellent decision.
To make it very clear, a PIP (Performance Improvement Plan) is something your employer does in preparation to fire you. It shows that you are failing to perform the job according to some established criteria and that you are getting a chance to improve your performance and keep your job even though odds are they’ll find some other reason to fire you even if you can meet the requirements of the plan. If not for the fear of a lawsuit or an unemployment compensation dispute they would have fired you already.
That’s not entirely true all the time. But being on a PIP is definitely an indicator that that the company doesn’t think you are good at your job or that you are a poor fit. And most likely they will treat you accordingly. You won’t get the best projects or best assignments. Managers may prefer working with others over you. Over time it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
In the last place I worked, for 34 years, PIPs were very rarely used. And every one of the people who were under a PIP had real problems and definitely needed to improve their performance.
So I have to wonder if there is any real-world justification for the OP being under a PIP, beyond “my manager doesn’t like me” which is what every person facing bad performance reviews or other such circumstances says.
I bring this up because I think the OP ought to do some rigorous self-evaluation to see if they are themselves in any degree responsible for the situation. This will be important for any new job they move to, and especially so if they go to work for their friend.