Comments on: New Job Angst https://www.evilhrlady.org/2007/07/new-job-angst.html Everything to make HR better Mon, 16 Jul 2007 20:13:00 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3 By: al qaffir https://www.evilhrlady.org/2007/07/new-job-angst.html#comment-802 Mon, 16 Jul 2007 20:13:00 +0000 http://localhost/wordpress/2007/07/new-job-angst.html#comment-802 Hi. I’m the submitter of the question. Thank you, (not-so-)Evil HR Lady for taking and answering my q.

The question is now moot, but here’s the denouement:

We agreed on a number 15% higher than my current salary. I also found out that PTO is actually about equal to my (soon-to-be-ex-)current job because they close down for the holiday week at the end of the year. That more or less makes up the week’s difference.

At the end of the day, it wasn’t just the money: HR at my current job asked me to reconsider, and if it was just money, we’d work something out.

It was more this: My current job–as much as I love my company–is a dead end. Even my boss, who’s a hell of a guy, has told me on a few occasions to think about whether, at my age (30s), I want to be stuck in a “backwater” with no real advancement prospects forever and ever.

By contrast, he suggested, where I’d be going offers a whole “universe” of possibilities, both vertically and laterally. Finally, I’m much more passionate about their technology than about my current job’s technology.

It’s also worth noting that–as secure as I feel–my reporting structure could always change. A lot of my happy lot in life has to do with being attached to this particular boss. (There’s no good reason why I report to him…they just kind of stuck me under him for org chart purposes.)

With the new place, I didn’t get flex time/telecommuting in writing, but my soon-to-be-boss said that “most people roll in around 9:30 to 10:30, and I myself work from home 1 or 2 days a week,” and that I could avail myself of this, too, if I wanted to.

For all of these reasons, I decided to accept the new job, and gave notice last week after receiving the written offer letter.

Thanks again, everybody, for your comments.

]]> By: Mike Doughty https://www.evilhrlady.org/2007/07/new-job-angst.html#comment-801 Mon, 16 Jul 2007 14:15:00 +0000 http://localhost/wordpress/2007/07/new-job-angst.html#comment-801 Have you talked to your current company about your “boredom” and your desire to make more money? If you have a great job in a company whose culture you like and fit into so well, maybe if they know you’re bored and feel under-utilized, they can give you more/more complex work to do and raise your grade/salary level. A “huge, famous company” may be less likely to make policy exceptions for a non-exec level position than a smaller company might be. Before you make a move that appears to have a lot of unknowns in it, I’d talk to the people you currently work for.

Just a thought.

]]> By: Evil HRISguy https://www.evilhrlady.org/2007/07/new-job-angst.html#comment-800 Mon, 16 Jul 2007 14:01:00 +0000 http://localhost/wordpress/2007/07/new-job-angst.html#comment-800 HRIS limitations were far from consideration when they negotiated these deals! Yet another manual tracking spreadsheet.

I was somewhat surprised at the many deals that were made at all levels. Unfortunately we usually found out about them when the PTO amount didn’t show on a report and their manager complained. Our HRIS omniscience only works when the hiring manager tells us!

]]> By: Evil HR Lady https://www.evilhrlady.org/2007/07/new-job-angst.html#comment-799 Mon, 16 Jul 2007 13:36:00 +0000 http://localhost/wordpress/2007/07/new-job-angst.html#comment-799 Evil HRIS guy–I haven’t seen PTO as an easily negotiable item for lower levels. For execs, of course, but for most people, no. Largely because it HRIS’s aren’t set up to handle variable PTO not based on rules.

Fix that, will you?

]]> By: Evil HRISguy https://www.evilhrlady.org/2007/07/new-job-angst.html#comment-798 Mon, 16 Jul 2007 13:18:00 +0000 http://localhost/wordpress/2007/07/new-job-angst.html#comment-798 “Everything is negotiable” and “Get it in Writing”. I cannot echo that loudly enough!

Flex time and PTO shouldn’t be a major issue. At my last employer, extra PTO offers were common for individuals who were leaving a position with many years of experience under their belt. Especially if the candidate would accept it in exchange for a lower salary requirement.
If they seem reluctant to negotiate those items, I would factor that into my final decision. Beware of long commutes, however, that can get old very fast. (As a former NJ commuter I can relate to nasty commutes)

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