Job angst

[geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA]

 Dianne Walsh must choose between sticking with an
 unsatisfying but secure job, or switching to a new,
 stimulating job with few benefits.

 <<this company, being small and new, offers next-to-nothing
 in benefits. There are no sick or personal days, minimal
 health insurance, and only one week of paid vacation after
 you've worked a full year.>>

 I would think long and hard about any company that wouldn't
 offer me paid sick leave and at least 2 weeks vacation. I
 work so I can have a life; I don't have a life so I can
 work. Key question number 1: Do you already have health
 insurance etc. through your husband (if you're married),
 and could you afford to buy adequate insurance by yourself
 if you don't? If you're in the U.S., with those ridiculous
 healthcare costs, a job without adequate coverage sounds
 like an awful risk. It's a risk anyway, since new companies
 die more often than they grow and prosper, but it might be
 an acceptable one. Also, what happens to your pension? If
 you sacrifice seniority and take a huge penalty on
 withdrawing from the company plan, it might be very
 expensive to leave.

 <<My present job, on the other had, offers reasonably good
 benefits, BUT--It's beome a chore to drag myself into the
 place every morning and face the same old, same old.>>

 If you don't love your work, it's certainly worthwhile to
 look elswhere, but is the new firm the only one that offers
 a way out? I'm sure there are others, and there's always
 the option of going freelance if you can afford it. Before
 jumping ship, have you determined whether you can grow your
 job into new areas at your current employer? I started
 primarily as an editor, added translation to my job, and am
 now doing online help. Webmastering is next on the list. If
 there's a need you can fill, and it adds to your enjoyment
 or your salary (ideally, to both), jump on it!

 <<...the place is under such chaotic management (or lack of
 management) that I fear for its survival. It has been
 growing and seems to be doing well, but the constant uproar
 and lack of direction have gotten on my nerves.>>

 This sounds like the first really good reason to leave: if
 the job won't be there in a year, escape while you can. But
 many companies blunder happily along for decades with
 incompetent management. If the company is growing, the
 situation probably looks worse than it really is. Any
 management friends who can let you in on the true story? If
 not, start meeting some of them or the accounting types at
 lunch, particularly if you'd ordinarily want to befriend any
 of them just for the sake of someone to chat with, and get
 the true story from them. It may be better than you think,
 but if it's worse, start revising your resume!

 <<do I strike out for the work I want to do, in an
 exciting, creative environment--and say the heck with the
 extras for now? (As this company grows, it does =
 plan to add/increase those extras.)>>

 The first part is always a good idea, but as I noted, you
 don't necessarily have to leave the current company to get
 the work you want. How important are the extras to you?
 Giving only one week of vacation is going to create some
 awfully stressed workers, so the new place may not be as
 great as it looks from the outside. Moreover, advertising
 and communication firms are famed for being chaotic places
 to work, so they might not be an improvement over your
 current situation. And don't forget that good intentions
 sometimes go by the wayside if they're not put down in
 writing or if times get tough. Killer schedules often
 become the standard operating procedure, particularly in
 design firms. If you want to give them the benefit of the
 doubt, fine; me, I'd get a written promise of what I'm
 going to get in a year. If they're confident they'll be
 there in a year, they'll probably put an offer in writing;
 if not, be wary.

 <<I'm 50-something and that's an extra consideration.>>

 And a darn big one. Apart from the pension problems I noted
 above, what is your health like? How many unpaid days would
 you miss per year (based on your current job)? Add 20% for
 the fact that you're going to be working longer hours and
 lacking the time to go home and recuperate. Subtract this
 from your expected salary. Can you afford this much of a
 salary cut? All else being equal, you're going to have a
 harder time finding and affording life and health insurance
 as you age. Can you cover this yourself until the company's
 improved plan kicks in, or are you going to suffer
 financially?

 Tough choice. Good luck!

 --Geoff Hart     @8^{)}     geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
 Disclaimer: Speaking for myself, not FERIC.

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