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Would you continue to take a beating and slave in your current job or would you give your two weeks notice so you could go out and work harder (and have time for the interviews & meetings) to get a better job?
I have a buffer from cashing out in 401k, and for Oracle DBA/Applications DBA's and Unix administrators willing to travel the market is rich with opportunities.
What would you do?
Basically the job went from Bad to humiliating and i'm over stressed (started smoking again), over burdened, lied to, ridiculed by outside managers and struggling to have faith to come in. Its showing to myself, my friends and most importantly my family.
Should i take a leap of faith or hold out?
Is there another route? Sick time, long term stress leave, .....
Sounds like a tough position to be in. I hope you can find some peace.
..... Shane
Basically my boss was going to "allow" me a few days of vacation to do what i needed and i took the entire time i had and filled for FMLA for the rest because everything turned out to be a bit more difficult and from my perspective i made it well known that i would be out.
My managers assumed they could just keep on sending me work, have me work from home and that i would call in every day to make sure everything was good. Kind of defeats the purpose of taking my vacation as well as unpaid leave eh?
hmmm.. not fun not fun. I'll hold out until friday after i get some more feedback on these opportunities.
If you change employers what happens to your medical insurance? Do any medical conditions exist that would be considered "pre-existing" conditions?
It's only a day or two more to the weekend. Hang in there.
..... Shane
I'd also say, you may just want to have a chat with a lawyer. Unfortunatly, too many companies in the US don't take the FMLA seriously as it pertains to men. If you did work or were expected to do work while on leave and are being punished for not doing so, you may have a case to sue.
Me being irrisponsible was not checking my voicemail 10 times a day even though i was taking unpaid leave.
When i came BACK to work they actually escorted me out stating that because i didn't get manager approval (got hr approval) they considered it job abandonment. Even though i did get approval from my manager verbally and everyone knew for months of my plans once sh** hit the fan they used a non written agreement as an excuse that i didn't follow policy even though i wasn't made aware of such.. (always took vaccation by scheduling it in the calendar, getting verbal approval and notifying hr.. dunno why this was different considering HR had to notify management of the request anyways..)
Turns out everyone was poking fingers at everyone else because there were some big issues at work that they incorrectly staffed for and i being out was an easy scapegoat.
Seriously considering a lawyer, but would rather just move on to a place where i feel welcomed. This day in and day out of constant "your doing everything wrong or need to work harder and stay later" type attitude is really getting on me.
HR put out the fires when i came back (after more unpaid time waiting for an answer) but management is keen on ignoring personal issues (as they work to stay away from there home life it appears) and only wants to get the job done no matter what it takes. (sic)
..... Shane
You can COBRA your medical for 18 months. You have cash. Go man.... NO ONE should be treated like that.
And btw, go talk to a rep at the Labor Relations Board....
I was subjected to that kind of treatment at the job when I had a carpal tunnel injury at work almost 6 years ago. "Special rules" just for me, abominable treatment including the silent treatment - which like nothing else gets me to go ballistic. It's one of the worst forms of abuse possible because it's "silent" and insidious. If all you're getting is criticism and being otherwise ostracised that's what's happening. Look it up: "emotional abuse + silent treatment." It didn't start out that way but I had no choice but to get an attorney.
I've been pretty much told that because of my "irresponsibilities towards work requirements" that i'm walking on thin ice and need to "work harder to satisfy the work requirements".Me being irrisponsible was not checking my voicemail 10 times a day even though i was taking unpaid leave.
When i came BACK to work they actually escorted me out stating that because i didn't get manager approval (got hr approval) they considered it job abandonment.
But you're back at work and what's going on is what I would consider harassment if it were happening to me. Not exactly specific, bur you can get a general idea:
Auntie Nolo: telecommuniting for disabled workers [nolo.com]
Seriously considering a lawyer, but would rather just move on to a place where i feel welcomed. This day in and day out of constant "your doing everything wrong or need to work harder and stay later" type attitude is really getting on me.
Do it. Get one. It's just knowing which kind you need. If you up and leave you let them off the hook scot-free and they don't deserve it. Employees generally can't collect unemployment on a voluntary quit unless there's what's considered just cause. To keep their taxes down employers will sometimes "abuse" workers into quitting.
I've collected twice, though for completely different reasons. Once got approved without a fight, the other time I had to call for a state hearing because they fought it and wanted me to come back to work there. I won both times. I've also twice taken employers to the State Labor Board. Once for 75 cents underpayment on principle alone, another time for unsafe working conditions - and the state closed the whole company down - they had to re-open in another city.
Also, with Workers Comp you can forfeit retraining benefits by quitting.
Check all the laws for your state jurisdiction, and look in the phone book for the 800 numbers for the proper agencies - and online most of what you need to know will be geared toward women, who are most often the victims of job discrimination and harassment - so keep that in mind when searching.
Here's the Govt. agency that covers these situations (except for Workers Comp, that's a separate issue). EEOC [eeoc.gov] - the workers best friend; the entire site should be memorized. ;)
Don't do anything hasty and don't let on to anyone. Do some research, document *everything* down to minute details, and particularly, call around to some attorneys before taking any definite action.
Sometimes a woman just has to stand up both for herself and for what's right and fight like a man when there's unfairness, corruption or injustice. IMHO, men should do no less.
And i want to thank everyone for the links to the resources.
I found this:
Leaving work due to personal reasons - To be eligible, the claimant must show that he/she quit due to personal circumstances that left him/her no reasonable alternative. The claimant must show that, prior to quitting, he/she made a reasonable attempt to maintain the employer/employe relationship. The claimant must also be able and available for suitable work.
And this
Due to unsuitable work - When an employe accepts a position, he/she admits to the initial suitability of the position with respect to its wages and the conditions of employment. When a claimant quits because the job was unsuitable, the claimant must show there were changes in the conditions of employment, to which he/she did not agree upon, that made the job unsuitable, or there was deception on the part of the employer with regard to the conditions of employment at the time of hire, or he/she shall be considered ineligible. The suitability of the work will be determined by considering factors such as the degree of risk involved to the claimant's health, safety and morals; the claimant's physical fitness; the claimant's prior training and experience; the distance of the available work from the claimant's residence; the prevailing condition of the labor market; and, the prevailing wage rates in the trade or occupation.
I can easily prove that they have failed to provide suitable resources/staff and that i have ongoing relationship problems with staff that i HAVE tried to resolve on my behalf but the other managers "keep on fighting"
I can also prove that the job has morphed into something impossible and that my concerns for resolution and duties have landed on deaf ears.
what a week!
Please keep us posted. I'll bet you feel pretty alone - and worry about your family, the money, the insurance, etc. is no doubt giving you an incipient ulcer. We'll try to give you a sounding board, as much decent helpful advice as we have and can offer, and a place to vent when frustration requires it.
Any one of us could be there tomorrow - or next week. You are NOT alone....
I am in the States, and it is a fairly large company. I work for a division with 2k employees but overall the corporation has about 15k employees. Not terribly huge but big enough to have formal processes.
Any corporation that large should have some internal policies on harassement. Check them out as well. As stated previously document what is being said to you, at what time and by whom. I would bet that only a couple of people know what is happening to you.
At some point you are probably going to have to address the issue head on and say basicly, "Please stop this harassment.". Consult a lawyer before you do this though.
Lousy place to be but your digging yourself out of it.
Good luck,
Shane
Either way i have some savings, will cary of cobra benefits and will file for unemployment as a cash reserve as well.
Thanks everyone for the feedback and great sticky's! I've had some excellent support and recommendations to consider!
Keep us posted!
