What would you do in my job situation?

[Anonymous]

I work for a large company, in a faltering division. The writing is on the wall in a lot of ways - lots of executive turnover over the past few years, dwindling workload, closed-door meetings and whispers, etc. There are big changes afoot but I have reason to believe my job is relatively secure, at least in the near term (next year or so).

I like the work itself. I like my co-workers and they respect me. I'm well-paid. I've proven myself, so I have a lot of flexibility, which is great since I have a young child. The day-to-day is enjoyable.

However, rumors are flying that benefits will be taken away soon (I can negotiate for much higher pay, though, in exchange for them - complicated industry). The division will likely fold within the next few years. Morale is low and the secrecy and insecurity are frustrating.

So the question is - do I actively try to jump ship now? Aside from the general instability, which I know is a major issue, I doubt I could easily find the combination of pay, flexibility, and enjoyment I have now. Do I ride it out and see what happens? We aren't living paycheck to paycheck and could afford for me to go a few months without working, but I AM the main breadwinner, though DH is actively looking for a new job (that's another thing - if we're both in new jobs it could be hard to be flexible, which we need for the baby). I've put feelers out for positions within the company, but nothing's made sense yet. I'm worried I'll leave too quickly and end up in a situation much worse than my current one. Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

OP, how easy would it be to find a new position if something happened to your current position? If it wouldn't take too long, I would stick it out where you are and see what happens. If not, start looking now so you aren't caught off-guard in a few weeks/months.

[Anonymous]

In that situation, I would not quit my job outright, but I would start looking. The main thing that will take a while to build is experience and tenure at another company, and you should do this before you HAVE to find a job.

Give yourself the next 6 months to make a genuine effort to find another job. I've worked in a company where there were a number of layoffs and they didn't hit my dept til round 4, but I tell you, it was no fun going through the first 1-3 whatif layoffs around the company. Most companies and team structures can't recover from that blow to morale.

[Anonymous]

Here's what I would do: Start looking for a position in a different division. It sounds like you like the company for the most part.

If that is not feasible, yeah, I'd start looking. It might take longer than you think to find a new position and it is better to not be in a crunch.

[Anonymous]

Dont quit, but start networking.

[Anonymous]

I think you need to do two things...First, build up an emergency fund so that you have 4-6 (probably 6) months of expenses in a savings account ready to go in case you do lose your job. That will give you comfort if you decide to ride it out and see what happens where you are.

Second, I think you should look for a new job. Looking for a new job doesn't mean you have to take whatever position is offered to you. You may end up with an offer that is not as good as what you have now, even with the uncertainty of your current position in which case you'd turn it down. But you may end up with an offer that is wonderful, stable, and just as flexible as what you have now. It really never hurts to look.

[Anonymous]

Start looking. It's better to jump ship before it starts sinking.

[Anonymous]

Ride it out, you are in a good position. Only leave when you have to - you'll probably get redundancy pay to hold you over!

[Anonymous]

I'd start putting out resumes. It could take a long time to find another job. It can't hurt to look. If you get an offer, you don't necessarily have to quit the job you have now.

[Anonymous]

Stay for a while longer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you need to do two things...First, build up an emergency fund so that you have 4-6 (probably 6) months of expenses in a savings account ready to go in case you do lose your job. That will give you comfort if you decide to ride it out and see what happens where you are.

Second, I think you should look for a new job. Looking for a new job doesn't mean you have to take whatever position is offered to you. You may end up with an offer that is not as good as what you have now, even with the uncertainty of your current position in which case you'd turn it down. But you may end up with an offer that is wonderful, stable, and just as flexible as what you have now. It really never hurts to look.

Omg this. Please, start looking for a new job on a long timeframe. It is hard to keep up the motivation, but you'll land something better.

[Anonymous]

A lot depends on your field. Do you work in IT or some other "hot" field, or are you so super-specialized it'd take you months to find something with comparable pay?

My company had round after round of layoffs; IT had a few layoffs (mainframe/VAX people when we retired those systems), but mostly for the IT group it was "don't replace people when they leave.")

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dont quit, but start networking.

This is my inclination, too. And you never know: you might be recruited by a person/place that thrills you. It happened to me.

[Anonymous]

PP here: Jeez, I gotta cut back on my liberal use of smilies. [No Smiley]