Thinking about Quitting

J_Dublin15

Hi All,

Just wondered if you could give me some advice. I'm currently working for a certain IT company in the Blanchardstown area and up until recently I was a supervisor as part of the support team here and also managed the team for a short while, and had a good say in how the customer side of things were run and we were making great progress and I really enjoyed it. I've been here just under two years and have been promoted several times.

A short while ago the company got restructured, all of my team were let go, and my old job and old department are no longer here. I got kept on however, and was given a different role. Suffice to say the role I was promised is different to what I actually am doing. All I seem to do is reporting, and that is totally different from what I feel I am good at and what I was told I would do. I wish I could have my old role back but we know that is not going to happen.

I am not happy in the company at all. Previously I was coming in looking forward to every day. Since the restructuring, I hate my new boss who is a very cold person who simply does not care - I don't like the work as it's totally different to what I had in mind, and I have absolutely no drive to actually want to work and do the job and then factor in anyone I get on with well has gone.

I do not wish to leave before I get something else. But my current employers are making it a little hard for me to take time off work, I am owed quite a lot of holidays, but taking them has been very difficult. I need a break, and whilst I now have been granted one, I need one right now and not the last week in September which is all they could offer me. I have spoke to HR who were not really much help.

I feel I am being left with no other option but to resign, although it is Payday on the 30th of this month, so I am thinking I will have to stay until then at least for my own sake. I cannot comprehend working four weeks notice, I am struggling to last a day at the moment, let alone four weeks.

The only thing I am worried about is references.

mrpink6789

Hey,

It's a tricky situation alright but you could push to do an initial telephone interview during lunch as a first interview stage with another company. Depending on the company you would generally have to do another 2 interviews, one with reporting managers and another with HR. Best thing to do is either take the time off but if that is not an option just call in sick to work! You have to think of yourself at the end of the day. You could get a refernece off your old boss even if he does not work there anymore.

J_Dublin15

Well I got a dressing down for calling in sick twice in a fortnight, and that was on last Thursday which I got into trouble for this. I tried to explain why I was not feeling great, and this was because of stress and the situation, but was just threatened with discplinary action if it re occurs which was no help.

I also had snipes made to me that were more personal than work related, which I felt was unfair.

Elessar

Wow they sound like total a**holes to work for. I say write a big resignation letter stating all of the reasons for leaving and hand it into them in the morning. Then you can either walk out or stay until payday.

But only if you have enough savings to get you through at least 3-4 months and you are confident enough of getting a similar job with your experience. Otherwise I would, regretably, stay until I found something else.

Johnnio13

Hea J_Dublin

There are a couple of things you need to do:
Firstly, make your new boss aware of your circumstances. Over-worked, Over-stressed etc - if you don't feel comfortable doing this, bring it to HR - they have to act on it. If there is an Occupational Health nurse, talk to him/her about it. Tell them that work is taking its toll and that you are feeling stressed etc.
The reason being that if they do take disciplinary action at least you can say you alerted them to the fact that you didn't have a break and that work was making you ill if it ever goes to court.

Otherwise, best of luck in the job hunt/

J_Dublin15

Elessar wrote: »

But only if you have enough savings to get you through at least 3-4 months and you are confident enough of getting a similar job with your experience. Otherwise I would, regrettably, stay until I found something else.

I would say I have enough for 2-3 months and should be able to get a new role. I would like a break for a few weeks from any kind of work first though as I just have had enough.

Johnnio13 wrote: »

Firstly, make your new boss aware of your circumstances. Over-worked, Over-stressed etc - if you don't feel comfortable doing this, bring it to HR - they have to act on it. If there is an Occupational Health nurse, talk to him/her about it. Tell them that work is taking its toll and that you are feeling stressed etc../

I have made my boss aware of the circumstances last Thursday, however as I said did not really take me seriously, I on Friday sent an email to him in relation to what my role will involve in the future and I want to know more about what I will be doing, he is off today so I guess I have to wait until tomorrow to hear what he has to say about this. If it is not to my satisfaction, which I am sure it will not be, I will again explain my circumstances once more and hope they will understand, if not I will have to go down the leaving road.

PurpleBerry

OP, I sympathise deeply with your situation. I know what it's like when a job gets so bad that you can't imagine having to work there for another week or two while you search for another. Often once you've given in your notice the situation isn't as bad because a) there's a clear light at the end of the tunnel and b) because you are leaving people won't bother harassing you. Unfortunately it doesn't always work like that either though.

It's bad luck that you have recently taken sick leave. Logic tells you to hang on until you have an interview or two lined up, then call in sick for that day, but logic doesn't always decide your actions. When work has become unbearable the 7am thought of having to face another 8 or 9 hours of it can nearly make you actually sick.

Personal remarks are uncalled for and I would start (if you haven't already) making notes of these. Add dates and times if you can and show it to HR before you leave.

How Strange

OP, you seem to have grounds for constructive dismissal. Did you keep records of your requests for leave etc? Is there any record or a witness to the issue of disciplinary action for taking 2 sick days?

It really sounds like you're stressed to hell. I've been there in previous jobs and at this stage you've one foot out the door.

All I will say is think this out very carefully. You don't want to cut your nose off to spite your face in this current market. Go to your doctor, spill the beans and tell him/her what you've told us. Tell him/her you're over stressed, need a break but your employer is making that very difficult for you and you can't cope. Then ask that you get a medical certificate for leave due to stress.

Any employer with any HR/Industrial Relations knowledge will back off straight away and see that they could be leaving themselves wide open for constructive dismissal if they pursue you for taking sick leave due to stress.

I don't think in a circumstance like this that there is anything wrong with taking certified sick leave. Also, sit down and try to document a timeline of your promotions, your redeployment, your conversations with managers/HR, the threat of disciplinary action etc and keep that to hand in case your employers are thick and aggressive enough to come after you. If they do then I'd consult a solicitor.

While you are doing all this start job seeking but do it knowing that you don't have to take the first available job just to get out of the one you're in. That is the wrong thing to do in a slow job market as you may lose money and end up taking a few steps back.

Finally, from now on don't go to any meeting with HR or your manager in relation to sick leave etc without a witness there for you so you have someone to back up what was said at the meeting otherwise it's a case of he said/she said. Yes, it will antagonise your employer but from the sounds of it the situation seems to have deteriorated to that already.

mikewest

+1 taking sick leave due to stress. This will work two ways for you,

1. It will give you some time off to get your head together and shed the stress.
2. It will give you some time for interviews and job hunting.

It also will tell HR and senior management to back the hell off if they have one braincell between them because they will see that they are setting themselves up for a constructive dismissal suit. It sounds like it would have cost them too much to let you go with the rest of your team and now they hope you will jump ship and cost them nothing.

J_Dublin15

Ok, an update. The personal remarks were in relation to shoes/clothes I wore to work, I was well within the dress code of the company, and I felt my boss was being over fussy as they were no different what I always have wore in the previous two years here.

One of my shirts happened to have a crease in it so I got a lecture about that and my trousers had a bit of a white mark at the base near my foot, and I got given out to for this. Despite the fact it's a smart casual dress code. Also got given out to about "Needing to buy new shoes" despite the fact the only reason they were not perfect was because I'd just had to go through the crap flooding weather which meant they were not totally clean.

Today I come into work and I find that it looks like a comment has been passed on to the rest of the team sayign that my work is now behind because of "Unplanned absence' and hs is evaluating outsourcing this to someone else because of this. But I have not been able to do my work in the way intended, because the previous people doing my work did nothing for over a week, and there are problems in the process that are outside my control.

I actually came into work in a good mod today, but yet again he has sent me flying into being pissed off.

JackieO

I am in the same situation.

Unfortunately, on my own paying a hefty mortgage, so leaving is not an option without another job in place. Have been trying to find one for a full year now and no joy.

Chin up J!