As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/
Options
Leaving current job for a new opportunity.
cr0w
Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
So I've been at my current job for a little over three years. I work with the grounds maintenance contractor at NASA Johnson Space Center as their weed control guy/pesticide applicator. During my time there I've learned a shitload about weeds/plants/etc. and grounds maintenance. The problem is that NASA is getting increasingly anal about anything to do with chemicals, restricting what I can use in their "pretty" areas and downright refusing to let me use some chemicals that are necessary to provide any sort of vegetation control. This means that when my bosses, who are based in Maryland, come down every 2 months or so, they see weeds growing everywhere and assume I'm just doing a shitty job, which isn't true. I just can't use anything providing long-term control because our chemical of choice leaves an orange residue for a couple days and NASA thinks it looks bad. They also restrict the amounts I can use. While other grounds crews are allowed to use up to a 5% mixture (chemical/water), I'm only allowed to use 1.5% because of their environmental restrictions. So this provides even less control. I'm constantly being thrown under the bus when our bosses ask my project manager about the weeds, because quite frankly he's got so much going on that he just doesn't know what I'm doing and why I'm being handcuffed by NASA's demands. They never ask me about it, it's always my project manager. I'm constantly butting heads with them and trying to explain why things are the way they are, but nothing's ever done about it. This is exacerbated by my power sprayer on my truck being constantly out of order because my mechanic can't fix it, and my boss doesn't want to cut into his bonus to get it repaired by an actual repair place because he gets that bonus based on how much money he spends on repairs every year. So I have 1700 acres of weeds and grass to control with 2 4-gallon backpacks of lightly-mixed Round-Up. I'm working my ass off with what I have, and I still can't get done what needs to be done. Add to this the fact that NASA wants to go entirely green with their weed control, using organic products such as Citrus Oil that will provide control for maybe a week after application, and I can see there being problems down the line and me being blamed for it. I would need a 6-7 man crew spraying the same areas over and over constantly for any sort of control if they were to switch to completely organic methods, which they want to do. That won't happen, however. It will always be just me.
This is where the other opportunity presents itself. Another company that works for the plants and a few other state properties here in Houston wants to hire me on, at a slight pay cut, but they want me to immediately head up a project at a plant here locally and eventually take on 3-4 other projects at a time if I get to where I think I can handle them. The advancement opportunities are great, while at my current job, there is no chance of advancement whatsoever. I'll always be doing what I do now. The hours are a bit different, I'll be working 4 10-hour days as opposed to 5 8-hour days, which is great since my girlfriend works M-F and we'll have weekends together, and the people really want me to come work for them. They also have working equipment and a good mechanic on duty, as well as actual power spraying equipment so I won't be walking with 4 gallons on my back in the Houston summer heat anymore. The upside is tremendous, and honestly I want to take the job. I guess I'm just looking for a little advice on whether the change seems as great to others as it does to me, because I'm getting married this year and have a lot more responsibilities than I did a year ago, and the thought of changing jobs, taking on more job responsibility and the uncertainty that brings is kind of scary. Maybe I just needed to get this all off my chest, I don't know. I already know what I want to do, I guess maybe I'm just looking for a little encouragement that I'm making the right decision.
This is where the other opportunity presents itself. Another company that works for the plants and a few other state properties here in Houston wants to hire me on, at a slight pay cut, but they want me to immediately head up a project at a plant here locally and eventually take on 3-4 other projects at a time if I get to where I think I can handle them. The advancement opportunities are great, while at my current job, there is no chance of advancement whatsoever. I'll always be doing what I do now. The hours are a bit different, I'll be working 4 10-hour days as opposed to 5 8-hour days, which is great since my girlfriend works M-F and we'll have weekends together, and the people really want me to come work for them. They also have working equipment and a good mechanic on duty, as well as actual power spraying equipment so I won't be walking with 4 gallons on my back in the Houston summer heat anymore. The upside is tremendous, and honestly I want to take the job. I guess I'm just looking for a little advice on whether the change seems as great to others as it does to me, because I'm getting married this year and have a lot more responsibilities than I did a year ago, and the thought of changing jobs, taking on more job responsibility and the uncertainty that brings is kind of scary. Maybe I just needed to get this all off my chest, I don't know. I already know what I want to do, I guess maybe I'm just looking for a little encouragement that I'm making the right decision.
cr0w on
0
Posts
2) Unless you have something in writing, you don't have another job!!!!
3) Get a written offer from the new company.
4) Don't quit the old job until you have a written offer.
5) Don't forget that you do not have a new job until you have something on paper that says you have a new job.
It sounds like you'll be a lot happier at the new place.
IANAL, etc, etc... but:
You'll spend a decent chunk of your first day or two filling out paperwork at pretty much any job for tax purposes and such, but that's not what people are talking about. Before you quit your current job, at the bare minimum the new employer should give you a signed offer letter including a salary, start date, and the title of the position. You may in fact already have this. If not, any employer that truly intends to hire you should have zero problems whatsoever providing it to you. They way it sounds from your post, you shouldn't have any issues getting one. There's no real method or trick to getting one. If they really want to hire you, just ask, and they should get you one without much trouble.
Unfortunately, laws very from state to state, but when it comes down to it, most employment is "at-will", and unless you can prove discrimination or some such, you don't have much legal recourse if an employer withdraws an offer after you quit, or even simply fires you after your first day of work. I would still make sure to get a signed offer anyways, as it gives you salary(this is a big one) and such in writing, and gives your best(although still not very good) shot at legal recourse in the aforementioned scenario. Furthermore, if they won't give you one, that would be a surefire sign (to me at least) that I should walk away as they clearly aren't very committed and it's not worth the risk.
Tomorrow I'm going in and am going to have a talk with my current boss about some of the issues I have that are leading me to look for a job elsewhere and see if we can resolve them before I turn in my notice and leave for the new company. I think communicating with him and trying to resolve the issues would be a good step to take before I make my final decision. I really do like where I work right now, and the people I work with, I just want my input to be actually listened to and maybe I just need to speak up about it. There are perks to working at NASA as well...it's less than 5 minutes from my place, my fiance works there as well, the pay is pretty nice for what I do, etc. etc. I'll just have to see what his honest opinion is.
If he doesn't do anything for you, like immediately, then go for the second job.
Make sure the benefits at your new job are comparable to the benefits at your old job. Taking a small pay cut for better working conditions and a better chance for advancement isn't bad; losing health insurance and vacation/sick days in addition to that is bad.
Also my pay cut would be between $1-$4 an hour, depending on what I was doing since I'm paid differently based on whether I'm laboring or spraying. So that's significant.
Thanatos: surprisingly, I get no benefits at NASA. I work for a contractor, and they don't offer them. I get vacation each year, but thats it. The new place is the same deal. For now I think I'm sticking with the job I have, I just need to put my foot down when its warranted.
Fiance is admitted to the hospital Thursday night with severe abdominal pains. They do an ultrasound and claim she has an ovarian cyst. We elect for surgery instead of waiting for it to go away on its own because of the pain. Turns out, when they went in, they discovered her ovary had contorted and twisted around on itself about a month ago, and all blood flow was cut off. The ovary was dead, and if we'd given it two more days, it could have gone septic and killed her. Obviously, we were lucky and caught it in time.
This led to her going on a leave of absence from work, so I turned the other job down in order to stay where I am to have some security and avoid the pay cut.
Yesterday, after turning the other job down, I was getting ready to head back to the shop at work when the left front ball joint in my work truck gave and sent the truck into a light pole in a parking lot on site at work, causing some damage to the asphalt and of course, some damage to the truck that needs to be repaired.
Today, I work about a half day and my boss comes to pick me up to inform me that our mechanic claims that I actually hit the pole, causing the damage to the ball joint that made it collapse, therefore the accident was my fault. So I was fired. Thing is, the mechanic wasn't there, the damn force of the ball joint giving way threw me into the pole, and if I had actually hit it to cause the ball joint to give way, there would have been damage to the front of the truck given that the pole was in front of me as it gave way. The only damage was to the left side of the truck where it had been thrown into the pole by the momentum of the truck shifting as it fell after the ball joint gave way. I also have a picture to prove this. But, the mechanic said that's what happened, so that gave them grounds to fire me. Which they were looking for, because I had been butting heads with management over all the aforementioned issues.
I have put in a call to the other place that I was talking to and explained the entire situation to them, and they were sympathetic and told me they'd discuss if they want me to come in after all. I should hopefully know something soon.
So yeah. That's where I stand right now. I'm oddly serene about all this.
If you're feeling vindictive, anonymously report your employer to OSHA and the state department of labor for not properly maintaining the truck.
I did put in for unemployment about 15 minutes after getting home, so hopefully it will be approved. My fiancee is actually insured through her job, so we're OK there as well.
I think I will put in a report with OSHA, however, because I had been pointing out the ball joint clicking and clacking for almost a year. Thank you for the advice.