When is it worth it to leave a job?

August 7, 2012 1:38 AM

Something happened at work that leaves me sick to my stomach and feeling unappreciated. I brought this up to my boss and later met with the head of the department to discuss, and I feel even worse. Is this as bad as I think it is, and if so, should I move on from this job even in this economy? Folks in creative roles especially sought for perspective!

I work as an in house graphic designer for a large-ish (1000 employee) company, and I have about 5 years of experience — just not as an in house designer. I am the only designer supporting a 6-person team, and I've been there a little under a year.

My boss (Joe) and her boss, the department head (Jane) frequently fail to communicate to me important information (such as changes in strategy, new deadlines, etc). I have been working to remedy this. We get a ton of positive feedback and recognition in the company and in community for the quality of work coming from our department despite this, and people other than Joe and Jane have been quick to tell me it's because I am producing great work — although my confidence is eroding in this job.

Here is the stomach-turning incident, and where I would like perspective. Joe hired another company to re-do a logo I had designed three months prior but did not tell me or Jane that he did so. There is collateral in print with this new logo – quite a few hours went into creating that collateral – Joe had signed off on the logo enthusiastically months ago. (Let's me say briefly that Joe isn't well-loved, as he is blunt but not a good listener.)

Okay, so, he didn't care for my design — I appreciate constructive criticism and would even accept if he told me that he didn't think I could give him the product he wanted, then hired someone else. But he didn't tell me about it, I found out about it in a roundabout way, from an e-mail to a project manager from a vendor, and it really upset me.

I set up a meeting this morning with Jane (my direct boss) to discuss. Our meeting started with me asking her to clarify the situation, but Jane didn't know anything about it. She told me it would probably take a week to get a response from Joe about his actions, which I accepted with unexpressed disappointment that my concern ranked so low. She suggested (kindly and with some insistence) I take a personal day if I was upset, which I did, and did take the time to tell me that both she and Joe think that I do great work, and we spoke briefly about ways the lines of communication between us all could improve (an old conversation that has thus far gone nowhere, despite several approaches.)

Joe ended up asking me to meet with him later in the day. He began by expressing bafflement that I would have to take a personal day over something like this. He proceeded to ask me if I thought I could find a better job where I got to do x, y and z (all being normal graphic design projects, nothing really magical). I calmly explained why I felt upset, he asked if I expected to be consulted for all of his decisions, which I clarified to not be my request, but that I did believe he should have alerted me he wasn't happy with my design and that hiring someone else to do my job made me feel poorly. (Note: it's really abnormal for this department to hire outside help. When they have, the projects actually end up coming back to me because Joe and Jane don't feel like the other companies "get" them like I do. I do believe they work badly with designers.)

I kept calm, and he eventually half heartedly apologized for making me feel badly. At some point in the conversation, for some reason that I'm totally clueless of, he thought I was bringing up my salary and he scoffed that if I'm going to get upset about little things, I'm definitely not someone who deserves a raise. I make about $5000 less than someone with my experience in this market as listed by a reliable, recent salary survey for designers. Money isn't the issue but I do make less than most of my coworkers, even some I have more experience than (someone left the dept salary printout on the printer one day and I couldn't help myself – unhelpful, I know!) and a lot of money gets spent at this company, so that hurts.

Is it worth it to leave my job — with professional and ample notice, and stay until they find someone and not sacrifice my work quality just because I'm leaving — over these feelings and work like hell to find another one, where I can find mentorship and feel like a part of team? If it makes any difference, I am feeling so awful at the end of the day at this job that my current job searching is lackluster. When I first moved here, though, I got a temp job within two weeks and then was offered this current job within the month and I believe having the drive of "oh my God have to find a job" really helped. I also believe I am good at what I do, I have a good portfolio and references, and heck, I'm even confident and good at interviews. I have about four months of living expenses saved, and I can rely on help from my mom for a few months beyond that if I truly need it (it would not burden her, but of course I'd prefer not to go that route). My partner is supportive and I have consulted with her at length, as you can imagine from how much I've typed here.

Other factors: My coworkers are mostly nice but I am introverted and surrounded by extroverts who I don't have a lot in common with, and I don't have passion for the company itself. It doesn't focus on high performance and I generally thrive in that environment.

Tl;dr: When is it worth it to leave a job, even when you only have about four to six months of living expenses?

posted by thesocietyfor to work & money (50 answers total)

He proceeded to ask me if I thought I could find a better job where I got to do x, y and z ... he scoffed that if I'm going to get upset about little things, I'm definitely not someone who deserves a raise.

Not a direct answer to your question, but this stuff is a red flag. He's trying to bully you into staying, rather than make your job something you'd want to keep. Managing by intimidation - not cool.

Seems to me that you're on your way - it's not the job you want or enjoy - the only question being sooner or later. Later is usually better in that it gives you more time to find something else. But you should definitely be thinking about moving on.
posted by outlier at 1:56 AM on August 7, 2012 [20 favorites]

I think you probably should have started looking for a new job when you found out your work was being re-done. Now you don't just suspect you're unappreciated, you know it, and you know Joe's an asshole on top of that.

But Jane and your co-workers don't sound so bad, and if you remain employed there for a little while, then answering prospective employers' questions about your employment status will be sooooooooo much easier and, in fact, offer opportunities to inquire comparatively about money, benefits, work environment, etc.

I'd suggest taking a few more of those personal days ... not immediately, but soon ... and see if you can stick this out. That said, the fact that you have a supportive partner and also a supportive mom suggests to me that this will work out, whatever you do.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 2:00 AM on August 7, 2012

I've said it before and I'll say it again: life is too short to spend much of it working for arseholes.
posted by flabdablet at 2:01 AM on August 7, 2012 [15 favorites]

If you're missing out on $5,000 a year, I'd say it's definitely time to look for work elsewhere, where hopefully you'll be recompensed at the rate at which you're worth. Looking to see what is available certainly won't hurt you, or probably even cost you any money.

Joe seems like somewhat of an ass, from what you've said. If he was just a colleague, I'd be more inclined to suggest trying to work it out. But it seems that his boss is aware of a less-than-ideal situation going on and isn't doing anything about it. If someone who is able to actually put pressure on him can't (won't?) change the situation, then there's not going to be that much that you can do.

Don't, whatever you do, leave this job without having another one lined up. It's far easier to get a job when you already have one, and when the pay stops rolling in at the end of the month, you'll realise just how much you appreciate it. Try using the disappointment that you're feeling right now as a push to find something bigger and better where you'll feel more at home.

One thing that stood out for me was him making the comment about "not deserving a raise". It made me think of the behaviour of PUA's who will insult someone [NSFW] to make them more receptive. I think that it's an inappropriate thing to say in the workplace. Also see Sick Systems.
posted by Solomon at 2:04 AM on August 7, 2012 [7 favorites]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I get the impression that your management is responding to your legitimate concerns by being reactive, defensive, and preemptively offensive, instead of reaching out, trying to understand you, and/or meet you half way. This is bad. In my experience such management is unlikely to change for the better.

On the other hand, the economy does, as you said, suck. They don't sound out and out abusive so this job is probably better than destitution - I'd try to tough it out until I was reasonably sure that I had somewhere to land before I jumped.
posted by tempythethird at 2:04 AM on August 7, 2012 [3 favorites]

Look, things like this don't get better. If you have no passion for the company that you work for, there's no way you're going to survive there much longer. What are they offering you? If you can find what you need somewhere else (pay-wise, quality-wise, maybe even passion-wise) I'd do it because it will only get harder the longer you leave this.

You're not being yelled at, but you are being slowly demoralised by Joe in order to make you compliant so that you'll stick your head down and do as you're told and not ask for things like pay rises. This does not bode well for your future there, getting what you're entitled to. That's enough of a reason to leave.
posted by heyjude at 2:12 AM on August 7, 2012 [1 favorite]

Oh goodness, I mistyped up above and want to clarify in case it makes a long story even more confusing. Joe is the department head, and Jane is my boss. So Joe is Jane's boss!

Also, this incident happened Friday after Joe and Jane had left, and the meeting was today, with Jane first thing and Joe later in the day, I came back to the office for it.

Thank you all, so sincerely, for the answers so far.
posted by thesocietyfor at 2:17 AM on August 7, 2012

Okay, this is embarrassing. I think I should clarify the redoing of my work happened last week and I found out on Friday, but it was work I did three months ago. Forgive me, folks, I am not usually awake this late or so flustered!
posted by thesocietyfor at 2:23 AM on August 7, 2012

While Joe is almost certainly a douche, it does sound like you overreacted. Without even knowing the reason for another company to be hired, you were so upset you needed to take a personal day. My clients sometimes hire outside help, and it does hurt but its nothing personal, usually its because they think I'm too busy or have something more important they want me working on (and yeah, they're usually unhappy and the job ends up coming back to me anyway). Did he ever give you a reason for hiring someone else to redo your work? Or did he just deflect?

Regardless of all that, I think you should probably be looking for a new job, your head of department is an ass and you're extremely underpaid, even within your organisation, let alone the industry at large.
posted by missmagenta at 2:27 AM on August 7, 2012 [14 favorites]

I would leave this job because you're underpaid. The poor communication and bad feelings are bonus incentive. However, don't do this:
stay until they find someone and not sacrifice my work quality just because I'm leaving

Find a new job, give two weeks' notice, and leave. If you offer to stick around, they'll use emotional manipulation to hang on to you forever.
posted by neushoorn at 2:52 AM on August 7, 2012 [9 favorites]

Missmagenta, in your situation, is it clients hiring outside work to redo work you've done? Otherwise, I agree—I don't have any problem with clients getting outside help, but if my work isn't cutting it, I do expect to have that communicated to me other than being told it's great and then finding out it obviously wasn't.

And a personal day is well, personal, not always logical, and it's the first one I've taken.
posted by thesocietyfor at 2:59 AM on August 7, 2012

Take the emotion out of it and look at what's really happening here. You're underpaid and are being told you should stay because you can't do better. Your boss is outsourcing your work because he thinks he can get himself a better deal. (Or is appearing to do so, as a charade for your benefit.)

Try saying "You're right, Joe, I need to remember my place, thank you for that lesson in humility" and then searching like gangbusters for another job. The worst that will happen is that you'll stay where you are.

I also think that if you had kept quiet when you noticed that Joe had outsourced your work, he would have found fault with the subcontractors and been reminded of the value of your work. I would also have taken it as a flag that he is looking for cheaper ways to get your work done, and silently started searching like gangbusters for another job.
posted by tel3path at 3:14 AM on August 7, 2012 [5 favorites]

I'm a coder not a designer, so my work isn't really subject to client whims in the way designs are. I have had projects taken over my other programmers though - just recently I found out a site I'd built has been taken over by someone else - the client hasn't said anything to me about it, I just happened to go check on it and saw someone else had been working on it.

I suspect this (relatively minor) 'incident' isn't really what has you so upset, its the culmination of the communication issues (they seriously change deadlines and don't tell you? No-one can work like that!), finding out how underpaid you are and Joe being a jerk.

Find a new job and don't worry about staying until they can find a replacement, they don't care about you and they'd replace you in a second if they could find someone as good for less money. If you can't find a new job and you really want to get out of there fast, consider freelancing - even just to bridge the gap and supplement your savings. I don't know if you have any web experience but my experience is that designers that are good, reliable and reasonably priced are like unobtainium (you can even sacrifice the reasonably priced if you've got a high profile portfolio). Its not uncommon for designers to just disappear for weeks and not respond to emails or phone calls. I've had multiple designers quote on jobs and then just not do them if they're not chased. The only ones I've had consistently deliver the work on time(ish) are ones that just aren't very good.
posted by missmagenta at 3:29 AM on August 7, 2012 [2 favorites]

I don't work in your area, so I don't have experience with how insulting what occurred is. However, I can understand Joe's bafflement (or his presentation of it) I think. The fact of taking a personal day implies that you are taking this very personally. But it sounds as though it is a professional issue. The crux of which seems to be-- they didn't like your work, and you wish they did. (Which of course, is entirely understandable). I know you are presenting it as one of communication... but if that was the case, then the personal day seems even less justified-- why wouldn't it just be rectified? And if they had done the wrong thing, then they could recognise that? A personal day seems... overly personal. If the issue is that they were unprofessional, then taking a personal day undermines that.

I don't want to imply that you are wrong to feel offended. I mean, you were offended, so that is what it is. But to me, a personal day is for non-work related issues, and I would interpret a whole day off in response to this as... a bit OTT.

I actually entirely agree with your observation that personal days are not logical. But I think that in presenting your response (a personal day) as a professional or logical or justified response you are coming across as a bit melodramatic. So perhaps try to separate the two concerns-- feeling insulted and the work place not functioning in a way that is suitable for you as a professional. One is worth getting reconsidering your job over, and the other is not.
posted by jojobobo at 3:34 AM on August 7, 2012 [16 favorites]

Also, Jane's insisting that you take a personal day? Probably trying to portray you as overly emotional so that you could be more easily manipulated.

When people are trying to manipulate you, especially in the workplace, you just have to become a Terminator robot.
posted by tel3path at 3:34 AM on August 7, 2012 [17 favorites]

Go to Human Resources.

Joe's behavior is unacceptable for someone in his position. Firstly, your reasons for taking a personal day were, get this, personal. Not to mention, at the suggestion of Jane. There are serious problems with communication, as you've noted. They are obviously not speaking your language, much less the same one as each other.

You're being left out of communication necessary TO DO YOUR JOB. This is a stunning failure on the parts of both your superiors, and I would venture to guess that you're not the only one suffering from it. Besides, this is probably not the way your company wants things run.

So please, confer with HR. This is exactly the kind of thing they're (supposed to be) trained for, and since you're already considering leaving (something they would probably like to know, too), it's not really like you're risking anything. Consider this the opportunity for a teaching/training moment, as well as a chance to grow and possibly, spread your wings into a new (and hopefully better) situation, either there or elsewhere.
posted by 6 of 1 at 3:38 AM on August 7, 2012

it's really abnormal for this department to hire outside help. When they have, the projects actually end up coming back to me...

So, you've been there less than a year, in which time they've sent design work out enough times for you to discern a pattern of that work coming back to you, and yet sending work out is 'really abnormal?'

I think you're doing a less than great job of dealing with totally legitimate problems. You're underpaid, management works poorly with designers and your boss isn't a nice guy. None of these problems is going to be helped by addressing them in emotional terms.

The reason you're underpaid is that that's the salary you negotiated. It's up to you to demonstrate your value to a prospective employer, and to make sure the compensation package is appropriate. If a car dealer offered to sell you a car for $5000 less than you might have to pay elsewhere, would you argue with him? This is not about fairness. Your employer is getting a good deal because you offered him one, and he took it.

If you're a designer and your boss works poorly with designers, then you can either suck it up, help your bosses learn to work better with designers if they're open to change, or leave.

It does sound like you'd be happier in a different sort of environment, but it also sounds like you'll have to step up your own game a bit regardless of where you go. Don't leave expecting to find an employer that will make everything happy and nice for you; some of that responsibility is yours.
posted by jon1270 at 3:49 AM on August 7, 2012 [7 favorites]

Also consider the possibility that these communication issues are intentional rather than incompetence, I had a similar issue happen to me at a really toxic workplace. They always said we should come to them if they were unhappy with anything, I did, then I was being cut out of decisions, I was head of department but things were going on without me being told and when they went wrong I had to take the flack for it. A few months later I was "made redundant". (of course I used what they'd done as evidence of constructive dismissal and got a nice payoff (4 months pay) - I don't know if such a thing exists in your jurisdiction)
posted by missmagenta at 4:10 AM on August 7, 2012

For whatever reasons - you are not a good fit for big company culture, Joe is a dick, you're too emotional about work - this is not a good environment for you. At the one year mark, go look for another job. When you get an offer you like, give your two weeks notice.

Is it worth it to leave my job — with professional and ample notice, and stay until they find someone and not sacrifice my work quality just because I'm leaving — over these feelings and work like hell to find another one

First of all, no. You cannot quit because your feelings are hurt. I'm sorry but... toughen up. However, you now have data you didn't have before: Joe is a bully, you are underpaid, and he's not likely to give you a raise. Great. Those are all good reasons to go find another job.

But for crying out loud, no you do not sacrifice your professional and financial security by quitting without a job to go to, and no you do not offer to just hang out here until they can hire a replacement.

Also, please consider that: "You've really hurt my feelings and I'm standing up for myself and leaving! Please let me know when that would be convenient for you." Just... no.
posted by DarlingBri at 4:12 AM on August 7, 2012 [12 favorites]

It's not that you're "too emotional" per se, because most people would react emotionally to what is happening here.

It's just that the apposite emotions would be alarm, suspicion, cold anger, and determination.
posted by tel3path at 4:16 AM on August 7, 2012 [5 favorites]

So please, confer with HR. This is exactly the kind of thing they're (supposed to be) trained for

HR is there to protect the company. Unless your HR is extra special in some way, they are not your friend.
posted by futureisunwritten at 4:40 AM on August 7, 2012 [12 favorites]

HR is there to protect the company.

Yes, but part of protecting the company is protecting its assets, which is what its employees SHOULD be. Granted, that is not always the interpretation, which is why I pointed out that it isn't much risk if you're already planning to give notice.

It is a normal channel to go through when the balance is as off as has been described, and is part of playing the corporate game to do so.
posted by 6 of 1 at 4:47 AM on August 7, 2012

Joe ended up asking me to meet with him later in the day. He began by expressing bafflement that I would have to take a personal day over something like this

Yup.

Like it's business no? Not a sheltered workshop. He's probably busy, got heaps going on, probably not a good listener, probably a prick. But that's the workplace. Chalk it up and move on.
posted by mattoxic at 4:49 AM on August 7, 2012 [2 favorites]

First of all, I find it hard to picture a job where your manager's manager will run "changes in strategy" by you. The deadlines thing I can understand, but expecting strategy discussions at your level is unrealistic.

Second, it sounds like you're upset that you weren't told about the negative feelings Joe had to your work. But if you're serious about wanting negative feedback, you have to be show you can handle criticism without wilting like a delicate flower. If taking a personal day in reaction to a management decision that they wanted to get rid of some of your work seems normal to you, then you're a melodramatic person and you can't expect people to give you honest criticism.

The pay is certainly a good reason to leave, but it is not a justification to get upset - you negotiated it. If you don't like it, find a new job (there are ways to negotiate a higher salary, but it sounds like that bridge has been burned already). In answer to your direct question about quitting, no - never quit until you have found a new job already. Making emotion-driven decisions when it comes to your career is a terrible idea.
posted by wolfdreams01 at 5:02 AM on August 7, 2012 [10 favorites]

I would bet there's a generational issue at play here. I work with young creative people, and I gotta say, I myself have to "take a breath" when I see how hurt and defensive they get when pure business crap happens. Which it does. All the time. And the first few times, I'm all sympathetic, but if I have to endlessly babysit hurt feelings over a boss decision (which may involve many factors you have no knowledge of), well, ick. A personal day over this seems quite excessive to me.

I'm not saying Joe isn't a jerk, but that's life, toots. And truthfully, he took the time to sit down with you, which, as unsatisfying as that may have ended up, is a lot more than many bosses (indirect!) would offer. Build your resume, chart your course, make a considered move, but yeah, toughen up.
posted by thinkpiece at 5:30 AM on August 7, 2012 [3 favorites]

Some comments here seem very harsh to me - I think your reaction is pretty darn reasonable. You were essentially being told you weren't a necessary employee, behind your back! And if you hadn't found out by accident, you still wouldn't know and they'd still be silently outsourcing your work. And then, when you confronted Joe about it his reaction was basically to make it about your employment and salary - questioning your worth at the company at all. I was in a situation sort of like this recently and it took a lot for me to not panic and quit immediately, keep going to work every day, and put out applications for new positions.

Stay there for now. Quietly start looking for another job, stat. Once that is secure, give your notice.

Good luck!
posted by ghostbikes at 5:47 AM on August 7, 2012 [1 favorite]

If you think you are being underpaid and your employer has an inflated sense of what intangibles you are getting from the job, then it is time to start looking for other opportunities.

However, quitting a job without having another offer in hand is only for the most extreme circumstances. This doesn't even come close.

It is a pain in the neck to perform a job search while you have a job, but that is just the way the world works. Use your supportive partner to bolster your job searching.
posted by He Is Only The Imposter at 5:47 AM on August 7, 2012 [2 favorites]

As a creative person you've been told all of your life that you are a special snowflake and that everything you do is ultra-wonderful. Then you started working and found out that not every single bit of your output is going to be loved and appreciated.

The first thing you need to do is not to be emotionally tied up in your output. If they don't like the logo, that's cool. In a functional company, someone would have come back to you and said, "This isn't exactly what we want, go back to the drawing board and do something with more green in it." Or even, "That asshole Lisa, we all thought it was great, but she's got a bug up her butt and she wants something with more green." A dysfunctional company will outsource something, even though they have a designer on staff, and then act like it's some huge surprise when the designer is upset about it.

Now, you shouldn't get upset about stuff like this. Not crying upset, not have to leave work in the middle of the day upset. It's just fucking work. They didn't tell you your baby was ugly. Anger is an appropriate emotion. Annoyance too will work. Fear, based on the fact that they thought the work was so sub-par that they outsourced it.

That being said, you are in an intensely dysfunctional work environment, you're underpaid, your 2nd level manager is a jerk and a bully and your boss has no power, nor does she understand your job.

You are now on the job market. Spiff up your resume and portfolio, work on your network, update your LinkedIn and go get a better job. You might even want to start doing some stuff freelance on the side, as if things get worse, you might need to have a war chest full of dough.

Please as a woman in the world of work, do NOT become emotional about shit like this ever again. Asking to speak to people about a problem is fine. Sobbing and leaving work is so...not.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:07 AM on August 7, 2012 [22 favorites]

You're overreacting to the incident where they decided not to use your design and didn't immediately tell you. It's a good idea to take a personal day when you need one, but the fact that this was so stomach turning etc. for you that you needed one suggests to me that you're being overly sensitive and taking your work too personally (which is not good for your own well being).

But your boss is a jerk who's trying to bully you into staying while you're undercompensated, and those are good reasons to find another job -- and to leave once you have it secured.
posted by J. Wilson at 6:14 AM on August 7, 2012 [4 favorites]

I feel your pain. When my company (a large-ish nonprofit) needed a new logo, they asked one of the web marketing people to design it. My sketches? Ignored. It devastated me. The logo looks crazy too, which just adds to my sorrow every time I have to use it.

Joe's bluffing. He knows you have a shitty job with bad pay, and he probably even knows nobody likes him. He counts on being able to push you around because you're introverted. In high school, the introverted kids made appealing targets because we gave the impression we lacked confidence. Joe's counting on that from you.

Is there any subject on which you'd accept advice from the likes of Joe? I doubt it. So why would you believe him when he says you're not worth the extra $5,000? The whole logo thing with Joe is classic negging. He's trying to prod you to prove your worth to him. In other words, he's manipulating you. You're actually in a great position. People like your work, you have a good reputation, and you know you're worth more. I'm not saying that you should manipulate Joe back. I'm just saying that now is a good time to be building your emotional capital based on real things and not tearing it down over anything Joe says.

If I were in your position (and I was in 1994, at an ad agency run by a couple in the process of divorcing), I'd start saving like mad, building my portfolio, and throw myself into the job search.

I've worked as a designer for a long time, and I would say roughly 60% of my bosses when I was doing in-house work, as opposed to freelance, couldn't communicate with their creative staff. It drives a lot of people to only do freelance work. I'd almost recommend that for you, set up your own shop, if you feel up to all that self-promotion.
posted by S'Tella Fabula at 7:10 AM on August 7, 2012 [1 favorite]

This all basically happened today? Like just a few hours ago? I think you need to try to let this lay low for a day or two. Have a good nights sleep on it. Let the initial shock wear off. Have a meal. Look at pictures of fuzzy kittens.

I'm a designer working in an in-house shop that is somewhat similar to yours (though yikes, we have 7 designers not 1). I have work that is rejected, but thats part of the job. It still sucks, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't need to end your work day. If something has me upset at the office, work related or not, I think that (especially as a woman) mission objective #1 is to not show it. I'll go get a soda or something at the bodega near the office, and take a 10 minute walk around the block. Deep breaths. Let those anger-upset neurotransmitters fade. Come back to my desk, engage "I don't want to talk to you mode" (i.e. headphones) and jump back into work.

I hope having your work rejected is not the main part of what has you upset. What I know would upset me is this passive-agressive behind your back stuff. I really can't stand it. I would much rather be presented with what I did wrong. Not allowing you to even know what went wrong isn't allowing you any chance to improve. It's poor management. Was Joe sheltering you, because he thought you couldn't take the criticism? Did Joe screw something up, like misreading the client? Is your boss Jane not willing to stick her neck out for you at all? (maybe thats why she said she'd take a week to get you an answer?)

The bullying that you got from Joe is really not acceptable. If you replaced a few key words in there, thats a stereotypical tirade from an abusive spouse. "You think you can find someone better than me? You're worthless, no one would love you!" So. Given that, should you leave?

If you're leaving because of inter-personal relationships (boss is a dick, you don't really mesh with co-workers, don't feel affection for your company) it's a valid reason. But don't expect to find that right mix someplace else. It's a total variable from workplace to workplace. You're taking your chances. You'll probably learn and improve some by toughing it out.

However, if you don't feel you're making a correct salary, don't feel like you're being challenged, these are probably better reasons to leave. Join your local AIGA chapter. They have awesome job boards, mix-and-mingle events, lectures/talks, even some geared at in-house people. Call up that temp agency, or browse their website.

That all said, I don't know where you are, but it is still a pretty challenging job market for designers, even those with experience. I had 2 years of un/underemployment straight out of school. I took some pretty shitty jobs to scrape together some experience. Took some fairly abusive clients for the money. I think it made me stronger and more flexible. In those 2 years I didn't learn anything about design—I learned everything about how to be a designer. It's a pretty intensively relationship-based job. Design is largely subjective and yes, subject to emotional reactions. I think it would be very difficult for a true introvert to make it with out a very sheltering art director.

But my main piece of advice is don't do anything rash. Take a few weeks to really think this through. I would hate to imagine a former boss, when asked for my reason for leaving answered "I donno, she's all emotional and quit!" If you do end up quitting, make it about professional, not personal reasons.
posted by fontophilic at 7:18 AM on August 7, 2012 [2 favorites]

Honestly? I'm not sure you handled this well. There is really very little place in a professional conversation for, "I'm upset and this is how I feel." Maybe very rarely, in the case of something utterly and totally egregious, but not for the situation as you've described it.

IMHO, you should have presented this briefly, unemotionally, and positively, with a goal in mind of some positive outcome for yourself (a raise? a chance to work on a project you wanted? a new system of formal feedback? a better understanding of what could have been improved on that project?).
posted by kellybird at 7:23 AM on August 7, 2012 [5 favorites]

I would look for a new job, but not for the reasons you mention. If I am Joe and/or Jane, I would immediately begin searching for your replacement. At worst, they don't like your work and now don't respect your attitude. At best, they need to protect themselves in the likely event you resign.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 7:24 AM on August 7, 2012 [4 favorites]

Please don't listen to anyone telling you to suck it up and shaming you for feeling hurt over your dick boss's cowardly move. It's fine not to like your logo and criticism is a huge part of what we do. I'm a writer at an ad agency and this is vital to making good work. However, he chose to go the craven route of handing it off to someone else and not even letting you know about the decision. The handing off the work thing is annoying, but it happens. But he should have told you, or told Jane to communicate the decision to you.

This is not you being special snowflake, this is him being a terrible communicator, a bully, and a coward. I get the sense that you are in a small creative department of a larger, non-creative company. In a functional creative workplace, Joe's behavior would not fly. Seek new employment.
posted by Lieber Frau at 7:25 AM on August 7, 2012 [6 favorites]

You seem to be asking if it's okay to leave. It is always okay to leave your job. You don't need a reason, besides wanting to. You don't have to stay because they gave you a job when you needed one, that's not how it works.

You have a mediocre work environment with not especially talented management who play weird power games (personal day? Not for someone else to tell you to take, or tell other people you're taking) and defensively bully you, which is what that shit about your salary and getting to do x, y, and z are about. He's deliberately trying to make you feel grateful for your job so you won't leave!

Use this experience to energize your job search. Find a new job, one that has better communication chains and internal relationships. When you find a job that looks like a great opportunity, turn in your notice at this job, thank them for the opportunity, wish them well, and get the hell out. No drama, just be an adult and find a better job.

I would suggest avoiding this train of thought entirely: with professional and ample notice, and stay until they find someone and not sacrifice my work quality just because I'm leaving. Find a new job, give typical notice, and leave. Or, if you must and can afford it and just really really have to go right now, give typical notice and leave and find a new job. They are apparently fully capable of having your work done by someone else, and you will be a martyr only in your own mind. But getting a job is easier when you have a job, so I would encourage you to stay until you have something else to leave for.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:26 AM on August 7, 2012 [1 favorite]

Word of advice:

Aside from death/water pipe burst in your house, If your boss offers you the option of taking a personal day, do not take it. The right answer is "No need, all in stride, and I am just going to back to my work."
posted by Kruger5 at 7:34 AM on August 7, 2012 [5 favorites]

I find it hard to picture a job where your manager's manager will run "changes in strategy" by you. The deadlines thing I can understand, but expecting strategy discussions at your level is unrealistic.

This, I hope you know, is just wrong. Strategy drives design. A change in strategy is a change in direction, just as important for the designer to know as the deadline. If Joe isn't communicating either effectively, he's letting you down.

As an experienced writer/designer, I've observed that corporations tend to cycle their creative management -- for several years, they do all creative in-house where they can watch over cost and fully control product. Over time, management begins to fear that the DIY approach may be missing something, so they begin to go out-of-house more and more, maybe engage in an agency relationship, for fresh ideas and major changes in direction. After a period of high investment in those outside resources, they begin to bring it all back in-house again to save money.

Perhaps Joe is being pressed by HIS management -- or is himself pressing -- to use more out-of-house resources. Is it possible that this assignment was actually a trial for the outside vendor? Maybe Joe had no intention of actually replacing your logo, but wanted to evaluate the vendor's ability? If that were the case, talking about it with you or Jane wouldn't be high on his priority list -- and his dismissal of your concerns would fit that scenario. The out-of-house cycle is often pre-saged by a perception that creatives are overly sensitive, hard-to-manage prima donnas who consume more time and energy than they deliver in value. Your personal day wouldn't have helped that perception.

I'd say it's time to start looking for a new position.
posted by peakcomm at 7:36 AM on August 7, 2012 [2 favorites]

I've left many, many jobs in my life (trust me, when I was not self-employed I cycled through a job a year). However, when I read your response, I'm don't know if I would recommend abandoning ship and will give a different response-- this is based on my observation on how some communication companies work, including those with a graphic arts department. Although I'm in your field, I am hired by companies to do projects, and so I see a lot both inside/outside so I will share some of this if it helps.

it's really abnormal for this department to hire outside help. When they have, the projects actually end up coming back to me because Joe and Jane don't feel like the other companies "get" them like I do.

Because I work /have worked with several companies, if a company doesn't like "everyone's work", which this suggests...dollars to donuts it is a communication problem. Maybe they don't have time to explain what they want. Maybe they don't give all the details. But if it helps, to me this is an indication that it is not just you. For whatever reason or maybe it is the process, someone is not giving clear direction for projects.

work like hell to find another one, where I can find mentorship and feel like a part of team? ....I am introverted and surrounded by extroverts who I don't have a lot in common with..

I understand why you would leave for other things like salary, new opportunities, etc., but do not go looking for a job with this as your objective. The company should not and may not become your team or a place that you seek because of friends or people who will understand you. Yes, you may stumble into a place where you are a better fit or make a friend and that will become the icing on the cake at a job, but ....how will you truly pick out a "team"? Many companies will present themselves at the interview as a happy family, but meanwhile, they can't stand or don't respect one another.

To be honest, I would work on building these things yourself, no matter where you work. If you are looking for a mentor, identify skills that you want to acquire now. Look around you in other departments (or in the other 5 people). Can someone show you one on one how to do that? Or join a group in the community with graphic designers and ask to go to lunch and pick someone's brain. Or in the day of the internet, find a book, web page, training seminar...invest your time, even outside work, on learning how to improve your game. One or two people at work may be mini-mentors. Or it may be someone in the community, but don't go into a new job planning for them to provide this for you.

Here is another point from reading all of your info. I would not leave the job because one logo was outsourced, rather I would invest in learning how to improve what you do and make your client (Joe in this case) happy. This will improve you as an entire package for your next employer.

There are 2 things that I can see that you can improve on. First, how do *you* communicate with your boss? Your reaction also seems like a lot of drama and some of it started by you. I do understand that you may want to learn how to improve your work, but ...step back and think how you could have gone about this in a different manner. Just approach Joe and ask if he has a few minutes; tell him that you would like to know how to improve your work over time so that it isn't outsourced. But this going in and getting a personal day, telling everyone you are hurt...it is a business.

Now Joe may not be able to articulate what he likes and why, so I would use that logo as a way to learn. Study it. What did the other person do that you didn't do? Try to find other samples of what he likes. Is there a process in how you do these things (does he just envision a logo or describe it)?Take careful notes and send him back his description in an email...because this is where projects break down.

I really do think that this would be worth it for your next job, because you will have another client like Joe. So in the future, when you meet Joe II or III, you will have a better idea as to how to work with him. Then you can give him a product that he likes at an earlier time point and knock the project out of the ballpark and everyone will remember how you could make something that Joe II loved and this is/was a client that was known to never like anything.

So if I were in your shoes, I would invest time learning things like 1) why did Joe like the other logo(it doesn't have to be a question to him, dig through files and see what he likes/approves), 2) make a new process as to how to discuss projects (they should not be filled full of emotion/drama)-- bullet points describing the project, that's it 3) if you want mentors, build it, but perhaps outside the workplace.

If there are other reasons that you want to leave your job (your salary, you want to learn new things), then do start looking for a job...but don't sacrifice your $ and savings now and walk out the door. Leave on your terms. First find the job with the higher salary. Learn new things at your current and new workplace as you do this. Your current work place can be the training ground for the new and improved you ....who will go on to a new workplace.

Please don't let your new workplace send you home for a personal day if something doesn't go the way that you like it. You may then be perceived as having other problems by your coworkers. You don't want that reputation. It would be great if your coworkers could work with you 1) because of the product that you can make and 2) you are easy to work with and will get the work done.


posted by Wolfster at 7:36 AM on August 7, 2012 [2 favorites]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your answers! You know, it's always hard to post something that you are emotional but I took the chance because I really do want advice. I appreciate the tough ones, although a few really have my shaking my head. I don't think that I'm a special snowflake designer, and pride myself on believing that a designer needs to listen and take feedback — and as a designer, if I don't understand the strategy behind something, I can't do good work! I'm not asking to be brought into decisions like a whining child who wants their parents to consult with them for every decision, I'm asking for information critical to my work.

Jane and I, up until this point, have had a healthy relationship. I can bring up suggestions and solutions, and she encourages feedback. She's limited by Joe treating her the same way he treats me. She's not a very effective manager, but she has a good heart. She went out of her way to make sure I knew that she cared about me (hence the personal day suggestion, which she made sure to tell me was something she's had to take for various reasons over things Joe has done!) I think I painted her in a bad light in my anger over Joe, and apparently made myself sound like a child up there, too! I wasn't storming out or causing scenes. I don't think this caused a lot of drama, I think Joe just operates as a sarcastic bully. I've never caused drama in this workplace, and I take criticism of my work really well — I know designers don't often do that, but I went to a particularly brutal school and got used to critiques, and know they're essential to my work. Please note above that I said that it wasn't about him not liking my work, it was about his lack of communication.

Last clarification, I mentioned finishing up my projects before leaving the job in the context of not having another job lined up and wanting to leave a good note, not because I have some martyr syndrome, and I promise I don't feel like I'm indispensable to this company. :)
posted by thesocietyfor at 8:01 AM on August 7, 2012

Can I offer a sort of mirror-verse version of events (because I have had bosses like Joe, and holy flashbacks, Batman)?

Joe can't take criticism of his work. He probably spends huge amounts of time ensuring that he *looks* good to his bosses, but virtually no time actually doing what he's supposed to do. Him sending your logo out to another contractor probably had nothing at all to do with you or with his attitude to your work; it was probably driven by a need to compete with someone at his own level or impress someone higher up.

The fact that you came to him with legitimate concerns (i.e.: that sending your work out to be re-done indicated a lack of communication about what he wanted that has you concerned that you don't have the information needed to do your job) highlighted the fact that he's not focusing on actually doing his job, he's focusing on appearing to do his job. So he reacted defensively by a) belittling you into thinking your concerns weren't valid, b) intimidating you into going back meekly to your desk by implying that you'd just done yourself out of a raise this year, c) mocking you for being a "weakling" for taking a personal day.

In essence, this speaks volumes to me about Joe and his incompetence in this area.

That said, I've worked in various departments of a government that LOVES to tweak, re-jig and otherwise wordsmith whatever I write. I was insulted at first, but learned over time not to get worked up about it. My husband and I call it the neighborhood fire-hydrant; all the big dogs have to pee on it to make it feel like they've done something important.

If I were in your position, I would maintain a scrupulously professional demeanor going forward - do your job to the best of your ability, and promise yourself that you'll shrug if you find out about more of your work sent out to be redone. Meanwhile, as others have noted, polish your resume and portfolio, and get the blazes out as soon as something decent presents itself. Jane probably recognizes your worth, and it sounds like she's at least trying to be human to you about things. But it's not enough, if you care strongly about the quality of your work.
posted by LN at 8:19 AM on August 7, 2012 [2 favorites]

[Keep answers constructive please, folks?]
posted by jessamyn at 8:25 AM on August 7, 2012

I think you know the answer already and I hope that you've received the support and confirmation here that you were looking for: it's okay to leave the job and life really is too short to deal with jerks every hour, every day, every week. I wish you the best of luck and I'm sure you can find something awesome out there.

That said, it's always a good idea to heed Dale Carnegie's advice and see if you can figure out what is driving Joe to do what he does the way he does, and just spend a minute in his shoes. He sounds like a dick, but then again, we're only hearing your side of the story.

A generous interpretation of his behaviour (which is how most people interpret their own behaviour) could be that he has supported you enough for you to get the job done thus far, he's told you that he likes your work, he knows he's not the best at communication but he's super-busy, a million things on his plate etc etc. He decides to, effectively, get a second opinion on a logo that didn't sit well with him, which he's authorised to do. And then he hears that you found out about the redesign request, took the whole thing so personally that you had to take a day off to deal with it. So, exasperated by this failure to understand his position, he calls you in for a meeting and explains (okay, I lose it here as he clearly mismanages this entire process).

So, armed with some understanding of his (possible) thoughts on all of this, until such time as you're actually out the door, what you could do, should you choose, is approach him and say "Look Joe, I know that you were just trying to get the best logo for the company but I'm here to help whether you go with my design or another. I know you're super-busy and you don't have time to manage all of this stuff personally. The next time you want to outsource a redesign, even if it's my design, please let me help you - I can make sure the external agency gets a full brief and has all the tools they need in order to give it their best shot." Or something along those lines.
posted by HopStopDon'tShop at 8:36 AM on August 7, 2012

You could leave (and maybe you should), but you run a 70% risk that the next boss will also be thin-skinned and uncommunicative. This is how corporate America works. I think you have the right to be pissed that they redid your work, but it's something that you probably should have kept to yourself. The company, not you, gets the credit for work product.

It was bad form of them to coax you into taking a personal day, and you should have declined, but you can't be blamed for that - you were just trying to please your supervisor.

I think these are fences that can be mended, but use your judgment. Interview at other firms and see if you're correct about being underpaid.
posted by moammargaret at 8:41 AM on August 7, 2012 [2 favorites]

My take is that I don't think you are a good fit for this company, and as a former creative myself, I agree with those who suggest that you didn't handle this well as you could have. Nor did your superiors. It sounds like your superiors lack confidence in your work and that this is not an environment where you think you can thrive. But before you quit, I think you need to look at other firms and see if the type or means of communication you expect is the reality at those other places of business, or whether there's something in your work or attitude that needs to be adjusted. I'd strongly uggest that to anyone who is looking to jump ship based on "fit".
posted by sm1tten at 10:21 AM on August 7, 2012

>Tl;dr: When is it worth it to leave a job, even when you only have about four to six months of living expenses?

Well, it's probably not worth it to leave your worked-there-for-less-than-a-year graphic design job, unless and until you've a better one lined up.

Here's something to consider:

You're hurt, in part, by the fact that your boss's boss had someone re-do one of your logos.

Remember, though, that your logo-- which might seem to you as art-- is, in the context of business, a sales tool.

That is, it is something designed to spur sales.

And there is not a direct relationship between how artistic and beautiful something is, and how well it spurs sales.

In fact, ugly sometimes sells better than pretty, and ugly-but-tightly-connected-to-a-specific-psychological-angle will very often sell much better than pretty.

It may well be that everyone, Joe included, thought your logo was the most beautiful and artistic thing ever-- but that a different approach, or one connected to a shift in the overall marketing campaign, might spur more sales.

A publisher of mine once changed the cover of one edition of one of my books, making it something much more beautiful. I thought, and warned them, that the change would probably reduce sales. After a few months of monitoring the sales results, they indeed changed the cover back to the older, less aesthetically appealing one.

Again, sometimes pretty doesn't sell, so yanking artwork from a commercial endeavor isn't a comment on that artwork's artistic value.

Remember:

Your company's reaction to one of your logos isn't a comment about you, your identity, your talent as an artist, or your value as a person; it's just data about one facet of one of their marketing campaigns, and its relationship to other facets of one or more of their marketing campaigns. Don't take it personally.
posted by darth_tedious at 10:43 AM on August 7, 2012

I've worked in a good-sized operationally-driven company that had a small marketing team (around 8 people), including 1-2 graphic designers. They had the same struggles you did, but it was really due to the culture of the office. Since the marketing team was relatively small and considered an "addendum" to the rest of the company, the designers were treated like the rest of the operational people on the ground--those that do grunt work by the hour.

The designers were good--they were very invested in their work and took pride in their product. Upper management did not know how to work with creatives, though, and tended to write the designers off as whiny. I'm not saying you're claiming to be a special snowflake, but it just looks like the culture of your office is not a good fit for you.

I'd suggest looking for a job in the creative world (an agency perhaps?) where design IS the product. Not a job in a random company that does produces something else and wants you to create logos to help it out, but somewhere that focuses on your work and could never let a change in strategy pass by you.

Also--don't quit without another job. You got the temp job that became your f/t job out of desperation, and are you happy with the outcome? Perform a deliberate and thoughtful job search, find out where you really want to be, then give your 2 weeks' notice.
posted by dede at 11:05 AM on August 7, 2012 [1 favorite]

While you can't force other people -- especially folks higher up the chain of command -- to proactively communicate information with you, you can protect yourself by over-communicating. I had a boss who was terrible about communicating expectations. Most of the time he never said what he wanted and just assumed we'd understand. Other times, he'd hold a meeting to set out expectations, but word his wishes so poorly that six folks in attendance would each come away with a different interpretation of what he'd said.

Stuff I started doing to make sure that I understood what was expected of me, and to create a digital and paper trail outlining my efforts to meet expectations:

1. Whenever I met with my boss, either one-on-one or with others, I'd immediately type up a bulleted summary of the decisions made in our meeting, and the steps I believed I was being asked to take, and emailed it to the relevant parties (including him and me).

2. I sent frequent updates about what I was working on. At least once a week: Here are the projects on my plate, the deadlines on each, my progress on each, the small things that came up that I also spent time on this week.

3. I sent quarterly big-picture summaries: I've completed these client-facing projects in the past three months, while working on these internal-to-us efforts, and while also developing or enhancing the following personal skills. My goals for the next quarter are to do (whatever). And I invited feedback on these.

4. I tried to be friendly with him, even though we had little in common and I really struggled to make small talk. I'd stop in his office and ask about his daughter, or his sports team, or how he was handling the stress of budget cuts, etc. If anything work-related came out of an informal conversation, I'd of course send a post-conversation memo about it.

With all these emails, I also cc-ed other managers and folks at my level, or even below my level, whenever my work directly touched on their own. I didn't want to be writing about what other people were going to do without making sure they were aware of what I was writing, as well.

I ended each of these emails with an invitation to correct me if I got something wrong, redirect me if I should be prioritizing differently, or just talk to me if he wanted to discuss the project.

My hope was that if I got something wrong (or he said it wrong), he could then respond and set me straight. And if he changed his mind later without telling me, I could point to the post-meeting email and ask him to explain how/when his expectations of me had changed.

I think these efforts went a long way towards getting me positive performance reviews and a small amount of political capital over the two years I held the job. Ultimately, though, the amount of time and effort I had to put into managing up and over-communicating was exhausting, and I was frustrated by the ways these efforts took away from the work I really loved. So, yeah, I did ultimately quit.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 12:31 PM on August 7, 2012 [4 favorites]

This thread has helped me make a decision and I want to mark best answers and move on.

I've always worked for smaller companies and done freelance with steady clients. (Sadly, in a different part of the country.) Maybe I never will be cut out for corporate environments like the one I'm in now, and I don't think that's a character flaw — moving forward, I am pursuing agency work with an open mind about in house positions that would allow me to learn and grow with other creatives. I have design mentors that I have spoken to about this over the weekend, but I would love to find that at work, too. Maybe as an introvert, that may be more important to me, because while I do have a community outside of work, it's hard to pursue that when work can drain my need to be around people pretty quickly!

My question was, and unfortunately bogged down by details, does leaving a job that leaves you feeling so drained at the end of the day make more sense when it would leave you better open to pursuing another job? My conclusion is that yes. It is the right choice for me, although I'm not quitting until I've distanced myself from the situation so that I can leave not over this incident but because it's not a good fit for me, giving myself time to update my portfolio more fully, pick up some freelance work and sock away more money.

The way I handled it is over and done, and I'm proud of the way I handled myself calmly, and I even think taking that personal day was a good decision for myself, though I know that's not a popular opinion in corporate America! I appreciate your insight into ways I might change, and will re-read those questions I found ridiculous or unhelpful in the future, when hopefully I have more perspective. Thank you for the answers, every single one. I trust your hearts are in the right place, Hive Mind, even when mine is not!

Let me say again that it seems that the folks who continue to say, (quoting darth_tedious here) You're hurt, in part, by the fact that your boss's boss had someone re-do one of your logos. is basically the assumption that makes Joe unable to be constructive to me, despite my clear assertion that I simply need feedback in order to do my job, and I wish your experience with designers or other creative folks can be better in the future, because there are plenty of us who understand that design isn't art and love the strategy side of it as much or more than the "making things look cool" side of it. Hurt feelings are not what I was discussing with Joe or Jane (or meant to discuss here), and it certainly didn't involve me sobbing, as someone wrote up above!

Thank you again for answering my question in good faith. I hope that I can be a better designer, a better employee, and a better Asker (and answerer!) from this experience.
posted by thesocietyfor at 12:55 PM on August 7, 2012 [3 favorites]

A generous interpretation of his behaviour (which is how most people interpret their own behaviour) could be that he has supported you enough for you to get the job done thus far, he's told you that he likes your work, he knows he's not the best at communication but he's super-busy, a million things on his plate etc etc. He decides to, effectively, get a second opinion on a logo that didn't sit well with him, which he's authorised to do. And then he hears that you found out about the redesign request, took the whole thing so personally that you had to take a day off to deal with it. So, exasperated by this failure to understand his position, he calls you in for a meeting and explains (okay, I lose it here as he clearly mismanages this entire process).

I could totally buy this interpretation :-)

OP, I know you're moving on from this, but let me first offer you one alternative view on what's happening here, FWIW.

Based on your account, I actually think Jane is more likely the root of the problem, not Joe. IMO bosses who present to their direct reports as sympathetic-but-powerless are poison. It's a boss's job to ensure the conditions are in place where their staff can do good work, or to help their staff navigate difficult conditions where they can't create good ones. It's a boss's job to create alignment between their staff and their own bosses. Based on what you write here, it sounds like Jane has a crappy relationship with Joe, and wants you to join her in feeling upset about him to help justify her own unhappiness. If you have trouble with Joe too that's GOOD for her, because it means that he is the problem, not her. That means she may not be all that interested in resolving your problem with Joe.

(Her suggesting you take a personal day "which she made sure to tell [you] was something she's had to take for various reasons over things Joe has done!" is a huge red flag, BTW. That's a ridiculous, totally unprofessional thing to say to a direct report. In context, I'm suspicious too that she set you up a meeting with Joe. He's *her* boss. It's be more normal for her to talk with him herself and then convey whatever he says, to you -- particularly if he's known to be impatient and tactless.)

So sure: start looking for a new job. But while you're still at this organization, I'd advise you to avoid getting sucked into Jane's drama. Stay professional, keep doing the best work you can, interpret people's behaviour as generously as you're capable of, and try not to overly personalize things. Because 1) it sounds like very little of this is actually about you or your skills, and 2) all workplaces have some degree of dysfunction, so you may as well take this opportunity to practice detachment and professionalism, for as long as you're there.

Your plan sounds good. Good luck.
posted by Susan PG at 1:07 PM on August 7, 2012 [6 favorites]

My point is mostly that you will encounter many Joes in business and it is not a "tell HR" level of problem. You have got to let it roll off your back. Unprofessional comments, cavalier attitudes, non-communicative, mis-management, passive-aggressive, punting to the next person, dismissive, thoughtless, straight up dumb -- all par for the corporate course.

If you can't picture yourself growing into someone who can navigate all that without it upsetting you to the point of having to leave for the day or feeling "sick to my stomach", you may want to consider a more nurturing, smaller environment or a job where you can work from home a day or two a week. Just to get out of the line of this kind of fire.
posted by thinkpiece at 2:15 PM on August 7, 2012 [1 favorite]