Should I quit a job I like due to no room for growth?
October 10, 2015 2:23 AM Subscribe
Help me navigate what for me is a complex situation in a very small company and to get some perspective. I feel like I was treated unfairly, and would like to get some perspective. Snowflakey details inside.
Three years ago I decided to switch field of work, and attended a post graduate course to sharpen my skills in a specific area of tech (digital adv and analytics) to get into that industry.
After I graduated, I did an internship in a VERY small studio - 5-6 people - in the city where I live, and at the end of it I got offered a contract. It was kind of a crappy contract, making me less money and giving me less security then what I was previously used to, but it was an acceptable starting point.
In the company I grew my skillset significantly, handling differ kind of customers and roles, and I was really happy with the people I was working with, with the office atmosphere and company culture, and most of all with the life/work balance I was enjoying: I had flexible hours and a very easy and quick commute to work. Maybe more importantly, the company grew significantly during my time there, with my contribution is pretty crucial to making things run smoothly.. or at all. Towards the end of last year though I started to feel that the time was ripe for changing something, because I was covering many different roles and my skillset had outgrown my "official" position and my salary.
In march this year I received an offer from a big company trying to recruit talent for their local office. The work they wanted me to do wasn't exactly thrilling, but the economic conditions where MUCH butter (with a 50%+ increase over current salary), and the growth perspectives were really good.
So i sat down with the three founders of the company to talk about this, and try to figure out if this was goodbye or if there was a way of continung working together. During the talk, it came out that the company has a fourth founder (owning 25% of the business) not working on the company anymore, and that maybe they could take this as an opportunity to try and force him to sell his shares and to give me a percentage of ownership of the company if I was up for buying it.
This felt like a perfect solution: I could get to keep a job I loved with people I liked, and with a chance of making the company grow.
Two months later, I was told that the process of convincing the other founder to sell his part of the company was proving to be tricky during a very busy time, and that we would get back to that in september, and that in the meanwhile I would get a better contract. Time passed with no mention of this ever again, and last week I finally went ahead and asked one of the founders if there were any news on this, and he told me that probably I didn't get any cause we were swamped with work, and told me to talk to the one who is in charge of administration. Once I approached him, I was told that the fourth founder doesn't want to sell and therefore this is not an option at least at the current time, but that they would start working soon on a new contract proposal.
Honestly, I feel annoyed by this situation, for multiple reasons, and I don't know how to navigate it from here on.
I should also mention that I have doing PLENTY of stuff which goes well above and beyond of what is on my contract, such as traveling to do consultancy (one full day of consultancy being worth approximately 30% of my monthly salary for the company), and that I am also scheduled to do so again in the upcoming months. I also feel like it would be be really really difficult for them to replace me.
Should I start looking for alternatives starting now? What should I ask for when I receive a contract proposal? Should I try to bring all three founders together and speak with them, or should i talk with them individually? Should I mention them the fact that I turned down a very good offer due to what they told me?
I hate the idea of quitting a job that I like, but I am also seriously unhappy with the way this has been handled.
Three years ago I decided to switch field of work, and attended a post graduate course to sharpen my skills in a specific area of tech (digital adv and analytics) to get into that industry.
After I graduated, I did an internship in a VERY small studio - 5-6 people - in the city where I live, and at the end of it I got offered a contract. It was kind of a crappy contract, making me less money and giving me less security then what I was previously used to, but it was an acceptable starting point.
In the company I grew my skillset significantly, handling differ kind of customers and roles, and I was really happy with the people I was working with, with the office atmosphere and company culture, and most of all with the life/work balance I was enjoying: I had flexible hours and a very easy and quick commute to work. Maybe more importantly, the company grew significantly during my time there, with my contribution is pretty crucial to making things run smoothly.. or at all. Towards the end of last year though I started to feel that the time was ripe for changing something, because I was covering many different roles and my skillset had outgrown my "official" position and my salary.
In march this year I received an offer from a big company trying to recruit talent for their local office. The work they wanted me to do wasn't exactly thrilling, but the economic conditions where MUCH butter (with a 50%+ increase over current salary), and the growth perspectives were really good.
So i sat down with the three founders of the company to talk about this, and try to figure out if this was goodbye or if there was a way of continung working together. During the talk, it came out that the company has a fourth founder (owning 25% of the business) not working on the company anymore, and that maybe they could take this as an opportunity to try and force him to sell his shares and to give me a percentage of ownership of the company if I was up for buying it.
This felt like a perfect solution: I could get to keep a job I loved with people I liked, and with a chance of making the company grow.
Two months later, I was told that the process of convincing the other founder to sell his part of the company was proving to be tricky during a very busy time, and that we would get back to that in september, and that in the meanwhile I would get a better contract. Time passed with no mention of this ever again, and last week I finally went ahead and asked one of the founders if there were any news on this, and he told me that probably I didn't get any cause we were swamped with work, and told me to talk to the one who is in charge of administration. Once I approached him, I was told that the fourth founder doesn't want to sell and therefore this is not an option at least at the current time, but that they would start working soon on a new contract proposal.
Honestly, I feel annoyed by this situation, for multiple reasons, and I don't know how to navigate it from here on.
I should also mention that I have doing PLENTY of stuff which goes well above and beyond of what is on my contract, such as traveling to do consultancy (one full day of consultancy being worth approximately 30% of my monthly salary for the company), and that I am also scheduled to do so again in the upcoming months. I also feel like it would be be really really difficult for them to replace me.
Should I start looking for alternatives starting now? What should I ask for when I receive a contract proposal? Should I try to bring all three founders together and speak with them, or should i talk with them individually? Should I mention them the fact that I turned down a very good offer due to what they told me?
I hate the idea of quitting a job that I like, but I am also seriously unhappy with the way this has been handled.
It sounds like you need to statt looking for another job and give your current one a deadline. Also, their management structure is set up so that each of the owners can effectively not have responsibility for anything. They've been stringing you along for a while now with no repercussions. So what's in it for them to change? Make a proposal for what you want from them, and if they can't get their act together in one or two months (or whatever deadline you give them), leave. But try to have some new prospects lined up.
It's ok for a company to be a place where you gain skills and then move on. While it's not great to go from job to job once a year or so, every few years is fine.
Also, do you "live to work" or "work to live"?
posted by reddot at 4:48 AM on October 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
It's ok for a company to be a place where you gain skills and then move on. While it's not great to go from job to job once a year or so, every few years is fine.
Also, do you "live to work" or "work to live"?
posted by reddot at 4:48 AM on October 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
Also, I've been in companies where there have been layoffs and some great people have been let go and they don't really care. Sure, your coworkers may care, but the company just gets other people to do parts of your job.
Remind of them of your value and everything that you do, but no one is irreplaceable. Or at least rarely is that the case.
posted by reddot at 4:50 AM on October 10, 2015
Remind of them of your value and everything that you do, but no one is irreplaceable. Or at least rarely is that the case.
posted by reddot at 4:50 AM on October 10, 2015
Assemble your professional portfolio and be ready to pop smoke the moment the opportunity arises. This place has "toxic stasis" for you written all over it.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 4:57 AM on October 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 4:57 AM on October 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
If one day of your consulting fee is 30% of your monthly salary, it sounds like you definitely have other prospects outside this company or the place that recruited you. Prospects that involve a hefty salary increase AND more interesting work. It's time to start looking into those prospects. Once you find a better offer, give your notice.
I wouldn't bother negotiating with your current firm on this -- it sounds like they've had plenty of notice that you're aware you're not being fairly compensated, and they've chosen not to get you a new contract. That's on them.
It also sounds like you feel guilty about the fact that you're going to be tough to replace. You know what? That's not your problem. The issue of critical staff leaving (or being hit by the proverbial bus) is one that businesses have known about for years. If they haven't prepared for you leaving, well, they're adults. They can figure it out.
posted by pie ninja at 5:02 AM on October 10, 2015 [10 favorites]
I wouldn't bother negotiating with your current firm on this -- it sounds like they've had plenty of notice that you're aware you're not being fairly compensated, and they've chosen not to get you a new contract. That's on them.
It also sounds like you feel guilty about the fact that you're going to be tough to replace. You know what? That's not your problem. The issue of critical staff leaving (or being hit by the proverbial bus) is one that businesses have known about for years. If they haven't prepared for you leaving, well, they're adults. They can figure it out.
posted by pie ninja at 5:02 AM on October 10, 2015 [10 favorites]
3 times salary is normal for a charge out. 10 times is a very strong indication that they know exactly what you're worth but haven't made good with you.
posted by bonehead at 5:09 AM on October 10, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by bonehead at 5:09 AM on October 10, 2015 [7 favorites]
I don't see what is so complicated about the situation: you've run out of paths to grow in your current role and you were offered a great opportunity at a new company with better money and a better growth path.
Lots of times you outgrow a job. Sometimes it happens quickly. Sometimes it happens after 10 years. Consider yourself lucky a new opportunity fell into your lap right when you needed it.
posted by deanc at 6:06 AM on October 10, 2015
Lots of times you outgrow a job. Sometimes it happens quickly. Sometimes it happens after 10 years. Consider yourself lucky a new opportunity fell into your lap right when you needed it.
posted by deanc at 6:06 AM on October 10, 2015
Leave with no regrets. Do what's best for yourself. You've made an effort to work things out at your current employer and they're not going for it.
posted by LoveHam at 6:49 AM on October 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by LoveHam at 6:49 AM on October 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
You've already made a more than good faith effort to stay in a way that would keep everyone happy. It's not working, so you should look elsewhere with no guilt or regret.
Look first, quit second, of course.
posted by rokusan at 6:58 AM on October 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
Look first, quit second, of course.
posted by rokusan at 6:58 AM on October 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
You've done everything right. Get ready to move on. These people have lost your trust - and you sound like kind of a star. Don't talk yourself into holding yourself back.
posted by Miko at 8:29 AM on October 10, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Miko at 8:29 AM on October 10, 2015 [3 favorites]
There is nothing wrong with a career position that lets you be happy in other ways in exchange for limits on growth or money or whatever, presuming you're sufficiently compensated in the ways that matter to you. You're not, however, and the people who were responsible for fixing that are unable or unwilling to do what was necessary.
So this is no longer a good compromise, it's a bad one. As said above, the fact that you'll be hard to replace is not your problem. That's a problem that is almost always self-inflicted by management and avoiding it is part of good stewardship. In this case they had a simple way to prevent it but it was easy to not bother. If they didn't care enough to prevent it why should you?
I'd move on and feel good about it. It sounds like this was a great trade-off for you, getting valuable experience and confidence and enjoying it as you did it. But it's stopped being a fair trade and they didn't care to equalize it. Go find a position where it's a fair trade again.
And don't let anyone make you feel bad about it. You gave notice in March. If they refused to worry about it until they started suffering repercussions - when you were suffering repercussions in money and satisfaction already - then that is all about them, not you.
posted by phearlez at 8:56 AM on October 10, 2015 [2 favorites]
So this is no longer a good compromise, it's a bad one. As said above, the fact that you'll be hard to replace is not your problem. That's a problem that is almost always self-inflicted by management and avoiding it is part of good stewardship. In this case they had a simple way to prevent it but it was easy to not bother. If they didn't care enough to prevent it why should you?
I'd move on and feel good about it. It sounds like this was a great trade-off for you, getting valuable experience and confidence and enjoying it as you did it. But it's stopped being a fair trade and they didn't care to equalize it. Go find a position where it's a fair trade again.
And don't let anyone make you feel bad about it. You gave notice in March. If they refused to worry about it until they started suffering repercussions - when you were suffering repercussions in money and satisfaction already - then that is all about them, not you.
posted by phearlez at 8:56 AM on October 10, 2015 [2 favorites]
You agreed to wait for a might-not-happen alternative, and that was worse than your BATNA (the other offer). Don't make this mistake twice. And don't feel bad — this is how we learn and improve.
You already know enough to know they're not going to fight for you. Sour grapes are not helpful in negotiations or in long-term networking. It's time to thank them for the valuable experience and move on.
posted by sadmadglad at 10:01 AM on October 10, 2015
You already know enough to know they're not going to fight for you. Sour grapes are not helpful in negotiations or in long-term networking. It's time to thank them for the valuable experience and move on.
posted by sadmadglad at 10:01 AM on October 10, 2015
maybe they could take this as an opportunity to try and force him to sell his shares and to give me a percentage of ownership of the company if I was up for buying it.
If they're offering partial ownership of the company in lieu of paying market rates, they need to be paying you in equity, not offering to let you buy it.
At best, the current owners sound naive on how to run a business. A big part of why some people found companies is to put in sweat equity at the beginning and then become a silent partner, collecting a share of the profits for having bootstrapped the company. If things are going well from his perspective, why would he want to sell?
posted by Candleman at 10:58 PM on October 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
If they're offering partial ownership of the company in lieu of paying market rates, they need to be paying you in equity, not offering to let you buy it.
At best, the current owners sound naive on how to run a business. A big part of why some people found companies is to put in sweat equity at the beginning and then become a silent partner, collecting a share of the profits for having bootstrapped the company. If things are going well from his perspective, why would he want to sell?
posted by Candleman at 10:58 PM on October 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
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posted by crazy with stars at 4:46 AM on October 10, 2015 [11 favorites]