Should I leave my job for a new opportunity at a different company?

April 18, 2023 7:05 PM

I've been working at my company for the last 2 years. Even though it's a challenging work environment, I have acclimated very well. I even got a promotion last year and I love my coworkers. However, the company seems to be not doing well financially and there's a good possibility that I'm on a sinking ship with more downs than ups. Recently they had two rounds of layoff so I'm getting worried for myself due to the potential layoff and the lack of growth opportunity in the future. Due to the nature of my role, I know I'm safe at least for the next couple of years, maybe longer if the company turns things around and gets more business. Recently my boss could sense that I might start looking so she assured me that I'm safe and if I stay, there's a chance of a future promotion if we get a new client.

Meanwhile I started looking casually and ended up getting an interview with a good, stable company. The job is different than what I'm doing so it will be a learning curve. However I had a good impression of the culture there and they seemed to like me during the interview. I'm still waiting on their decision but I'm very torn about what to do if I get an offer. Part of me wants to stay with the current company because of the people and maybe there are growth opportunities like my boss said. But part of me doesn't know if they are just telling me that to make me feel better about staying but it might not happen. I feel really bad for leaving at this time because the team is already struggling with the recent layoff and resignation of a couple of people.

I appreciate any advice for me. I'm also a people pleaser by nature so that doesn't help. :)

posted by missybitsy to Work & Money (12 answers total)

By definition, there aren’t growth opportunities at companies undergoing layoffs. Maybe you’re the exception that proves the rule, but if the company had money to give you a fat raise, they’d also have the money to not kick your co-workers out on the street. I’m sure your boss believes that if the company turns things around and if they land new clients, good things will happen to you. But as they say, if ifs and buts were candy and nuts… If they’d already done those things, then they wouldn’t have had to shitcan your friends. The company isn’t struggling because of recent layoffs; the company laid a bunch of people off because they’re struggling. And unless there’s some wild coincidence, the company is struggling because it’s badly managed. (Not least because its managers seem to spend a lot of time wishful thinking.) You’re right to see it as a sinking ship.
posted by kevinbelt at 7:16 PM on April 18, 2023

I've weathered a couple of downturns at different employers, so I'm not opposed to giving things a chance to see if they turn around. I had opportunities I might not have otherwise had because there weren't other people around to offer them to - although the line between "growth" and "burnout" can get perilously blurred under those conditions.

It's not easy, working through major upheaval and uncertainty. You mention the environment is challenging already - do you love what you're doing enough to stick it out if a large number of the coworkers you love are let go or leave? I hear you on it being hard to leave people you like when times are tough, but stability and a culture that seems like a good fit are really valuable. It's your employer's job to create conditions that make you want to stay, if they can't do that, your departure is on them.
posted by EvaDestruction at 7:24 PM on April 18, 2023

Do not give the company more loyalty than they give you. They would lay you off in a heartbeat without thinking twice about it. Individuals, like your boss, might feel bad -- she seems nice -- but the company is not your friend. If you have a better opportunity that meets your needs and aligns with your goals, you should take it.
posted by OrangeDisk at 7:41 PM on April 18, 2023

Companies that are downsizing do offer growth opportunities - however, they're usually in the responsibility realm and not so much in compensation. This might be ok with you, if you can manage to take on new responsibilities that you can leverage for your next job, or a raise if the company survives. But it's more likely you'll be doing the work of people below you on the corporate ladder, which is the opposite of what you want to happen.
posted by meowzilla at 8:10 PM on April 18, 2023

part of me doesn't know if they are just telling me that to make me feel better about staying but it might not happen

Figure out what you want from the company you're at now. If you end up having leverage, you can offer to stay with the current company if they will put in writing 1) what your job will be like in 3 months, 5 months, a year -- whatever seems reasonable to them; 2) what monetary compensation they will offer if for some reason your job doesn't evolve that way by a certain time; 3) what your severance package will be if they lay you off; and 4) what will happen to you if the company goes out of business, or goes out of business and then the owner(s) form a new company that is a lot like the old company but with a different name. If you have a non-compete clause in your contract, IP clause, etc., you can look at negotiating those in writing too.

If the new company does want to hire you, you're in a strong negotiating position there, too.
posted by amtho at 8:30 PM on April 18, 2023

This largely depends on how much opportunity there is in your field, and how much of a problem you'll have if the job evaporates. Everyone generally feels that a company has no loyalty to you, and while this is generally true there are exceptions, especially if they appreciate what you do for them. That's not to be underrated - an employer that knows you're worth keeping around is a very good thing.
posted by AugustusCrunch at 9:09 PM on April 18, 2023

Due to the nature of my role, I know I'm safe at least for the next couple of years

an employer that knows you're worth keeping around is a very good thing.

Never assume that if your employment is at-will like most corporate jobs in the US. It just takes one new CXO or VP who takes an unjustified and inexplicable dislike to you or your manager for all safety to go out the window.
posted by redlines at 9:52 PM on April 18, 2023

she assured me that I'm safe and if I stay, there's a chance of a future promotion if we get a new client.... part of me doesn't know if they are just telling me that to make me feel better about staying but it might not happen.

So IF the company gets back on its feet and IF you land a new client then MAYBE you'll get a shot at a promotion sometime in the future?

I'm sure your manager is as lovely as you think, and no doubt she genuinely believe this, but it is not in her gift to decide if a) you're not laid off, and b) that if you stay a promotion will be forthcoming. Yes, she is telling you this to try and get you to stay. This is hope, not expectation (and that's part of her job - keep the talent anyway she can - but unless you've got a written obligation from her it's just words).

There is nothing wrong with being a people pleaser in general but there is a point after which "people pleaser" becomes "door mat". If this "good, stable company" with a better culture offers you a job and you turn it down because you feel guilty about leaving, you are on the wrong side of that point. Hell, it sounds like a better opportunity even if your current company wasn't experiencing layoffs.

If it helps, this internet stranger gives you permission to take the new job guilt-free and move on with the next stage of your career.
posted by underclocked at 11:23 PM on April 18, 2023

Having been through a full company collapse and a buyout with significant layoffs, I will always take layoffs as a sign to jump ship ASAP.
posted by corvine at 1:20 AM on April 19, 2023

Part of me wants to stay with the current company because of the people and maybe there are growth opportunities like my boss said.

I would bet on growth opportunities being more readily available in a stable, growing firm over one that is not doing well financially. As your boss said, your growth in the company is tied to improved financial position and new clients, and it sounds like recent experience is the exact opposite of that.
posted by openhearted at 6:34 AM on April 19, 2023

It's also very possible to go back to your first company for those advances if and when things pick back up from them. A few bosses/companies will hold unreasonable grudges for "abandoning" them but most know that taking care of yourself first is just part of the game. Even if someone leaves for a year or two, I'd rather have a known good worker who's familiar with the company than a complete wildcard new hire.
posted by Candleman at 7:40 AM on April 19, 2023

A bit late to the game, but in case it's still relevant and you haven't yet made a decision: sometimes I find that unstable situations in a job can be an indicator to explore a new path. For example, you could explore a business idea. Something easier to start could be to utilize your expertise and become a consultant. I similarly started a firm to offer Fractional COO/fractional consulting. You could also try out a business idea on the side and see if it eventually could become a full-time option. All the best :)
posted by atpuga at 5:32 AM on November 4, 2023