Can I break a temp contract and not burn a bridge?

April 6, 2017 5:31 PM

Also, is it reasonable for me to change jobs so that I don't miss a musical masterclass that I'm extremely attached to participating in?

I started this job in January and signed on for a year-long maternity replacement, but I'm considering looking for other work IF doing such a thing is not considered a horrible sin.

I got accepted into a musical masterclass in 3 months from now and requested 4 unpaid vacation days in order to attend it. My boss had to deny my request because someone else is already on vacation that week (obviously, seniority rules in this situation and I'm brand new). While I completely understand why my request was denied, I question whether in the grand scheme of things, it's worth it for me to stay. I am not exaggerating when I say that I feel devastated that I would have to miss this masterclass.

In terms of career prospects, this job doesn't really offer me anything, I kind of accepted the offer as the lesser of two evils (My other option seemed way too stressful) and because I felt pressured as the company only gave me 24 hours to decide.. My boss told me that my contract will not be renewed at the end of the year unless someone quits, and I'm not getting benefits or anything. The pay is about 25% less than I made at my last job, and even if I did get renewed, there's no chance for advancement as my boss is the only person who's been promoted and he's been there 15 years. He's the sole manager of a team of about 30 editors so it feels like a huge power differential and I'm not sure how to approach it.

Another thing that really bothers me is that it appears that the pay rate I was told before starting, may not be the actual rate I make as there is a complicated system of remuneration based on piece work. I was also told that training would take 2 months and then I'd be on the full pay rate, but 3 months and a week in, I am still in training and on training pay. I feel as though my boss stretched the truth quite a bit in the interview because he really wanted me on his team.

Question:

--- Should I ask my boss to reconsider my vacation request? He's a great guy but seems like someone that doesn't like confrontation, and this isn't a job where it's expected that you can negotiate anything. Everything is determined from up above and we're expected to be good little worker bees. The boss seems to think that we should consider ourselves privileged to be working for him and I don't feel that he's open to me complicating his life by asking. When he told me my request was denied, he wasn't apologetic or anything, and i was in shock so I calmly said I would get back to him with other days to request.

-- If he says no, what's my next move? Obviously I'm not going to say I'm thinking of leaving over this--- that would make me seem like a petulant child, no?
I fully comprehend why my request was denied and don't expect special treatment, but on the other hand, I feel it's too big of a personal sacrifice to make for a job that's not satisfying me on any level. I am fairly confident I could find another job within 2-3 months.
In that case, how much notice would I give, if I decided to quit? I wouldn't want to leave them in the lurch (my coworkers are really nice). Would this be a discussion I could have with my boss, or will telling him I'm considering leaving, make him immediately fire me?

Another aspect that I thought I might mention is that out of the blue a couple months ago, an acquaintance of mine asked me to pass along her resume for editing work at the very company where I work. I think she would be a great candidate for the job, and maybe this could be a way that I could leave without leaving anyone high and dry. But I'm not sure how to approach this with my boss.

However, is this a big career mistake to leave a maternity contract after the company has trained you for a couple months? (They call it "training" but in reality it seems to me like I've been doing actual work for several weeks and am just still on the training pay rate).

I looked at my contract and it says either me or the employer can terminate at any point with one week's notice. If I found a job starting at the beginning of July, it would be perfect because I could attend the masterclass. I just feel that I have to protect my real priorities in life in order to not live in regret for missed opportunities. But I don't want to shoot my career in the foot.

Basically, I have no intention of screwing anyone over or leaving my boss in the lurch, even if the job sucks. The people there have been nice to me and if possible I'd like to do this in a smooth and harmless way. Is there a win-win way to do this?

posted by winterportage to Work & Money (11 answers total)

I would line up another job, but not give notice except for what you can afford to lose in pay (in other words, expect to be fired on the spot with no further pay). I would show them just about as much loyalty and respect as they have shown you, none.
posted by saucysault at 5:48 PM on April 6, 2017 [6 favorites]

I'd be asking myself how much I had in savings and how passionate I am about my music, and probably go for it, but as reasonably as possible.
posted by vrakatar at 6:01 PM on April 6, 2017 [1 favorite]

This doesn't sound like the best job situation.

I wouldn't tell your boss about the possibility of a job offer or of you leaving until you are ready to give 1 week's notice. I have worked in many offices as a temp and as permanent staff training temps, and I've never seen anyone get pissy because a temp looked for other jobs or left before the assignment was over.

If your long term goals are centered around music and this class will contribute to that, and you can do it without leaving yourself in the lurch financially, I'd say go for it. But regardless this sounds like a crappy company to work for and you should be looking for something better.
posted by bunderful at 6:03 PM on April 6, 2017 [1 favorite]

Find another job, give notice, and leave. Negotiate your master class when you're working out the details with your new job.

People do this all of the time.
posted by dancing_angel at 6:15 PM on April 6, 2017 [3 favorites]

I would have no consideration whatsoever for a company that seemed to be screwing me over in any way regarding pay. Do whatever you want, including keeping the job and calling in sick for four days to take the masterclass, but the best option seems to be to start job hunting now and find one where you can arrange to start after the class.
posted by the agents of KAOS at 6:26 PM on April 6, 2017 [2 favorites]

I don't think you can quit a job in the middle of a mat leave contract and not burn a bridge. But then, this seems like kind of a rickety bridge, the sort you don't really want to use if you don't absolutely have to. If it goes up in flames, is that the end of the world? (I mean, it might be, depending on the connections your boss has in your industry, but it isn't for the job alone.)

They're clearly screwing you over in myriad ways -- like, really, a team of 30 people and no more than one of them can go on vacation at a time? "Training" wages while doing actual work?

Don't give more than a couple of weeks notice, because your boss very much sounds like the sort of person who would fire you if you so much as breathe a hint that you're considering quitting. Try to find a new job that starts after the master class. Or before, but will let you still take it.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:13 PM on April 6, 2017 [1 favorite]

If you are seriously considering just quitting the job to go to the Master Class, and your music is more important to you than this job, there is no reason to say you're "thinking of leaving over this." You should leave over it. Line up a new job (and account for those four days you need off), or if you don't have one yet, two weeks from the master class, go tell your boss:

"I've been thinking about the request I made for vacation days, which you denied. I understand why you did that, but after giving it some thought, I decided that my music is more important to me than this job, which isn't permanent and for which I am underpaid. Thanks for the opportunity. My last day will be [two weeks from today]."

He might balk, or try to walk back the vacation denial, or offer you more money to stay. Normally, I would say to never accept a counter-offer, but since this is a temporary job anyway with a finite end date, think about what it would take to get you to stay. Would it be those days off, plus the promised bump to regular pay, plus back-pay to the rate you were supposed to be at starting after two months? If so, say that if he asks. If he doesn't ask, you have your answer.

Seriously, just get a new job and go. You owe him nothing. You owe your "team" nothing. This is a job doing something you don't even want to do.
posted by juniperesque at 8:23 PM on April 6, 2017 [11 favorites]

You'd be within your rights just to quit because of the other ways they've misrepresented the job and dicked you around, even if this class didn't exist.
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:23 AM on April 7, 2017 [3 favorites]

I agree with jacquilynne - this is likely burning a bridge but I don't think you really should care about it. The misrepresentation would be enough for me to consider looking elsewhere and it doesn't sound like it's a great place to stay even in the short term.

If it was me, I'd start looking for a new gig assuming that I would give my notice either when I found a new place (and make sure that my time in the masterclass was covered) or two weeks prior to when you need to go to the masterclass. Happy music making!
posted by machine at 8:23 AM on April 7, 2017

You also need to quit worrying about leaving your very nice coworkers in the lurch. You've only been there 3 months, and all of that has been "training". The company can have someone else from a temp agency in your chair TOMORROW and doing just about as good a job as you are currently doing. Your coworkers will not suffer at all. You can give them your personal email address if there are any that you think you would like to continue to be friends with, but seriously, you don't "owe" them anything.

We should also make it clear that you don't say ANYTHING to your boss now. You accept your vacation request denial very politely and you keep working. You accept the position at the masterclass and make all arrangements to pay for it and attend. All while still working and smiling at your boss and not saying anything.

If you have the energy now, you can start quietly looking for another job. You go to interviews by saying you need to take a long lunch for a doctor's appointment. If you get a lot of interviews, suddenly you need "physical therapy for a twisted sore knee" several times a week. If you get a job, you tell them you need those days off as a condition of your hiring.

If you don't get another job, you wait until a week before the masterclass and you turn in your one-week notice to quit. And then you walk away.

It's up to you whether you want to give them any details and/or allow them to make some kind of offer to let you come back after the class. I wouldn't, but maybe it's harder for you to get a job and maybe in 3 months your kind-of-crummy job will be a little better and you want to stay there. Your choice.

But you go to that music class.
posted by CathyG at 10:13 AM on April 7, 2017 [2 favorites]

You weren't contracted for a year. You were contracted for an unspecified amount of time, during a year that they need an extra person. You're required to give one week's notice; as long as you give that, you haven't broken the contract at all. You are only burning a bridge if you're intending to work for the company again - or rather, this particular department.

If future employers ask why you left, you can say, "I couldn't get even unpaid leave to take an important class." Or just, "They didn't tell me I'd be on partial payment for several months during 'training', and I needed to find a job that paid better." Or, if you have another job lined up, it's even simpler to say, "I found a better job - more pay, better security, benefits." It's even legit to say, "I thought I had another job lined up - a friend had arranged an interview and we had filled out the early paperwork, but then their company hit a hiring freeze. By that time, I'd already given notice."

Check your contract about the pay details - does your offer letter say, "we'll pay you X" or does it say, "we'll pay you X minus Y while training, expected to last 8 weeks, after which point we'll pay you X?" (Did your initial emails contain other info?)

You owe this boss nothing. He's not helping your career; he's using you to fix a problem. That's not innately bad - but you don't have any responsibility to fix his problems; your obligation to him can end when his usefulness to you ends.

I second the recommendation of "say nothing; be polite and agreeable; maybe look for new job - and just before the masterclass, tell your boss that you quit." He thinks he owns you, and you're not in a position to challenge that thought except by leaving, so avoid confrontation until you reach that stage. Consider this a job you've already left and just haven't bothered to tell anyone yet.

If you'd like help composing a "why I'm quitting, you condescending gaslighting despot" letter, memail me. (I don't recommend sending such a letter, but sometimes composing one helps sort out exactly what's putting you on edge, and reminds you of what to watch out for in the future.)
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 11:42 PM on April 7, 2017