Stuck between a rock and a hard place - to keep my retail job?
February 6, 2021 6:11 PM Subscribe
I started my new (full-time) job this past week. It's been quite overwhelming, and I'm seriously having qualms about keeping my part-time retail job, for a number of reasons. More inside.
So, this is to revisit my previous Ask. Your answers were very helpful at the time, but unfortunately, I'm kind of stuck in an indecisive loop right now.
Let's refer to the new full-time job as Job A, and the current part-time retail job as Job B.
I started Job A on Monday. It's been quite a lot of new information to absorb, a lot of new people to meet (and try to remember their names!), and... yeah, it's been a lot. Not at all in a bad way. However, I'm having some very serious qualms about keeping Job B, as well as hesitations to outright quit. I'll explain why. (Also, for the record, I had all of this past week off from Job B.)
Why I'm wanting to quit Job B:
a) Job A consists of A LOT of new procedures and stuff to learn. It's overwhelming. It seems like I'll be continuously busy. Job B is also hard because it requires a lot of customer appeasement/repairing relationships between the customer and the company. It was already a bit tough on me as an empath before the full-time job came in play. When I was working at my full-time job this week, the thought of returning to Job B to help customers gave me a sense of dread and exhaustion.
b) I know myself. I don't handle stress well, I don't handle time crunches well, and I need the mental space to unwind after a long 8-5 day. I sometimes require more time to reset/recharge myself. Job B was unable to guarantee at least one full weekend day off.
c) I am not impressed at how Job B has handled this transition at all. There was some back-and-forth with changing my availability (approval processes), then the new schedules written did not adhere to my new availability. I have followed up with my supervisor several times with no response. (Note: Job B is kind of bureaucratic when it comes to this kind of thing, and a lot of stuff in general, despite being a corporation.) I am currently in limbo—most of my upcoming shifts this week reflect all-day during the weekdays, despite what my new approved availability says. I have no idea what to do other than follow up, and I'm starting to feel like I'm being "annoying" in this way.
d) Tax complications. Job A is using the new 2020-style W-4, which does not allow for specific allowances. I'm concerned that keeping both jobs could result in me owing taxes next year. I tried the worksheet on the W-4 and the tax calculator on IRS' website, but those weren't very helpful, and I'm not clear how much I should add in terms of extra withholding to avoid having to owe taxes next year. I miss the old allowance system; it was simple and easy.
Why I don't want to quit Job B:
a) Guilt. I can hear my mom's voice inside my mind, scolding me for giving up and not keeping both jobs. Also guilt because Job B "saved" me from joblessness after I was laid off in 2019, even though the timing was purely coincidental.
b) What if Job A ends up not being as heavy/overwhelming as I thought, and I'd regret quitting?
c) I enjoy the people I work with at Job B. They're fun and cool people. (To be fair, people with Job A does seem pretty cool too, so far!)
d) Job B does pay well, above minimum wage, and has good benefits for retail (health insurance, etc).
e) While I don't need Job B to survive, it would provide me with a good source of extra income.
Both jobs are (currently) telework/work at home. Job B was always part-time since I started with them in 2019. It does require a minimum of 20-24 hours per week.
So. I'm stuck. I really have no idea what to do. I know it's not your decision to make (just like I said in my previous Ask, it's a personal decision), but any help and insights would be really much appreciated, in case I'm missing something.
So, this is to revisit my previous Ask. Your answers were very helpful at the time, but unfortunately, I'm kind of stuck in an indecisive loop right now.
Let's refer to the new full-time job as Job A, and the current part-time retail job as Job B.
I started Job A on Monday. It's been quite a lot of new information to absorb, a lot of new people to meet (and try to remember their names!), and... yeah, it's been a lot. Not at all in a bad way. However, I'm having some very serious qualms about keeping Job B, as well as hesitations to outright quit. I'll explain why. (Also, for the record, I had all of this past week off from Job B.)
Why I'm wanting to quit Job B:
a) Job A consists of A LOT of new procedures and stuff to learn. It's overwhelming. It seems like I'll be continuously busy. Job B is also hard because it requires a lot of customer appeasement/repairing relationships between the customer and the company. It was already a bit tough on me as an empath before the full-time job came in play. When I was working at my full-time job this week, the thought of returning to Job B to help customers gave me a sense of dread and exhaustion.
b) I know myself. I don't handle stress well, I don't handle time crunches well, and I need the mental space to unwind after a long 8-5 day. I sometimes require more time to reset/recharge myself. Job B was unable to guarantee at least one full weekend day off.
c) I am not impressed at how Job B has handled this transition at all. There was some back-and-forth with changing my availability (approval processes), then the new schedules written did not adhere to my new availability. I have followed up with my supervisor several times with no response. (Note: Job B is kind of bureaucratic when it comes to this kind of thing, and a lot of stuff in general, despite being a corporation.) I am currently in limbo—most of my upcoming shifts this week reflect all-day during the weekdays, despite what my new approved availability says. I have no idea what to do other than follow up, and I'm starting to feel like I'm being "annoying" in this way.
d) Tax complications. Job A is using the new 2020-style W-4, which does not allow for specific allowances. I'm concerned that keeping both jobs could result in me owing taxes next year. I tried the worksheet on the W-4 and the tax calculator on IRS' website, but those weren't very helpful, and I'm not clear how much I should add in terms of extra withholding to avoid having to owe taxes next year. I miss the old allowance system; it was simple and easy.
Why I don't want to quit Job B:
a) Guilt. I can hear my mom's voice inside my mind, scolding me for giving up and not keeping both jobs. Also guilt because Job B "saved" me from joblessness after I was laid off in 2019, even though the timing was purely coincidental.
b) What if Job A ends up not being as heavy/overwhelming as I thought, and I'd regret quitting?
c) I enjoy the people I work with at Job B. They're fun and cool people. (To be fair, people with Job A does seem pretty cool too, so far!)
d) Job B does pay well, above minimum wage, and has good benefits for retail (health insurance, etc).
e) While I don't need Job B to survive, it would provide me with a good source of extra income.
Both jobs are (currently) telework/work at home. Job B was always part-time since I started with them in 2019. It does require a minimum of 20-24 hours per week.
So. I'm stuck. I really have no idea what to do. I know it's not your decision to make (just like I said in my previous Ask, it's a personal decision), but any help and insights would be really much appreciated, in case I'm missing something.
If you quit Job B in a professional manner, you *should* be eligible for rehire if your situation changes. I would recommend mentioning this to your supervisor when you give notice. I would quit and devote my energy to making Job A successful, knowing that if you do it right you could probably return to Job B in the future.
posted by raisingsand at 6:22 PM on February 6, 2021 [15 favorites]
posted by raisingsand at 6:22 PM on February 6, 2021 [15 favorites]
Guilt. I can hear my mom's voice inside my mind, scolding me for giving up and not keeping both jobs. Also guilt because Job B "saved" me from joblessness after I was laid off in 2019, even though the timing was purely coincidental.
I am sure they are lovely people on a personal level, but if the need arose, Job B would let you go in a heartbeat, because at the end of the day it's a business decision on everyone's part. They will not be hurt to see you leave. I mean, personally, yes, friends from the job may miss you, but it's okay to leave a job no matter what it did for you in the past. The up-side of capitalism!
posted by kalimac at 6:38 PM on February 6, 2021 [36 favorites]
I am sure they are lovely people on a personal level, but if the need arose, Job B would let you go in a heartbeat, because at the end of the day it's a business decision on everyone's part. They will not be hurt to see you leave. I mean, personally, yes, friends from the job may miss you, but it's okay to leave a job no matter what it did for you in the past. The up-side of capitalism!
posted by kalimac at 6:38 PM on February 6, 2021 [36 favorites]
I don't know if I'm an empath or not, but people have certainly brought it up to me. I don't think customer service is the right job for an empath, to put it mildly. Also, you don't need to be utterly fried and burned out due to two jobs, especially if Job B has that effect already.
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:52 PM on February 6, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:52 PM on February 6, 2021 [4 favorites]
Is it possible to take an extended break from Job B? Like, you don't have to straight up quit, but just request unpaid time off for a few weeks in a row like you were on a long vacation? It's really hard for me to see why they'd sever ties with you completely if you weren't being paid during that time. A side effect of that would be seeing how well you could live with just the paycheck from Job A. Then, once Job A calms down a little bit (and it will, after your first couple of weeks), you can go back to Job B. Or not go back, if you decide you like having nights and weekends free and/or you don't need the money.
If it's not possible, you should start considering the fact that Job B might actually be exploitative and stop feeling guilty about it. You shouldn't feel guilty at all, actually. When they "saved you from joblessness", they didn't just give you free money. You gave them something (time) in return. You held up your end of the bargain. But if they have no use for you, even at zero cost, beyond what you can do for them this very week, you should not have any use for them.
Quite honestly, if Job B is really as great as you make it out to be, and you're qualified for it, you should have no problem finding other opportunities if you decide later that you can do two jobs.
posted by kevinbelt at 7:06 PM on February 6, 2021 [2 favorites]
If it's not possible, you should start considering the fact that Job B might actually be exploitative and stop feeling guilty about it. You shouldn't feel guilty at all, actually. When they "saved you from joblessness", they didn't just give you free money. You gave them something (time) in return. You held up your end of the bargain. But if they have no use for you, even at zero cost, beyond what you can do for them this very week, you should not have any use for them.
Quite honestly, if Job B is really as great as you make it out to be, and you're qualified for it, you should have no problem finding other opportunities if you decide later that you can do two jobs.
posted by kevinbelt at 7:06 PM on February 6, 2021 [2 favorites]
So I started to say this on your previous question and omitted, but I think it stands here: Job B is retail. I have never heard of a retail job where people had the firmness of control of their schedule that you're seeking. I'm sure it exists but I feel like that is rare.
Going down your list of reasons to not quit:
a) You don't need this job, and they didn't "save you", they needed an employee you and you fit that need. That's how ALL jobs are.
b) You haven't been at Job A long enough to determine what your bandwidth to have a second job would be.
c) You haven't been at Job A long enough to determine whether you'll like the people as much or more than Job B.
d) Does Job A not offer benefits? If so this a huge problem.
e) Is the extra income worth the extra stress and loss of down time?
Honestly, leaving Job B on good terms now means that you could potentially go back if you had the energy, interest, and time. Staying on now and keeping both jobs means fighting your way through scheduling, dread, and exhaustion which does not bode well for either job.
posted by sm1tten at 7:42 PM on February 6, 2021 [6 favorites]
Going down your list of reasons to not quit:
a) You don't need this job, and they didn't "save you", they needed an employee you and you fit that need. That's how ALL jobs are.
b) You haven't been at Job A long enough to determine what your bandwidth to have a second job would be.
c) You haven't been at Job A long enough to determine whether you'll like the people as much or more than Job B.
d) Does Job A not offer benefits? If so this a huge problem.
e) Is the extra income worth the extra stress and loss of down time?
Honestly, leaving Job B on good terms now means that you could potentially go back if you had the energy, interest, and time. Staying on now and keeping both jobs means fighting your way through scheduling, dread, and exhaustion which does not bode well for either job.
posted by sm1tten at 7:42 PM on February 6, 2021 [6 favorites]
Everyone understands that most of us prefer or simply need full-time employment. You can quit your part-time job in a way that's completely professional and respectful, thanking your bosses and saying you'd love to return one day if your work schedule allows and they'd be interested in having you back. It's cool that it has good benefits, which would be reason to stay although it seems your new job will have them, too. If you can't commit to quitting just yet, perhaps you could ask to be furloughed?
posted by smorgasbord at 7:45 PM on February 6, 2021
posted by smorgasbord at 7:45 PM on February 6, 2021
Response by poster: d) Does Job A not offer benefits? If so this a huge problem.
Quick clarification: Job A offers full standard benefits—health insurance, retirement, vacation/sick leave, etc. Sorry if I was not clear in that aspect.
If it's not possible, you should start considering the fact that Job B might actually be exploitative
Do you mind clarifying what you meant by this?
posted by thoughtful_analyst at 7:55 PM on February 6, 2021
Quick clarification: Job A offers full standard benefits—health insurance, retirement, vacation/sick leave, etc. Sorry if I was not clear in that aspect.
If it's not possible, you should start considering the fact that Job B might actually be exploitative
Do you mind clarifying what you meant by this?
posted by thoughtful_analyst at 7:55 PM on February 6, 2021
Job B is affecting your performance at Job A. That is a good enough reason to quit.
posted by TurnKey at 8:14 PM on February 6, 2021 [10 favorites]
posted by TurnKey at 8:14 PM on February 6, 2021 [10 favorites]
Full time plus 20-24 hours a week is a lot. Staying in a job primarily from guilt is not good self care. Empaths need good self care.
posted by crunchy potato at 8:28 PM on February 6, 2021 [8 favorites]
posted by crunchy potato at 8:28 PM on February 6, 2021 [8 favorites]
While it definitely sounds like you should quit job B, it might be worth waiting a week or two to make this decision. If you're anything like me the first couple weeks in a new job is inevitably difficult, and it's hard to predict how stressful a situation might be long-term during my first few days. I do think it is very likely that doing both jobs is ultimately untenable - it is not generally reasonable to expect somebody to work one full-time job and another part-time - but you'll know for sure in a few weeks, whereas now it's speculation.
I will say you should probably discount the tax concern. The new 2020 W-4 doesn't allow for specific allowances because the personal exemption isn't a thing anymore, for any job, but this will be simple to resolve with any free online tax filing software. If you work two jobs you might owe taxes at the end of the year, but that will be more than offset by the additional income from working two jobs and filing will truly not be a big deal (at least not because you have both jobs - don't know what other tax complications you might have).
I've gone the other way, working a full time job and adding a part time job into the mix. It wasn't something I wanted to do forever but it did get a lot easier after my first couple weeks at the new part-time job. Honestly, if I were in this spot, I would keep both for a couple months simply because the extra income is nice and I'm not doing anything else due to the global pandemic, but I would plan on leaving job B within 6 months or so.
posted by exutima at 8:36 PM on February 6, 2021
I will say you should probably discount the tax concern. The new 2020 W-4 doesn't allow for specific allowances because the personal exemption isn't a thing anymore, for any job, but this will be simple to resolve with any free online tax filing software. If you work two jobs you might owe taxes at the end of the year, but that will be more than offset by the additional income from working two jobs and filing will truly not be a big deal (at least not because you have both jobs - don't know what other tax complications you might have).
I've gone the other way, working a full time job and adding a part time job into the mix. It wasn't something I wanted to do forever but it did get a lot easier after my first couple weeks at the new part-time job. Honestly, if I were in this spot, I would keep both for a couple months simply because the extra income is nice and I'm not doing anything else due to the global pandemic, but I would plan on leaving job B within 6 months or so.
posted by exutima at 8:36 PM on February 6, 2021
So, an alternate way to frame the issue (from someone who's been trying to work while burned out for over a year now):
Everything you do either drains or restores energy, in various amounts. This is separate from how much you enjoy doing it (like, exercise can be invigorating but also detestable, intellectual hobbies can be fun but draining, it varies person to person.)
If your work week plus your time off drains more energy than it's restoring, eventually you're gonna hit an exhaustion point & have a much harder time doing Job A or Job B, not to mention you'll be really unhappy & possibly physically ill.
It sounds from your post like you're getting your recharge in your time off & Job B is actively draining. It also kinda sounds like you know keeping both jobs is not going to be sustainable from an energy standpoint.
To address your specific reasons for not wanting to quit:
a) Guilt. I can hear my mom's voice inside my mind, scolding me for giving up and not keeping both jobs. Also guilt because Job B "saved" me from joblessness after I was laid off in 2019, even though the timing was purely coincidental.
(This point's a heavy & emotionally fraught one, so please know that I'm trying to counter it with empathy & not be a dick.)
You don't owe it to your mom -- and it sounds like it's not even your actual mom, but your internalization of your mom -- to work yourself into the ground. Nobody benefits from that, not even the companies you're working yourself into the ground for, because ultimately you'll be less productive from down there in the ground.
You also don't owe anything to Job B for coincidentally happening to hire you when you were laid off. Like kalimac said, they've survived as a company by doing what's best for the company, & you need to survive as a person by doing what's best for yourself.
b) What if Job A ends up not being as heavy/overwhelming as I thought, and I'd regret quitting?
If Job A winds up not being as heavy/overwhelming as you thought, then you've got more time & energy to spend on stuff that makes you happy!
c) I enjoy the people I work with at Job B. They're fun and cool people. (To be fair, people with Job A does seem pretty cool too, so far!)
Can you maintain the social ties with them? (I'm currently on a Discord my former manager started for a bunch of us who'd been laid off from/quit the company that gave me burnout, & it's a nice community.)
d) Job B does pay well, above minimum wage, and has good benefits for retail (health insurance, etc).
That's a consideration, sure. It sounds like Job A has your needs covered, so think about what you're willing to give up to get the extras from Job B.
e) While I don't need Job B to survive, it would provide me with a good source of extra income.
I have complicated feelings towards side gigging, but is there anything you find energizing that you could also monetize at a more favorable exchange rate of spare time for spare cash?
posted by taquito sunrise at 9:46 PM on February 6, 2021 [3 favorites]
Everything you do either drains or restores energy, in various amounts. This is separate from how much you enjoy doing it (like, exercise can be invigorating but also detestable, intellectual hobbies can be fun but draining, it varies person to person.)
If your work week plus your time off drains more energy than it's restoring, eventually you're gonna hit an exhaustion point & have a much harder time doing Job A or Job B, not to mention you'll be really unhappy & possibly physically ill.
It sounds from your post like you're getting your recharge in your time off & Job B is actively draining. It also kinda sounds like you know keeping both jobs is not going to be sustainable from an energy standpoint.
To address your specific reasons for not wanting to quit:
a) Guilt. I can hear my mom's voice inside my mind, scolding me for giving up and not keeping both jobs. Also guilt because Job B "saved" me from joblessness after I was laid off in 2019, even though the timing was purely coincidental.
(This point's a heavy & emotionally fraught one, so please know that I'm trying to counter it with empathy & not be a dick.)
You don't owe it to your mom -- and it sounds like it's not even your actual mom, but your internalization of your mom -- to work yourself into the ground. Nobody benefits from that, not even the companies you're working yourself into the ground for, because ultimately you'll be less productive from down there in the ground.
You also don't owe anything to Job B for coincidentally happening to hire you when you were laid off. Like kalimac said, they've survived as a company by doing what's best for the company, & you need to survive as a person by doing what's best for yourself.
b) What if Job A ends up not being as heavy/overwhelming as I thought, and I'd regret quitting?
If Job A winds up not being as heavy/overwhelming as you thought, then you've got more time & energy to spend on stuff that makes you happy!
c) I enjoy the people I work with at Job B. They're fun and cool people. (To be fair, people with Job A does seem pretty cool too, so far!)
Can you maintain the social ties with them? (I'm currently on a Discord my former manager started for a bunch of us who'd been laid off from/quit the company that gave me burnout, & it's a nice community.)
d) Job B does pay well, above minimum wage, and has good benefits for retail (health insurance, etc).
That's a consideration, sure. It sounds like Job A has your needs covered, so think about what you're willing to give up to get the extras from Job B.
e) While I don't need Job B to survive, it would provide me with a good source of extra income.
I have complicated feelings towards side gigging, but is there anything you find energizing that you could also monetize at a more favorable exchange rate of spare time for spare cash?
posted by taquito sunrise at 9:46 PM on February 6, 2021 [3 favorites]
Quit Job B, absolutely!
I understand where you're coming from. I am someone who has a lot of anxiety about big life changes, especially when money is involved. So I recognize and identify with all of the reasons for not quitting. But I also recognized that all of those reasons are products of anxiety and not logic. To address them one at a time:
a) Guilt.
I think you already know this isn't a good reason!
b) What if Job A ends up not being as heavy/overwhelming as I thought, and I'd regret quitting?
In that case you'll still have a full-time job with benefits, and you can get another retail job if you really want to. Maybe Job B will even hire you back.
c) I enjoy the people I work with at Job B.
Leaving coworkers you like is probably the hardest thing about leaving a job. But, it's also not a reason to stay in a job that doesn't work for you. Try to find a way to stay in touch with the coworkers you like the most.
d) Job B does pay well, above minimum wage, and has good benefits for retail (health insurance, etc).
Only the wage is relevant here, since you're already getting benefits from Job A.
e) While I don't need Job B to survive, it would provide me with a good source of extra income.
If you weigh the extra income against the amount of overwhelmed you felt this week, is it worth it?
It sounds like you want to quit Job B but are anxious about giving something up that has been a good part of your life. That's totally understandable. But you can do this!
posted by mekily at 10:18 PM on February 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
I understand where you're coming from. I am someone who has a lot of anxiety about big life changes, especially when money is involved. So I recognize and identify with all of the reasons for not quitting. But I also recognized that all of those reasons are products of anxiety and not logic. To address them one at a time:
a) Guilt.
I think you already know this isn't a good reason!
b) What if Job A ends up not being as heavy/overwhelming as I thought, and I'd regret quitting?
In that case you'll still have a full-time job with benefits, and you can get another retail job if you really want to. Maybe Job B will even hire you back.
c) I enjoy the people I work with at Job B.
Leaving coworkers you like is probably the hardest thing about leaving a job. But, it's also not a reason to stay in a job that doesn't work for you. Try to find a way to stay in touch with the coworkers you like the most.
d) Job B does pay well, above minimum wage, and has good benefits for retail (health insurance, etc).
Only the wage is relevant here, since you're already getting benefits from Job A.
e) While I don't need Job B to survive, it would provide me with a good source of extra income.
If you weigh the extra income against the amount of overwhelmed you felt this week, is it worth it?
It sounds like you want to quit Job B but are anxious about giving something up that has been a good part of your life. That's totally understandable. But you can do this!
posted by mekily at 10:18 PM on February 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
Ask yourself this: Is Job A + Job B working to live or living to work?
Do you need Job B in order to survive? If the answer is yes, then keep it.
If no, then think about what you would like to do with the free time you'll have without Job B. Watching TV or reading fanfic or surfing the internet are equally valid ways to spend your time as building furniture or learning how to weave or perfecting a souffle.
posted by Constance Mirabella at 11:14 PM on February 6, 2021 [2 favorites]
Do you need Job B in order to survive? If the answer is yes, then keep it.
If no, then think about what you would like to do with the free time you'll have without Job B. Watching TV or reading fanfic or surfing the internet are equally valid ways to spend your time as building furniture or learning how to weave or perfecting a souffle.
posted by Constance Mirabella at 11:14 PM on February 6, 2021 [2 favorites]
Job B is already not providing you with the flexibility you need to do Job A. Their lack of flexibility is undoubtedly going to cause problems keeping people happy at one or both jobs. There's also a risk/issue that the your lack of energy will mean that your performance at Job A is less good than it would otherwise be.
It sounds like you want to keep Job B as a safety net, but I think it is actually a trip wire. Leave Job B while you still have all the goodwill.
posted by plonkee at 1:03 AM on February 7, 2021 [3 favorites]
It sounds like you want to keep Job B as a safety net, but I think it is actually a trip wire. Leave Job B while you still have all the goodwill.
posted by plonkee at 1:03 AM on February 7, 2021 [3 favorites]
Quit Job B ASAP before exhaustion starts affecting your performance at Job A. Don't risk being successful at a new, full-time job out of a misplaced sense of guilt.
posted by emd3737 at 1:25 AM on February 7, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by emd3737 at 1:25 AM on February 7, 2021 [4 favorites]
Job B is scheduling you for shifts you can't work. Quit offically before you are fired as a no show. You don't need it, this is stress and just be done.
posted by AlexiaSky at 1:26 AM on February 7, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by AlexiaSky at 1:26 AM on February 7, 2021 [3 favorites]
Speaking as a former retail manager, there is nothing worse than being dragged along by someone who has a better job on top of the retail one and who becomes inflexible and exhausted.
Just quit now, on good terms. Leave when everyone is happy for you for your good fortunes in finding a good full time role.
posted by Jilder at 2:23 AM on February 7, 2021 [4 favorites]
Just quit now, on good terms. Leave when everyone is happy for you for your good fortunes in finding a good full time role.
posted by Jilder at 2:23 AM on February 7, 2021 [4 favorites]
Also guilt because Job B "saved" me from joblessness after I was laid off in 2019
If you leave, job B will hire someone to replace you who (especially in these pandemic times) may need it as badly as you did then.
posted by trig at 3:06 AM on February 7, 2021 [8 favorites]
If you leave, job B will hire someone to replace you who (especially in these pandemic times) may need it as badly as you did then.
posted by trig at 3:06 AM on February 7, 2021 [8 favorites]
Quitting because you got a full-time job is 100% the best reason to leave a retail job. It happens all. the. time, leaves no hard feelings, and keeps you in the "would rehire if their circumstances change" column.
posted by coppermoss at 4:29 AM on February 7, 2021
posted by coppermoss at 4:29 AM on February 7, 2021
Response by poster: Update:
I connected with my Job B store leader, explained the situation from start to finish, and asked for an additional week off, and was very honest and explained that I'm at a point where I'm not yet completely sure about my workload and needed a bit more time/room to decide whether or not to continue working at Job B. He seemed to understand, and said he would see what he could do about the mismatched schedules, take me off for this week, then check back in by this Friday or so with an update on my decision to stay or not.
I also asked about re-hiring (in case), and he said that as I was a great employee and had positive reviews, etc., that it should be easy to rehire, as long as they have a position open at the time.
I think this is a good compromise between either staying altogether, or leaving altogether. I really do need more time, and don't yet feel ready to make a decision. As kevinbelt pointed out, it could be that things could be easy enough at Job A that it might be manageable for the next couple of months or so (especially as it's still winter, and nobody is really going out, even distanced, anyway) and it'd be nice to have a bit of extra income during that time. I'm confident I'll be more likely to really learn more about my day-to-day duties at Job A this week, and will try to schedule a meeting with my new boss and really get a feel for things. Let's see what happens.
posted by thoughtful_analyst at 12:57 PM on February 7, 2021 [1 favorite]
I connected with my Job B store leader, explained the situation from start to finish, and asked for an additional week off, and was very honest and explained that I'm at a point where I'm not yet completely sure about my workload and needed a bit more time/room to decide whether or not to continue working at Job B. He seemed to understand, and said he would see what he could do about the mismatched schedules, take me off for this week, then check back in by this Friday or so with an update on my decision to stay or not.
I also asked about re-hiring (in case), and he said that as I was a great employee and had positive reviews, etc., that it should be easy to rehire, as long as they have a position open at the time.
I think this is a good compromise between either staying altogether, or leaving altogether. I really do need more time, and don't yet feel ready to make a decision. As kevinbelt pointed out, it could be that things could be easy enough at Job A that it might be manageable for the next couple of months or so (especially as it's still winter, and nobody is really going out, even distanced, anyway) and it'd be nice to have a bit of extra income during that time. I'm confident I'll be more likely to really learn more about my day-to-day duties at Job A this week, and will try to schedule a meeting with my new boss and really get a feel for things. Let's see what happens.
posted by thoughtful_analyst at 12:57 PM on February 7, 2021 [1 favorite]
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posted by freethefeet at 6:14 PM on February 6, 2021 [6 favorites]