Susan's Place Transgender Resources

I've mentioned in a few other posts that work hasn't been great lately. We have a new CEO and Deputy CEO, we just moved to a new office which is nice but had to lose four staff (one a dear friend of 15 years) to pay for it. The staff are generally very unhappy and disgusted with management, I'm feeling increasingly like work is a dagger in my guts slowly twisting deeper everyday. I loved my job but with all the recent changes and the disregard for loyal staff it has become a poisoned chalice. There are other things I'd like to say but given the public nature of the forum I'll keep my mouth shut.

Bottom line is that I'm looking for another job. This is a right pain because I have a lot of sick leave saved up which I was going to use for my doodle-2-VJ surgery next year sometime. Changing jobs will lose me that safety net.

I'd rather a year of electrolysis than stay in my current job any longer than I have to but would I be cutting off my nose to spite my doodle? Discuss!

Have faith....Doors will always close but others will always open...That is life...Just stay positive and don't be afraid girl...trust...

don't be afraid to do better

Hi Grace

I recall your previous posts on the changes at your work, but I feel that it's an important safety net to have so much sick leave available to you, and that you should try to persevere. 

If you were to change jobs and forfeit this sick leave, I assume you'd have to take unpaid leave for SRS for a couple of months, and this would be over 16% of your annual income.  Ouch!

My job changed recently, and unattainable goals have been imposed. I am highly disillusioned.  But the upside is that I don't have to travel, and hence can do my twice-weekly electro sessions, as much as I hate them.  Pro's and con's...  :-\

Wait until you are all snipped and tucked, and then vote with your feet!

Julia

Quote from: Ms Grace on November 07, 2014, 04:13:48 PM
I've mentioned in a few other posts that work hasn't been great lately. We have a new CEO and Deputy CEO, we just moved to a new office which is nice but had to lose four staff (one a dear friend of 15 years) to pay for it. The staff are generally very unhappy and disgusted with management, I'm feeling increasingly like work is a dagger in my guts slowly twisting deeper everyday. I loved my job but with all the recent changes and the disregard for loyal staff it has become a poisoned chalice. There are other things I'd like to say but given the public nature of the forum I'll keep my mouth shut.

Bottom line is that I'm looking for another job. This is a right pain because I have a lot of sick leave saved up which I was going to use for my doodle-2-VJ surgery next year sometime. Changing jobs will lose me that safety net.

I'd rather a year of electrolysis than stay in my current job any longer than I have to but would I be cutting off my nose to spite my doodle? Discuss!

Before quitting, I would send your resume' out and try to get a few interviews first.
It might suck now, but sometimes new management can help in the long run, I know your friend won't think that now.

Remember at this role you should have a heap of leave built up, sick leave and if you've been there long enough, long service, all this could be used as paid time off for SRS and it'll make it a lot easier coming back to a role you've been in for a while than a new role which do get filled very quickly.
If things haven't changed after SRS, then quit, but I say hold out a bit longer.
Has your friend working to fair work? make sure he gets all his right pay and looked after.

Nicole

As someone who has only been part-time once and had all the benefits that affords. Stay that sick leave you have built up will be vital for your recovery time,  and help relieve some stress in not having to worry about your bank balance while you're not working.

Unless you can by the end of things month be able to make a living in Sydney off your comic, I would stay in the job. Think of it as a 'good job', ie one that will pay for what I need sick leave include.

You mentioned your you are planning surgery next year. Think of this as your final 52 weeks of work. Or the last 525600 minutes before you leave, how do you measure a year? That's up to you

I'd test the waters in the job market you don't have to accept any offer and you'd find out what's out there and you could happen on an offer too good to refuse.

Yeah I would start looking. You pass so it should be not that hard, right?

Lately I've been questioning my job myself. I have 7 years service with them so I'm pretty much secure in a lot of things and I've already talked to HR and my manager about transition.

But when I tell people where I work I either lose friends or gain a fan. Then I'm kinda burned out too and I've been getting recruiters like crazy. I've been sought out by top firms in Silicon Valley including Facebook. But I can't just pick up and move to the west coast. I also don't want to be far from my kids if my wife and I split.

Do what you need to do for you.

I agree, you need to do what you need to do for you.  Places do change as management and its focus changes. 

I was struggling at my last job as I was just starting therapy and not even admitting things to myself.  My manager was not the best so I looked for and actually walked into a new job that paid more!  Better manager too!  When I resigned, for the first time in my life I got marched out the door almost like they were angry they hadn't managed to sack me.  After 4 years, that workplace was just not the right fit any more.  Fortunately, I saw it and did something about it.  It wasn't the firm but the vibe in our group. It has since become very LGBTIQ aware company.

I also wanted to be in a job I was certain I could transition in place which wasn't the case in the old job. I am 10 days away from the wider announcement at work and then taking 6 weeks off for FFS.  It is nice to have the goodwill of your management for these things.

I have also found that it is much easier to get a new job while you still have the old one.  I have tended to be more positive too.

Good luck Grace.

IMO, life is way too short to work where you hate it, as long as there is some alternative.

Good luck. You're pretty terrific. Your future employer will be lucky to have you.

Grace, I'm really sorry that you're in this position.

As far as I know, it's pretty standard for companies to pay departing employees the going rate for accrued sick leave -- is that not the case with your employer? If it is, you should get a lump sum in lieu of the sick leave you haven't used; in that case, you'd have a "nest egg" to pay yourself for time off from a new job.

QuoteGood luck. You're pretty terrific. Your future employer will be lucky to have you.

This!

I think that this is what opportunity looks like  :)

Of course you have to balance your financial situation against the security of already having a job, but it never hurts to stick your toe into the water to find out whats out there and what you are worth in the market. Never let your employer think they have you for life and take you for granted; if they ever start that it's time to hit the door.

I like what Suzi said - life is short and being stuck in a job that grinds you down is miserable; I was forced to work in a series of crappy jobs for years and years - that time was a very dark era for me. I had small children and a wife that was a stay at home mother and I needed the financial security of those jobs, but that security came at a personal cost - it was a very, very low period in my life where I was going nowhere.

So get out there girl and see what's waiting for you!  8)

Grace, give the new paradign a chance, seriously.

We have never quite learned from our mistakes that every time we take over or merge companies that there is disgust among survivor staff, culture change, shock and a general malaise among all involved. We never are proactive enough as management to be able to significantly resource all that is needed to quell the fears and disdain among employees before we have a chance to begin the building processes to make things comfortable and great again (yeah, I am one of those evil executives that "save" corporations).

At some level you must believe and integrate with the process, and take the change in small doses, looking back eventually that albeit it is not the same as before, but perhaps not as overwhelming as it once felt (sounds a lot like going through the processes of transition).

We cannot predict how the change will look 1 month, 6 months or two years from now, we must adapt and celebrate the small positives and create our own positive spin.

I do not know of your personal professional difficulties with the firm, but I would bet that some change was necessary for survival to adapt to the new economies or environment.

Buck up kiddo, we never can predict the future, but knowing what I do about you, I have great confidence you are going to be fine.

I never left a job willingly until I had another lined up. Of course, I was laid off a few times in mergers. Take control and do what you can to move on and out. Yes, the sick leave is hard to give up. But you'll figure something else out. Most companies give time off for surgeries and you get some sort of disability for long term leave. At least that's how it works in the US.

Chin up!

Thank you everyone for your support and thoughts. It's a tough one alright! I definitely wouldn't jump without a job I felt comfortable going into. I think I'll start applying just to see what chance I have. I've been with my organisation for over 15 years, maybe a change is on the cards anyway? If nothing else it will give me the practice of applying as a woman. It's definitely a chance to examine my options. :)

Ms Grace,
LOL.. a year of electrolysis ... ugh.. you must be in pain... !  I am due for my third full face clearing Dec 5th.. and wow the first two in Dallas.. ouch..
Anyway, I hope you can hang on long enough to keep your safety net and keep all options open.
U have been inspiring to me over the last year..
Good luck girl.
Carrie

Remember too everyone
We work to live, not live to work

Quote from: Ms Grace on November 07, 2014, 09:52:54 PM
Thank you everyone for your support and thoughts. It's a tough one alright! I definitely wouldn't jump without a job I felt comfortable going into. I think I'll start applying just to see what chance I have. I've been with my organisation for over 15 years, maybe a change is on the cards anyway? If nothing else it will give me the practice of applying as a woman. It's definitely a chance to examine my options. :)

it's a lot more fun with the internet just load up the resume and push button.

Yikes..... I can relate to this scenario as I just went through something similar. I have learned through the years that companies have good years and bad years and only you can decide based on all your needs and sweat equity in the company if it is worth it to you to weather the storm or not. I personally went through a phase of almost 2 years of grief with a previous boss and management. I hung low not rocking the boat and then grabbed opportunities when they became available. I am glad I did as I am doing quite well now and it is a 180 degree change from before. I think it is unrealistic to have the perfect work environment all the time just like a marriage you have good years and not so good years and only you can decide if the long haul is worth it. On the flip side knowing when to leave is just as important but usually our personal lives do not jive with work ups and downs.

I hope you find a solution and peace with your current situation as the stress can be over whelming.

Hi Grace,

This is a tough call. You are doing the right thing by questioning your current position and looking elsewhere. If you were let go your sick time would not have a value. So I would look and if a good opportunity arose then you would have hard decisions to make. Now you are preparing to avoid a potential layoff.

Do you know....that as long as you have 3 points of contact, you are stable and can make progress.



Look for a new postion, keep the old until you a) gain a position which will understand you will need some time off and provide paid time off for you. or b) keep this until you get SRS and then skedaddle.    Meanwhile, Some bills can be prepaid to buy you time for when you need it. Most utilities and phone companies for example.

Plan a minimal budget for several months and then slowly pay those ahead until it is time to go.

Quote from: LordKAT on November 08, 2014, 06:03:11 PM
Meanwhile, Some bills can be prepaid to buy you time for when you need it. Most utilities and phone companies for example.

Plan a minimal budget for several months and then slowly pay those ahead until it is time to go.

Now that is an awesome idea, thanks!

Yeah, don't let things build up and then blow your lid. I did that recently and was not prepared, basically screwed myself in the process. Its a good thing that you're thinking through it rather than reacting completely emotionally.

I'm going to work on my resume and application skills. See if I get an interview first, see if I get a job that suits and then take it from there. I think I need to have practice going to interviews - haven't had one in many years and certainly haven't had one since I transitioned. If I get a new job neat that works for me and my GRS needs then that's great, if not I'll keep looking, until then I still have my current job.

Some temp agencies will let you do practice interviews. They are pretty good at having a handle on the type of questions employers are currently asking.

A couple of months ago I was in a similar situation. I was very disillusioned with my old job, and my employer...did not like how he was running things, kept seeing the mistakes he was making, but he wouldn't listen to me, or any of the others there. He gets rid of one of the friendliest workers there. He gets rid of the hardest worker there. Makes the announcement that the business is closing in October next year. I had to start thinking of myself, my future, and started looking for another job. And I was fortunate that the new job I found was for more money (slightly longer hours), I now work a ten minute walk from my wife, my doctor who is overseeing my treatment is in a medical practice just up the road, and my psychologist is a short walk just on the other side of Central Station.

A more secure job was the most important thing for me, but I was lucky I had extra benefits on top of that