Interesting Dilemma

craigmandu

Ok, so let me preface. My company lost a contract I worked on for about 4 years this past September. We got underbid by a competitor and they took over the work.

I made the decision then to stay with my company (very large company) because my bosses basically begged me to (I think they thought the new company would fail and we would be brought back in), and they decided we would start going after some different work that wanted me to spearhead.

So this new work required that I get a team together and get them/myself trained to support the tasks they want us to undertake. So I've been on company overhead since September of last year. Doing all sorts of weird things, but no "steady" work. I still get paid mind you, but the company has been paying my salary without any real "revenue" to show for it.

Well, the folks where I use to work are now courting me to come back there. It would be roughly the same pay (maybe a couple k less overall), however the work is guaranteed for the next 4 years.

I just hit my 5 year anniversary with my present company. I am a manager here with 5 employees under me.

My dilemma is I'm not sure which is the best move for me. I would be "starting" over so to speak with the new company, but the work is stable/solid...I have been getting "feelings" that my present company is starting to get a bit "tired" of the situation I am in with them, and they have me chasing all kinds of work, even work out of the country, to try to re-coup some of the overhead they are blowing on paying me and the other 4 on my team.

Do you think I should cut my ties and move on to the more stable position?

craigmandu

Bump

labeachgirl

If you don't see an end in sight to the busywork and you feel that the top brass will eventually make your job redundant, then I'd start exploring your options. Any possibility of moving to another stable position within your current company?

The best position to negotiate for another job is when you're currently employed...

clydethecat

thats a sticky wicket. is it more than just a feeling that your current company is getting tired of you? can you live on less money? is the new job interesting to you? do you have loyalty to your current company that outweighs wanting to move on?

its exciting i think. a new opportunity. just yesterday one of our employees, that has been with us for 30years, quit to go to a new company. it hurts because we're a seasonal business and summer is our busy season. but its exciting. we get to go in a new direction, we're going to take on some new staff, focus on a different part of the business.

neither option is terminal. its all in how you make it. go where your head and your heart want to be.

craigmandu

Those are good words.

I have checked about movement within my company....but sadly that would mean moving to a different city, which neither I or my wife really want to do, our youngest is entering his Junior year of high school.

It's not so much that my company is getting "tired" of me, more so that they haven't gotten the "work" to support what we are doing. We have burned alot of overhead money, spending many thousands on training for the 4 of us, and salaries that they aren't making money to cover. I'm not naive enough to think that my "dedication" outweighs the business, if they decide enough is enough, well, that's just life.

I previously worked at said place, and they want me to come back because they don't want to have to train up a new person (it is a very complicated environment, and takes even good network engineers about a year to learn it wel). I'm more of a instant fit for them.

I was fine in my previous job, I have/had no animosity towards it, it is different than what I"m doing now, and I'd say I'm about equally as happy as far as being challenged enough....

So it is really a rough decision for me...I just got word that i should expect a call from the "new" company to discuss options within the next couple of days. So it is weighing heavy on my mind.

amyk0202

I would probably go with the job that offered more long term stability--I'm not much of a financial risk taker. If your current employer is not making the revenue to cover what they have trained you for, it seems like it would only be a matter of time before that is no longer sustainable for them & just not good business to keep throwing more money in that direction. I would see if you could negotiate a salary more in line with what you are currently making with the other company & probably move there.