Work dilemma

[shouldijump]

So I have a work dilemma and a kind of life dilemma. Would welcome views of others.

Have been at current company for a bit over 10 years and pretty much most of my time whilst I have had DC ie only company have worked for when I have had to juggle balancing work And Home.

Company provides a lot of flexibility and including at times homeworking roles which has been great. A couple of years ago I got promoted to senior management but then subsequently was messed around and for last couple of years I have been doing roles that I am overqualified for. Basically I felt that the company stitched me up. I am still getting paid what I am but doing the work has been confidence destroying as I thought I was better than this. I am better than this. The only reason I have stuck with it is because it gave me the flexibility to be around for my DC.

I have come to a point however where I need to make a decision. Company going through reorganisation and there is a possibility that I will be offered a redundancy package. The package is quite good and I would get just over 12 months (I think). I also have an option of applying for new roles that again would pay the bills but for which I am over qualified for (I believe). Company would like me to apply for the roles.

I have always put my family first and I need to work for financial reasons. Within the family we are going through a very difficult time as my DS has been sick and has missed a lot of school due to mental health issues. He is on the mend but still it is hard to know how things are going to pan out.

So the options that I have are:

1. Take the redundancy that will allow me to have time with my family without thinking about work. The payment will buy me that time with a view that I then get another job within a year or so consulting. Having the time off is so tempting as it has been a very difficult few months. But also I just feel like at this point in my career I want to not settle anymore and give it a real go of getting a job in another company that will stretch and develop me - although is unlikely to be as flexible. It is a risk and ofcourse I lack confidence whether I will get a better job and am worried that I might be shooting myself in the foot. I also worry that what if I do get a big role and I can't make it work due to status at home. For what's its

Worth DH wants me to take this option as he thinks that at this point in my career I do need to think about myself and take a risk. He is confident I would get a good job and has said that we will have other options if financial issues become a reality or remortgage or him move apply for a better paid role.

1. The other option is to apply for the roles at my current company - that I probably have a good chance of getting. There will be a slight reduction in benefits but my salary will stay the same. I would be doing this just to keep the money coming in. The role is really not that interesting. They have been very understanding with regards to the difficulties that I have had at home but I don't know how long this would last. Ofcourse if I do this I miss out on the opportunity to take a good redundancy package. The advantage of this option is that it is risk free and allows for continuity of a job.

What would you do and can somebody advise me? I have to balance support for my family with financial stability with my own self belief and doing something for me.

This is the first time that I have written all of this out so that is a helpful process but would welcome thought or questions about things I may not have considered.

I think you need to feel fulfilled at work.

I would take the redundancy package (if offered) but start looking for jobs now anyway. That way, you could potentially move straight into a new job without the uncertainty of time off and you wouldn’t miss out on a potentially perfect role. You would, however, still have the safety net of a redundancy package if you are made redundant.

Hope that makes sense!

Wow so you get the salary of a senior manager but not the stress of the job, plus flexibility for your children is that right?

Surely this is the job that most mums want. Most of us with youngish children have to work in part time lower paid jobs with no career prospects whatsoever. I don't think you realise how lucky you have been.
If you took the redundancy how likely is it that you will be able to get a new job? With Brexit are we likely to go into recession? If so the first jobs out of the window will be the family friendly ones.

Think very carefully op, unless you have a very specific skill set that's in very short demand and live near a large city with plenty of jobs I wouldn't personally take the redundancy.

I agree with Fairy. Taking a redundancy is a big risk, especially if your company has been flexible and paid a good salary. Some times we just don’t get everything we want when we want it.

Thank you for those thoughts. The fact that both give opposite recommendation shows my dilemma. My DC are older now so not very young and I am near a big city. I have pretty good and varied experience rather than a unique rare skill. I guess my main reason for considering the time off is so that I can be around to support DS who is going through a very difficult time. So it's not usual stuff. It is a particularly difficult time for us as a family. Doing this whilst juggling the role does add stress to me. If it wasn't for the leaver package I would not consider leaving now. But it is a risk.

Especially knowing Brexit is likely to impact roles/salaries.

This is the dilemma I had towards the beginning of the year. My situation pretty much the same as yours - good salary, long service, flexible employer. The down side was that I was bored and unmotivated.

I took the money.

I figured that it would give me enough of a buffer to find something new and also a nice pot of money ( which we put to good use going up the house and getting a new car, savings etc)

I'm not going to lie, it was difficult to leave somewhere after 10+ years, but looking for a new job made me realise there is a whole world of opportunity out there. I found was getting stale where I was and the longer I stayed, the harder it would be for me to find a new role.

1. Seems a bit of a no brainer to me, though deliberately 'losing' a job does seem a bit scary and counterintuitive.

I recently left a well paid, flexible but unfulfilling job because I felt stifled and like my career was in the doldrums... it was a bit of a wrench but I'm glad I did it as I really felt like I could do the job in my sleep and was capable of much more.

Unfortunately the job I left it for turned out to be completely unsuitable, but I've just secured another job that will hopefully take my career to the next level.

It is a massive gamble, but I didn't want to feel like my career had stopped at this junior level, and I'm in my 40s now with school age children so I had to go for career fulfilment over the easy life.

I'd say take the redundancy, 12 months gives you a fair whack of time to find something else and a bit of a safety net in case you don't get something straight away.

Thank you for your experiences- that is actually really reassuring. I want to take that next step. I am hoping to have some clarity before Xmas and I will take the holidays to think about things and start the new year with a decision either way. I wouldn't leave for a few months as I have a long notice period unless they decide to let me go early. I doubt it though as my role doesn't become redundant for a few months and the work would still need to be done. There are a number of people in the unit who have recently resigned and resources are scarce in the short term.

I think I’d take the money, 12 months money could allow you to work part time after a few months for 18+ months while you’re looking for the next step.