AIBU to have concerns about this job?

[Gladrags9]

I work for charity A and we are based in the same office as charity B. We all get on really well and about a month ago a couple of people from the other charity suggested that I apply for a position that had become available. It is a more interesting role and better paid. I was offered the job and accepted by email but nothing signed yet and am due to start in the New Year. A couple of days after I’d accepted, another organisation C I work closely with suggested that I apply for a position with them (same pay as the new job, very secure and less stressful). However, as I’d accepted the new job, I felt it would be morally wrong to apply. Around this time, a few people at charity B were told that they are facing redundancy and are understandably very upset that I’ve been offered this job. Some people in my charity knew this and obviously everyone at charity B but nobody thought to mention it to me until a couple of days ago. I just wish someone from my organisation had told me as I would have considered organisation C and now it is too late. I feel really bad about the whole thing because the staff facing job losses would be far better placed to do the job than me and I hate to think of any of them being without work. My job is being advertised at the moment and one has applied for that and I think the others are getting help from their union. So, I’ve gone from potentially having three jobs to choose from, to not knowing whether I’ll have any job at all in the New Year! I don’t even know if I can stay where I am if my job is being advertised. AIBU to be feel very uncomfortable about this? My main issue is that I really like these people and it just feels wrong to take a job that one of them would better qualified to do. My other concern is that I could be given notice very quickly indeed and I will struggle to find another position as it's always harder to get a job when you haven't got one.

Sounds very odd (& I work for a charity). Can you approach someone in Charity B and ask them for a clear explanation of the redundancy procedure, what jobs are going (is this work being covered, will you be expected to do it?).

I suggest you also approach charity C to discuss the job opportunity there, you haven’t signed anything so you are not committed to anything.

Are these recognised charities or very informally run? Do they have proper HR policies and procedures?

They're recognised charities with lots of offices. Job opp with C has definitely gone now, so too late for that. I think I will have a chat with the new charity. The jobs going aren't related to what I'd be doing but I know that a couple are well qualified to do the job. Oh dear, it was all so exciting to begin with and now it's a bit of a mess.

I'm slightly peeved that my colleagues didn't give me the heads up about what's going on. I really like them and would have alerted them if I'd known about something like this.

the staff facing job losses would be far better placed to do the job than me Well clearly not since you got the job. If that were true theyd have been encouraged to apply and would have been appointed.

As for the charity c job, well thats on you im afraid. You seem to be applying morals and social convention to business. It's business. An exchange of services. Please always in future serve your own interests first. Businesses do just that so you should too.

Have you been told that your new job is at risk?

I'd be keen to contact charity B and check on how the redundancies will affect you; but otherwise it seems that some other roles are being made redundant and you've catastrophised that a bit?

If the people being made redundant were the preferred people to do your new job; they'd have been offered it instead of you.

Charity C isn't relevant here, really. You may have preferred that job and it sounds like you regret not applying for it; but that was your call. If you are certain that there is no way to undo that; forget about it. It's confusing how you feel. It was never really a potential job if you didn't put an application in.

That is all really good advice. Thank you. I haven't been told anything about the new job. The people being made redundant didn't know they'd be losing their jobs until a few days after I'd been offered the role.

It was really dumb of me to apply morals in business. Other people told me so at the time but I always think that working for a charity is a bit different and I hate letting people down. It was just stupid but good advice to let the whole thing with C go now as it's just confusing things!