Handing my notice in at a bad time - is that okay?

[SarahCrowcombe]

Am I being unreasonable by handing my notice in now?

I have hated my job - I escaped teaching (which I loved, but it destroyed me) and started a job in marketing at an NGO. It was okay at the start, but I then soon found that it didn't interest me in the slightest, and the lack of human contact and constant screen time started to negatively affected me and my mental health.

Fast forward to 7 months in, and my lovely Line Manager left for a better paid role elsewhere. The company didn't replace him, leaving me to do both jobs (with only 7 mths experience in that field and no formal training). The company said that they wouldn't replace him and wanted to hold his job open with the view to giving it to me (in a year when I have more experience), and they got an agency in for a few hours a week. So I have now taken on a massive workload and am basically now doing the manager job anyway (and I am totally lost because there is so much I am being asked to, of which I have no idea how to do, and am being given ZERO help or training from my boss who just says: 'sorry I don't know'). On top of this, I took a £10,000 pay cut when I first took the job and have struggled financially. I also know the manager job that they want to give me in a year, will be a tiny salary increase - hence why my line manager left in the first place.

So, I have just been offered a job in Student Support at a brilliant University. Much more up my street, in Education, a £6,000 pay rise, great career progression, amazing holiday, amazing maternity (for future planning - my current job has almost no maternity pay), options for doing their apprenticeships whilst also being paid (so I can retrain in another career should I want to) and they seem super lovely! So overall, MUCH better for me!

BUT, I feel terrible. Me handing in my notice will come totally out of the blue, and will be leaving everyone in the lurch. The boss will likely be extremely annoyed because they've kept the manager role open for me, and they will have lost the entire team in the space of a few months. It is also a very bad time for the company in many ways, and they are VERYYY stretched for staff (with another manager quitting in another team last month, who they haven't replaced yet either), and I feel like I will be letting my close colleagues down and leaving them all alone.

I think I am looking for a little reassurance if possible.

Thank you so much in advance! 😊

Go and don't look back. They are taking the piss with the manager role and will pretend it's doing you a favour.

As an HR person, my view is - tough shit to them.

They have put you in an impossible situation.

You'd be a fool to pass up this opportunity.

Don't feel guilty at all.

If they're "keeping the role open" the can pay you accordingly for the work you're doing out of the budget saving not recruiting a backfill. It's their own problem. Not yours

This. All day.

don’t feel bad. They’ve totally strung you along.

They've not kept the manager job open for you, they made you do the job without the extra pay or title. They are not a good employer, good employers don't lose all their employees. Go for the other job and don't look back.

Go for it; you have to look out for yourself. They are showing that they pretty much don't care for staff, by how they are treating you.
I will warn you, though. Higher Education is in a VERY difficult place at the moment. The sector is on its knees. I've worked in HE for over 20 years, and the last 3 years have been the toughest I've ever experienced. Don't get me wrong, I still see the value of it, and still want to do it, more than any other job, but it is challenging. I do hope you enjoy your new role, though - I don't mean to put you off!!

Go, and go right now, hand your notice in today. Your colleagues will probably leave anyway if the company is just saving money by not bothering to hire enough staff.

Have you gone yet?

Not a promotion, but I’ve been told before at work that I’d be given some more responsibilities in a few months time, with an associated pay rise.

It never happened.

You don't owe them anything, go without a backwards glance.

However, student support could be a really, really difficult role. It's typically horrifically under resourced and students experiencing more and more problems. Make sure you're taking the new job with your eyes wide open.

You owe them nothing.

You do work for them, they pay you for it. That's the extent of what you owe each other. There's no such thing as loyalty in employment. They wouldn't hesitate to get rid of you if they needed to, so why would you hesitate to get rid of them.

If they have no contingency in place for when one of their staff quits, that's on them, not you.

As I read through the list in your OP, I said "so?" out loud. Those are all Them Problems and not for you to worry about.

Congratulations on your new role - go and don't look back.

It’s never going to be a good time to leave. Take the new job and I hope you will be happier.

You owe them nothing other than your notice period.

Hand your notice in on Monday morning!

Enjoy your new job!

Of course you can leave. They're nit showing any consideration to you so why should you to them!

Why are you even giving this headspace. You work for a business, it isn't personal. They would get rid of you in a heartbeat if they had to. Everybody is free to leave somewhere whether it is for better terms and conditions or just that a new opportunity is more your cuppa. This is your life, make decisions to better your life. Staying somewhere because you think they are being left in the lurch is lunacy.

Besides which they sound like awful employer. If they have trouble recruiting staff they need to do a bit of thinking why that might be the case. But that is not your problem.

Move on. Physically and mentally.

Sorry to burst your bubble but they haven’t held the manager role open for you but to save the money! But the boss seems to know what to say to give you the guilts.

take the job and celebrate, your current employer is clearly not a good one.

Please leave! I'm a director in an an NGO and I'm embarrassed reading this. Their inability to retain staff is not your problem. 'Holding' a job for a year is utter nonsense. I've heard it all now. You're already doing it and your original job. Ffs. They should have either replaced the person or promoted you, then helped you get fast tracked to doing the role with confidence. Leave, and stick it to them in the exit iv as well.

I agree with everyone else. They mighrbas well be saying show me your knickers and I'll make you a star.

They're doing this for themselves. Not you. And you owe them nothing

At the end of the day, work is transactional. You do it to get paid. You're simply a commodity they have not supported. Leave and run into your new role

What they will do is dangle this carrot in front of you and just before your two years is up they will fire you and get someone else . They have saved themselves £££in the meantime. Look after number one O/P use these firms like they use their workers.

Congratulations on the new job. It sounds fab. Anyone is replaceable. If they wanted to keep you they should have let you do your actual job not a higher up one you didn't want for no pay. As another poster said it's a problem of their own making. Some charities are like this unfortunately

WTH! Are you mad? Of course you should do what's right for you. Organisations will always do what's right for them (as they've made very clear to you by making you do two people's jobs on crap pay). Everyone is replaceable. There is no such thing as loyalty to employees. Do what you need to do. There is zero reason to feel guilty.

Go for it. Work your notice, and you'll have done nothing wrong. If it was that great a place to work, they wouldn't be losing staff at this rate.

They aren't keeping the job open for you, they are making you do all the work and saving a whole salary. They are rubbing their hands together and counting the savings each month while watching you struggle. They'll have you replaced in no time and if they can't then maybe they'll realise they have to increase their salaries in order to be competitive.

Don’t feel terrible! The company clearly doesn’t feel terrible that they have left you untrained with an extra role on top of your own. If the company struggles you’ll be out of it so won’t have to worry or deal with it, they’ve only got themselves to blame for not replacing previous employees, sounds like there’s a reason people keep leaving.