Wasn’t sure how to title this!
A couple of years ago, I was approached about a job that was similar to my current position, but would grow into succeeding into a senior position. This reflected how I wanted my career to grow, I liked the company, and was unlikely to be able to get the same career growth at existing job, so I took it.
2 years down the line, the person in the senior role is showing no signs of retirement, gets very defensive if anyone ever mentions it (not by me!!) and starts making noises about age discrimination. I’ve mentioned to the CEO and HR Manager that I was kind of expecting to be moving into the role by now, but the current person has basically said they’ll be staying for at least another 4 years (when they will be 70).
The company has merged with another company since I started, and the senior team benefitted from very large bonuses that will continue for the next 4 years (ie why the senior person won’t be leaving!). One thing I brought up in my interview was the prospect of a merger and was told it wouldn’t happen. I thought it probably would, so also partly took the job hoping that something may happen in the future, and I’d see some of the benefit. So now it’s happened, and I’m not seeing the benefit!
Now I don’t know what to do. HR Manager and CEO very much want me to stay and are worried I’m a flight risk. Have asked me to consider what incentives I’d need to stay. I’ve seen another role being advertised elsewhere which I could apply for, but no guarantee I’d get it, I don’t know what the salary would be, would require a lot of travel to the business hub, and ultimately, I still like the company I’m currently working for. Although my skills are very flexible, I’m specialised in an industry I love, but which is also going through a difficult, sustained downturn, so jobs within the same sector aren’t plentiful (although moving sectors shouldn’t be too difficult if I was forced to do so).
I’m nearly 50, so I was hoping this would be my last big job before retirement, but I really didn’t want to start it in my mid-late 50s! There is also a (probably small, but still there) risk at the end of the 4 years, that the merged company might want someone new in the role, or might centralize the function, and I could lose it having waited 6 years for it.
So, what do I do? What do I ask for? Do I cut my losses (the idea of recruitment, job hunting and settling into a new (senior) role from scratch again makes me feel a bit sick), or stick it out?