Should I resign from new job?

[workdilemawoman]

I have recently started a new role. Partly because my skills are niche, also as I need to work part-time, I have taken a job which is a step down for me in terms of responsibility. However, I am lucky I can afford the lower salary, and was happy to no longer have line management responsibilities. Also, it looked interesting and matches my skill set well.

I mostly work on my own and liaise with the trustees of the charity via email but didn’t get to meet them in-person until last week. It was awful. I made the mistake (I now realise) of admitting I had worked at a higher level at my last job and hoped they could make use of my experience. Instead I was told how wonderful my predecessor was and how I should work exactly as they had. But in an overly aggressive and rude way. In addition, I was berated for an issue that I was assured wasn’t my fault but still had three people angrily telling me what I’d done wrong. (Too boring to go into but I honestly don’t know how I was meant to know and think it was mostly about the Chair’s ego/need for control.)

I am used to working more collaboratively, and in my previous role the charity trustees appreciated what I did and were open to ideas and suggestions.

If the message had been ‘thanks but we just want you to do the job exactly as per the JD’, I would have been sad but probably sucked it up as only a 12 month contact. But due to the rudeness and patronising tone, I don’t think I can. My partner thinks I should at least try and talk to them first but it has upset me so much, I’m not sure I can and just wan to go. It's all I've been able to think about all weekend.

Any advice gratefully received. I realise I was probably an idiot to take on this job in the first place!

If you can afford to walk away, and would be able to secure a better job elsewhere then yes. They shouldn't be able to get away with treating someone like that.

Why is it only 12 month? Is the predecessor returning or is it more that they are deliberately not giving a permanent contract because they think that will make it easier to get rid of someone if they don't like them?

I would resign if possible, citing that it was very clear at the recent meeting both that you aren't actually the person they want for this role (a clone of the predecessor with no independence of thought or beneficial experience that might bring innovation) and this role isn't the right one for you (as you will hate being so confined). Apologise for your part in not working out this mismatch during the recruitment phase and wish them all the best in finding someone more suitable.

If you can't afford a hiatus while you find the next thing you may need to swallow it and buckle down until you find something to move to, but if it was a mistake it is best dealt with swiftly.

If you can afford it, tell them to shove the job on the basis of the chair and two other trustees being utter wankers.

Thanks, that'd helpful.

There's boring reasons why it's 12 months, but the role will likely still exist afterwards, although possibly with different T&Cs.

I think me not being what they are looking for (and vice versa) may be the way to go if I do resign.

I can afford to not work for a while as DP has good job and I have a small second income.

I like your style! This was my first reaction after leaving the meeting. Which changed to embarrassed and upset over the day.

Why fluff around the subject? When you submit your resignation, tell the BoT exactly why - their unprofessional behaviour.

It's probably why the predecessor jacked the job in as well.

By all means say that when going for another role, but the Trustees as a whole need to know that they're recruiting again due to the behaviour of certain elected Trustees including the elected Chair. They aren't going to keep the charity functioning with those people in situ and they need to know that.

Get out of there as soon as you can.

they will not change and will continue to behave this way.

and tell them why you are leaving.

It sounds like your decision is made. I would line up something else and then hand in notice. I think it’s generally easier to get a job if you’re already working.

That is my worry. I was on a career break before this (but volunteering/doing a very small amount of freelancing).

I tempted to just leave this job off cv and make the career break longer/sound more exciting.

God they sound awful OP. I had a similar experience at an interview for a charity role, it was also PT and a step down from what I was currently doing, and the CEO of the charity was absolutely awful, she gave me an interview task which I did to the best of my ability, showing how I'd plan, implement, and assess the success of the project in question, and she flatly rubbished what I'd done because "they wanted an assistant not a manager" and I was standing there thinking "why did you even waste my time on this interview then?!" The best part was, the questions they asked afterwards were clearly better suited to a manager than an assistant! 😵‍💫 Just sack them off, I count my blessings I didn't get that job, working with her would have been a nightmare.

In that case do what you suggested. That sounds better than returning to work and leaving straight away.

Your OP is a bit opaque but I’ve read it as you have accepted a role which is relatively junior compared to your skillset and principally involves carrying out the instructions of the trustees. When you met the trustees you told them that your last role was more senior. Did you also then say you wanted to be a decision maker/set strategy rather than just carry out their instructions? If so I can kind of understand why they firmly put you in your place although they should have been courteous but firm in the way they did so.

either way if the role isn’t a good fit or you feel this interaction was too upsetting/embarrassing to get past and you can afford to do so, of course it’s fine to cut your losses and look elsewhere.

Having worked in the charity sector for a long time, I have come across some truly awful trustees (and CEOs) and seen the damage they can do to a charity's day to day work and staff morale.

If you can afford it, I would leave now and not put this job on your CV.

Talking to them is not going to change anything, if they were professional and decent people that could be reasoned with they would not have patronised you the way they did.

Unfortunately the third sector often has a leadership issue and bullying is surprising rife.

Find somewhere else before they completely knock down you confidence in yourself and your skills/experience.

I didn't suggest (nor would want to be involved with) a senior strategy role.

But I did mention my previous experience and try to begin a discussion about making improvements for operations/governance processes. Which was immediately shut down.

(Also, my cv and application made my previous experience clear.)

But once I felt under attack in the meeting, I'm not sure I expressed myself well.

I experienced some work bullying and awful people early in my career but have avoided it for the last decade.

One reason I liked this role was as a small organisation, I thought they'd be none of that. Clearly I was wrong!