He's a graduate engineer, so I don't think he'd be my replacement. That being said, I just don't believe there is a replacement in the company for me right now. They'd either have to employ someone with experience or shunt someone up the ladder.
Being headhunted, feeling dispirited at work, but at the centre of a brand new project…need advice
- Thread starter dirtychinchilla
- Start date
He's a graduate engineer, so I don't think he'd be my replacement. That being said, I just don't believe there is a replacement in the company for me right now. They'd either have to employ someone with experience or shunt someone up the ladder.
The company are not your family. You’ll be replaced. If they thought highly of you in that sense they would already be paying you what you feel you deserve.
Leave.
You’ll hand in your resignation and they will attempt to keep you, but by that point they are just buying time so you stay until they can replace you and boot you for daring to challenge your superiors and having self worth.
Be selfish, your company have and always will be, they don’t owe you anything.
Leave.
You’ll hand in your resignation and they will attempt to keep you, but by that point they are just buying time so you stay until they can replace you and boot you for daring to challenge your superiors and having self worth.
Be selfish, your company have and always will be, they don’t owe you anything.
While it is certainly good for some people, Money is often said to be the factor to move on, but it rarely is the primary factor. If they paid you a million pounds would you be infinitely happier at the job? It might be nice for a while but ultimately you're not being fulfilled. It may be time to move on, not just for money's sake.
You are right, and I need to remember fall the times that they really wound me up with majorly screwed up behaviour.
No I wouldn’t be happier, but when I can see that they can reduce my monthly bills (car allowance) and increase my spending power with a higher salary and bonus, that’s appealing. It’s not all about money though; it’s about feeling like I need more training that I don’t think this company can provide.
Wait, why are you even conflicted then?
I’d understand if this company were absolutely perfect bar the salary, but they clearly aren’t, why are you showing loyalty to a company that has given you none?!
Because it gets lost over time. They have shown me a lot of loyalty to be fair, like moving a guy sideways so that I could take the lead. That was quite good of them actually. They’ve just never been good at the money side of things.
Soldato
I was with my previous company 6 years plus, and was promised better training and courses etc. and ability to advance my skill set which never happened, they were also slow to look at the pay structure. I got on really well with them, but ultimately it was a job that I couldn't continue with as I wasn't getting the professional development that I needed, and was promised.
They eventually offered me more money after having a long frank discussion with the MD, but never followed up with the training so after 6 months of waiting another meeting took place where I said I'll stay if you pay me x% more, whereby x made me seem expensive, but I had to account for the lost time where I couldn't learn new skills so the money would offset that.
In the end I handed in my notice and they desperately tried to keep me, as I was a key figure for many of the clients they held, but I stuck to my guns and went out on my own and started doing contract work. Ironically they were forced to contract me back at a much higher day rate, and I paid for my own extended training with their money and my free time. Ultimately I am much happier and it was the right thing to do.
Be honest with them, tell them you have one life, and one chance to progress your skills and abilities and be happy doing something. Money will help but tell them you love being there and it's a really hard choice and one you make regretfully.
That's a great story. Sounds like it worked out extremely well for you!! I will be honest with them; it's not my style not to be. But I can't be honest with them yet as I don't want to be fired. When I can, I'll tell them how I feel.
Today's update: to compound my discomfort about leaving, they've just added two new members to this new team, both of whom are under my mentorship. Uncomfortable much!
Soldato
- Joined
- 6 Jan 2012
- Posts
- 5,505
I asked my company for a pay rise once i got my professional qualification, fair enough? I thought ... they could charge me out at a much higher rate. Turned me down flat. I had sorted a new job out within the week, more senior role and 30% more pay. Best move I ever made 
I asked my company for a pay rise once i got my professional qualification, fair enough? I thought ... they could charge me out at a much higher rate. Turned me down flat. I had sorted a new job out within the week, more senior role and 30% more pay. Best move I ever made
Hah, well done! I did actually get a pay rise when I got Prince2, which I never used.
Soldato
I have no doubt I was lucky, but importantly I didn't burn any bridges, as I focused on me and my life, and what was important to me as not just their employee but as a person.
If they think you are being unfair/out of sorts then they are not the family you thought they were.
Maybe they know you are a decent person and putting this sort of pressure on you will make you think twice, or more awkward for you to say you aren't happy.
That’s a good point, thank you. I’ve tried my hardest always not to burn bridges doesn’t serve anyone to do that and I’d hate to make this job the exception.
I imagine that whatever happens, I’ll feel uncomfortable. People only really leave that company in three ways: in the first month, redundancy, or suddenly and are put on gardening leave.
Associate
- Joined
- 25 Aug 2008
- Posts
- 947
On the basis of these two, quit and see what else is out there. Perhaps the new job will be amazing, it might be crap. Either way it will give you some more perspective on what things are like out there. Your history is 8 years in the same company, if you are so valued, they will take you back if a position opens up.
The fact they gave you a poor pay rise recently, well its difficult to say how your company has handled the past year, and everyone might be in the same boat.
The second paragraph, you said that they indicated you are a key player and only expert in the product, but contradicted that by saying you could easily be replaced.
I was in a similar situation a few years back. I was actually in the same job for almost 10 years, that I started as my first permanent job about 6 months after finishing University.
When I was new, the company seemed huge, and there was a lot of potential to progress. As I developed, I started to realise that I was becoming more expensive for the company as I progressed, less and less doors opened up. Not just because I was working my way up the company, but because the higher up you got, the less people moved about. At first I thought this was normal. I was told that I was one of their UK experts in my field, and played a key role in our European OPS Model Governance Forum, helping decide the future direction and controls for our area within EMEA. I actually found out that I had very little say, or control over changes and it was just a fad.
You are better to live your life and say you took some risks, rather than regret decisions you didnt make. Some will go better than others, but end of the day you will progress and develop as a result.
Soldato
This. Good opinions from other people who have experiences so dont feel like your trapped - embrace your skills and time to move on.
Thanks guys. My indecision is the biggest problem here. I challenged the pay rise and I'm expecting them to return with something rather unsatisfactory. I opted out of the bonus scheme in favour of a regular, predictable, salary. My expectation is that they'll just add the average annual bonus on to the number they'd already offered me and think that's enough. It wouldn't be though - the place I'm hoping to move to will probably pay £5k over my current salary (in the region of 10% pay rise), plus bonus, plus car allowance, so that's going to be more like a £10k raise, although pushing me into the higher tax bracket.
I hate how they keep sucking me back in. I'll do the work I'm supposed to for now, but I can't say I have any enthusiasm for it.
Just a small note on this, which you may already be aware of but your last comment seems like you're somewhat worried about moving into a higher tax bracket - remember the higher tax only applies to earnings over that threshold, not your entire earnings.
Thank you. I am aware of that, but I was just weighing up say if I went from £45k to £55k, that's a nominal £10k increase, but I would have to adjust for the fact that part of that would then be hit with the higher tax rate so it's not a clean £10k minus what I'd normally be taxed.
Aye, once you get into the higher tax bracket its worth starting to look at whole package value instead of take home. A 5k a year pay rise in the higher tax bracket is probably 200-250 quid a month extra, not exactly life changing, but I'd imagine the role also comes with a better pension, possibly PMI, etc.
Although never move just for money, been there, done that, was *****.
Yeah absolutely, it might all just go into my pension all being well. It's not like we're struggling for cash, but a car allowance would certainly help knock some money of our monthly bills.
At risk of putting my full life story on here (let's be honest, it's probably on here already), my "pay rise" was just confirmed. No actually pay rise, just opted out of the bonus scheme so they've given me 4.5% guaranteed for the year. Nothing unexpected tbh, just typically strange behaviour from the cmopany. But, it's help solidify my feelings for now. I've been writing a mental list of weird **** they've done over time, and this has gone right at the top.