Offered a new job- having hesitations

sweetsunnyc

I was offered a new job yesterday and I am having a hard time deciding what to do. Just a quick background of my current situation- I have been working with the same university for four years. Previously, I was commuting an hour + each way to our main campus. Last summer, I was moved to a smaller remote campus which is only 25 minutes from home, which has been ideal. To make a long story short, there have been budget cuts and they are closing the smaller locations. That being said, we have no idea when this will happen. They are looking for renters for the location so it could be in a month or it could be in a year. My first reaction was to find something closer to home as I do not want to be laid off and I do not want to do the long commute again. Anyways, I did interview and was offered a position- the great thing about this place is that it's less than half a mile from my house. The pay and benefits are pretty much the same as well. Here's my dilemma- I was offered the job yesterday and I need to let them know by tomorrow. I also received an email from our supervisor yesterday guaranteeing that I would not lose my job nor would I be required to drive to campus everyday. To me, that sounds like I may be able to work remotely which is something that would be ideal for me. Do I take the new job which is really close to home or do I stay where I'm at and hope that I have to option to work remotely in the future? I do like my current position and I do have some perks (flexible schedule, always understanding when things come up with the kids) which is nice. Or should I go for the new place? And advice would be great!

jf198400

In my experience, job insecurity is not something that just goes away. You may be okay "for now" only to find yourself in the same position next year. Personally I would take the new job as long as it meets your requirements as far as things like benefits, salary, and commute.

bethughknee

Is there anyway you could have a conversation and ask about the reality of working remotely in the future? Flexibility with kids is a major bonus, for sure. I currently WFH and they're also very understanding when something pops up with my DD. You really can't trade that. But there's also no guaranteeing the new position couldn't be just as understanding. I think before I stayed I would want more clarity on the telework possibility.

litzo27

There are no guarantees either way. Your current job may decide to cut the staff after all in a couple of months. Or the new job may not work out after a year. What about the position itself? Is it the same or a move up or down? What about the prospects for the future in terms of career advancements? Did you consider asking for some flexibility for the new position - i.e. one day a week of working from home to start in a couple of months or something similar?

Personally I tend to bulk when the firm gives an exploding offer like that. 2 days to figure out your move?? Seems unreasonable and makes me wonder if you will be totally replacable for them. And  @jf198400 is right. If the job question is there now - it will be hanging over you in the future as well.

Edit - because two sentences got eaten....

groovygrl

I am not clear about the actual jobs and the pros/cons of each professionally for you, is it pretty much the same job at a different place? Will one help you more or less in teh future?
This "guarantee" your supervisor gave you- is s/he in aposition to guarantee something like that? Is it in a formal letter of some sort outlining that or is it just trying to make sur eyou know s/he will have your back? Also could you get something in writing guaranteeing WFH X days per week? I dunno, maybe I'm skeptical but it sounds like a lot of promising that might not hold up if things shake out and the campus gets closed.

Maybe I'm weird but a 2 day turnaround in accepting is a bit of a red flag to me & not very reasonable. But maybe there is a reason? Most ppl want to mull over a job offer, perhaps counter it, etc.

I would love to get rid of my hour commute though so that would be huge for me.

sweetsunnyc

Thanks for the advice everyone. It does seem sudden to have only the two days to accept which makes me question eveything. That being said, my current place of employment is so uncertain as well so who knows. groovygrl - my supervisor would be in a position to make the call if we could work remotley and her email made it sound like that. Even so, her definition of working from home may be one day a week and making the commute the other 4.

litzo27 - the one thing that I do have with my current job is flexibility. Twice a week I work early hours (7-3) and they let me come in a few minutes later when I drop my kids off. I would like to ask this employer for flexibility as well- I just wasn't sure of the best way to approach it. Please let me know if you have suggestions.

Thanks!

dashofreality

I know that starting a new job is scary, but I would probably go for the position in the case you described. I would be concerned about layoffs down the road and the ambiguous remote comment wouldn't inspire me with confidence.

Nice thing about having options is that you can negotiate with confidence! I would try to up the new salary and let them know up front that you would like to work certain hours. We have had people work crazy hours at our company, normally though the person tries to come in at 'normal' business hours for a few months transition, but 7-3 would still be considered in our core hours anyways. GL.

litzo27

Now is the time to ask! You already have the offer so ask about all possibilities: working from home, working early hours, etc. Not necessarily immediately but maybe after a couple of months. be specific and if they agree have it put into a contract.

groovygrl

litzo27 said:

Now is the time to ask! You already have the offer so ask about all possibilities: working from home, working early hours, etc. Not necessarily immediately but maybe after a couple of months. be specific and if they agree have it put into a contract.

I agree with this, it is in your hands since you have an option that you seem to be happy with if you had to- as long as you're not trying to negotiate w/ current employer using a position that you don't really want and would be ok if it didn't work out w/ current employer to bend at all, it can't hurt!