Would you quit if your company moved your office?

I think I heard that story on NPR -- I thought it was interesting and it made me want to start a communal office in my neighborhood. Ah, but it's a pipe dream.

Freeduck, is the company going to do anything to compensate those people that are affected by the move?

No, I think they wouldn't unless it was outside some number of miles. It isn't that far as Atlanta commutes go, it's just too far for me.

How about working part time? The commute would be the same, but
you'd have more free time on hand to relax after the long drive, and
be there when your kids get home.

"I need to work from home twice a week if you want to keep me around...."

:wink:

That's what I'm thinking, too. Freeduck, the worst they can say is "No." One or two days working from home can make a big difference.

CJane, that was actually offered to me. I could work from home on an as-needed basis or I could go to part time. We can't afford for me to go to part time right now, and I think I'd just be screwing myself that way anyway since I seriously doubt my level of responsibility will decrease in anyway.

And now is decision time... I have an offer from another company. It's more money and it's closer to home and the work sounds interesting. But I'm not sure I'm ready to jump ship.

wow, more money and closer to home. I believe in signs, and this
is obviously one, FreeDuck

Osso says jump.


But whadda I know. I once jumped ship three times in one week, to the tune of the Mamas and Papas song, involving "go where you want to go, do what you want to do". What a trying week. And then I jumped back ten months' later. What a trying year...

I hear you, osso. This would be my 3rd job since moving here in 2005. I don't like what that might say about me. Truthfully I had planned to stay at my current job for a very long time until the office moved. I've been very absorbed in my project and I'm almost scared to have to let that go and start again with something unfamiliar.

But I could ride my bike and/or take public transport. It's 6 miles away on the back roads, and the kids' school is halfway between my house and there.

I'm leaning heavily towards taking it, but I don't know. And the offer is only open until COB Friday, so not much time to weigh everything. Argh!

wow Freeduck, how quickly things can change.

Ok...Are there any downsides to taking this job?

I mean the job itself, not the fact you'd be switching again.


Re the changing jobs 3 time since 2005....I don't see this change as necessarily a black mark on your resume. If you were interviewing someplace else down the line, I believe stating the fact that the company moved and it was just too far a commute would be valid.

If I was in this hypothetical situation in the future, I'd have no qualms about exagerrating the new distance having to be driven, and maybe a quick add in of a fact that really made the extra distance undesireable (like the duckies school in opposite direction...no one is going to check that)

I'm conflicted about longevity on the job sometimes. One wants to have a steady employment history, but in todays world the employer might be the one making that impossible, or difficult, not you.

In my memory, businesses 20 or 30 years ago didn't pick up and move so often. With todays technology, positions more easily become obsolete in a particular company....but still remain skills that you can use elsewhere.

If I were interviewing you in 2012, I would look at your changing jobs 3 times from 2005 to 2008 as bad, if I knew there were good reasons.

I hesitate to say it...don't want to sway you, but I say "GO for it".

First, congratulations!! That's really cool that you got an offer so quickly.

That sucks about the deadline though. By "COB Friday" do you mean the end of the business day (close of business) TOMORROW?!

If it wasn't for that I'd be saying "go for it." But this is such a big decision to be making in that kind of a time frame.

Can you ask for an extension? E.G.'s in charge of hiring postdocs and such and is constantly (if grumpily) granting extensions even when that's not supposed to happen -- different field though, not sure of the norms.

I thought about asking for an extension. I HATE being rushed in these kind of things. I did email with questions and concerns I have -- mostly about planned vacations and the like.

As far as down sides, the biggest is that it's unknown, I guess. I worry about stability but the company has been around for a while. They are just now building a permanent software group, though, having depended on contractors for a very long time. So I guess that's a risk.

I'm leaning towards it right now, it's just a little fast for me.

Can I ask how hard it was to find this job? (The one that made the offer, and that you're considering.)

If you say "super easy" that doesn't necessarily mean anything of course, but it'd suggest to me that if this is too rushed you could probably find some other job that'd be good, too.

The location though... sounds really primo.

What sort of a feeling did you get about the place when you interviewed there?

Mommies aren't impetuous. Mommies are quick reactors. Mommies survive and flourish.

Go, girl. Go.

It was super easy, but the reason for that is that I know a *really* good recruiter who used to work for my first employer in Atlanta. I sent him an email asking him just to keep his eye out for something in town that would be a good fit for me (he knows me pretty well). Next thing you know he puts me in front of these guys, and my old manager from the same first job is also working there, but as a contractor, and he gave me a good reference. So, the atmosphere is what I like -- fast paced, smart funny people who like to solve tough problems, informal, etc... When I interviewed I had a ton of questions for them and they all answered well. Then I called my friend/old boss independently and asked him some more questions and he gave me very honest answers.

So, all that said, I think you're right that I probably could find another one easily. Not sure about another one with the right atmosphere -- there are some unbelievably awful places to work in this industry. But it's not like I've spent much time looking.

It sounds really good!!

What are downsides of taking the job and then regretting it? Would jumping ship AGAIN be so much worse, resume-wise?

Well, that's a good question. I'm not sure. My hunch is that it matters more to me than it does to employers. There are so many contractors out there who have, by nature, several jobs a year that I think it's not something people care as much about in this industry as they might in others.

But still, I wouldn't have to jump again so soon because of all the red tape with insurance and vacation time and 401k rollovers, etc...

Haven't finished reading the thread yet, FD, but it seems that you're answer is in here. Follow your dreams.

What has this done to your plans to go back to school?

That was my greatest fear when I first set up shop. If you're good at what you do (and I'm sure you are) then there's no reason to think you won't be turning down offers in the future due to time constraints.