Dear Angelo,
Did you make the right decision? Only time will tell. I do not have the whole story. There are those who have quit their jobs after only a short stint and have done well. There are those who have decided to stay where they were and that’s where they stayed. And there are those who waited, and time has rewarded them for their patience – and fortitude. It takes a lot of inner strength to set aside one’s feelings and act only on those things that matter.
Making the right decision
First, decide what really matters to you in the long run. The lines usually are clearer where ethics and legal issues are concerned. If you are being forced to do something against your moral principles or against the law, or if you are constantly witness to such acts, then quit.
You mentioned asar-talo. Identify which situations and actions on the part of your boss and officemates irritate you because these may come up in future situations. In what ways are these affecting your job performance and career development? If these happened again in another job, would you quit?
If resigning were not an option – for example, you had two aging parents and five children to support – what could you do to improve the situation? If you really had to resign – and you had two aging parents and five children to support – how would you go about it? Sometimes, when we frame the situation in different terms, we take hold of ourselves and think through the steps we have to take. It is much like diving into the sea and disturbing the water. The diver notices nothing until he himself stops stirring things up.
If it’s just the boss’s personal style, you will have to consider that there will always be a boss or an officemate one does not like. Working in organizations entails working with other people to attain organizational goals. You will have to find a way – preferably, nice and legal – around obstacles to these goals. To work in organizations means to engage the world as it is without losing sense of who you are, what is important to you, and where you want to be.
So, the next step is to wait for your emotions to settle before making a decision. Many wrong decisions, including small ones like maxing out one’s credit limit, are made on the spur of the moment.
If you did just Steps 1 and 2, you might have made the right decision.
What to say about one’s resignation
Just speak as truthfullyas possible. You could start by saying that you are looking for a workplace that provides fair opportunities for growth and development, that provides the tools necessary for effective performance, and that rewards employees based on clear standards. Then you could say that you did not find this at your current work place. You could then give examples of how these were absent. Avoid using adjectives – unless they are positive – to describe your boss, your officemates or your workplace. Adjectives reflect your opinion. You will have a better chance of sounding objective if you used nouns and action words. For example, you might want to say that “My boss is unfair.” You could instead say that, “I have improved office productivity by such and such percent, however, none of these were noted in my past evaluation.”
The right to negotiate
Yes, you have the right to negotiate for salaries and benefits – even if you have no job right now. You are someone with something valuable to offer. Your knowledge, your skills, your experience, and how you will put this together for your prospective organization – all these are of value.
Before agreeing to any salary proposal, know first the average industry package for the position you are applying for. Ask your prospect exactly what your specific key deliverables are and what organizational concerns you are expected to address. Ask for enough time to think about the offer, then, you can counter with something a little higher than what you are willing to accept (but within industry limits).
At the same time, show how you are going to fulfill your key deliverables. This will demonstrate at the outset that you have given enough time to sit down, think about the organizations needs, and come up with a short business plan!
The key question to answer is “What’s in it for them?” If you think in terms of working as a consultant or someone who is selling a service to them, you will be able to come up with a package that is of value to both of you.
All the best, |
