Brain Droppings

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve posted here. I feel kind of guilty… I have been busy. My wife and I had our first child on November 29th which explains (in my mind, at least) the lack of posts since then. I really don’t have an excuse for the gap before that though.

There have been some interesting developments at work. Actually, first I should give a little background. As many of you may know the division of the company I work for was being sold… well, that’s been finalized. Additionally, I have been on family leave for the last four weeks for the birth of my son. The sale closed while I was on leave which made going back to work a bit interesting. Add to this my wife’s work situation and I’m not sure what will happen in the near future.

I have been offered some incentives to stay with the new company through the period it will take to integrate the purchased division with the new corporation. The incentives are quite appealing however I haven’t received anything in writing yet. I do trust the manager who told me about these incentives is honest and believes they are real, but I don’t trust the company I worked for and I don’t have a good feel for the new company yet so I can’t say whether or not I trust them.

My wife’s company had reneged on a verbal agreement to allow her to work from home after the baby was born, which puts a serious dent in our “fun money”. You see, I make enough to pay the bills, but that’s it… there’s really nothing left for dining out or vacations after all the bills are paid. My wife’s income provided us with additional money to pay down debt and to go on some nice vacations on occasion. Now that her income is gone there isn’t much to look forward to in the near future (in terms of breaks from work).

This all adds up to an interesting situation. I have to stick with my current employer for 6 to 18 months to see any of the incentives they’ve offered, but I could take a job elsewhere for quite a bit more money immediately. I’d end up ahead at the end of the 18 months if I kept my current job, but that’s a long time to wait for any real vacation travel. To add to the confusion the current benefits I receive are really pretty nice (they allowed me to take six weeks of leave paid at 100% for the birth of my son without using any vacation time). If I leave my current job, I’m not likely to find that again. On the other hand those benefits may not continue now that the purchase has been finalized.

Additionally, I may or may not be offered a job with the new company, and frankly I don’t know if I want to be offered it or not. I think I’ve just about had it with the paper manufacturing industry… on the other hand, the company that purchased our division has actually been making a good profit (unusual in recent years) and the integration of the two companies offers quite a bit of experience in IT work that I haven’t had the opportunity to work on in the past… in other words, it would be great resume building material.

I think I’d be much more likely to stay in my current position for the duration of the integration of the two companies if I was offered an increased wage rather than a bonus at the end of the integration. My wife and I would have more breathing room in our budget and I wouldn’t be so anxious to move on to another job where I could be making more money.

So, what do you think? Should I stick with my current job until I get the incentives that have been offered me, or should I jump ship and take a job elsewhere? Post a comment and let me know!

My family has planned a house warming party for Shannon and me this coming Saturday. Normally I’m not a big fan of crowds, even when It’s family and close friends, but I have to admit I’m looking forward to this event. Many of my friends and family have seen pictures of the house Shannon and I bought, but most have actually seen the house in person… nor have they seen the work we’ve done on the place. Granted the only major project we’ve done is refinishing the wood floors (which the house desperately needed) but it made a big difference for us.

The house is really a neat old place with lots of character that will be great to start a family in. There are actually many older houses around this area that are interesting like this one, but they’re fairly rare in the area where I grew up (and where most of my friends are from)… not to mention much more expensive. Anyway, the point is most of my family and friends who’ve seen the place think it’s a great house with lots of potential, so it’s a lot of fun to show it off to everyone.

Have you ever felt like you were coasting through life? I have recently… particularly at work. I haven’t had nearly enough to do to keep me busy anything like full time. Not even part time if I’m honest with myself. I don’t feel challenged, or motivated, but the job is fairly safe. The job isn’t safe in the normal sense. I’m not guaranteed work for the next X years or whatever. In fact, it’s likely as likely as not that my job will be eliminated within three to four months due to restructuring within the company I work for. The reason my job is “safe” is because I am considered a key staff member for this restructuring. In fact, I’ve been offered more than double the severance pay I’m entitled to (if my position is actually eliminated) to stick around through the restructuring. For the record the severance would work out to around half a year of pay… significant for anyone.

On the other hand, I could get a hefty pay raise if I took a job elsewhere which would make up the difference for the severance (assuming I got an equivalent job right away after I lost my current one) within a year to eighteen months. The problem there is I’d have a significantly increased commute time to work (like double, which would be an hour or slightly more). My time away from work, and/or with my family is worth quite a bit when compared to my wage so I’m not sure if the extra time spent driving to and from work is worth it. I feel like I’m hanging on to this job when I know it’s not right for me, but it’s the safe option for my wife and unborn child right now.