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Feeling uneasy about what's going on in the background...

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Ok... so I'll keep this brief. I work in advertising sales (magazines/newspapers/internet etc)

My first job I worked my tail off, didn't get promoted, became pretty much a lacky for everybody because I tried so hard to get ahead, made myself ill in the process, found new job, left and then my old job got made redundant (got out just in time)

New job so far has been great, more recognition, better environment but things are starting to go a bit sour after 6 months.

Boss is really nice but doesn't do ANYTHING. He worked on one title and never made any sales/bookings, then he got promoted over night for no reason, then he moved onto another well established title and that's going down the pan now. Nothing against him but it hurts to see someone paid as much as them not do anything, added to the fact I've picked up the slack again and am looking after the major clients without actually gaining any of the figures for myself.

In addition I got a sort of promotion when two people left but was kept at my current salary, been refused my bonus as my "clients are bigger and my targets were based on a lesser role" though my pay hasn't reflected this. Was told to "sit tight" as it's year end.

Then a couple of days ago my boss left a piece of paper on my desk (by accident I think?) it was full of excuses and blaming everybody else (not me) for why there have been such severe losses. It made me uneasy when they said they were looking at "staffing problems". There's been about 4 high up people quit recently which is worrying.

Then I heard our big boss is going to one of the other offices on Wednesday for a big meeting and "one-to-ones" and then I found out his business partner is coming to our office on Thursday. We are a bit of a small office and there's been talking of moving us for years (long before I turned up) but if they do move the office I'm screwed. It'd put my transport up by 250% per month and would equate to 3/4 hours travelling a day.

I would take it all in my stride but we've literally just got accepted for a mortgage and are due to exchange on our house in a couple of weeks. In terms of affordability we'll be ok for a while and all my debts have been cleared but at the same time.....

Any suggestions on what to do? If the worst happens I am going to have to change what jobs I go for, I can't do this sales lark anymore especially with the way publishing is going. It's not good for my health and my peace of mind.

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hey,

    Sorry to hear about the problems you've had and are having with your work.

    It sounds like they are ready to 'trim the fat' at your place and the other office. How far away is the other office?

    If I were you, I'd be looking at preparing details of why you deserve to remain in the job, including taking on more high profile work etc for no more benefit etc etc.

    Is there any possibility of you working from home and just going to this other office once a week or something? That way, you can get the work done that you need and cut your travel time.

    Ideally, even though still in employment, it would give you ample time to look for alternative roles in whatever you see yourself doing.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hiya,

    Thanks for the reply. The other office is two counties away and although I can get a train there it would mean I'd spend about a 1/3 of my monthly income travelling and it's further away than a lot of jobs are nearby. I would, ideally, like to work from home and a lot of their people do it. I wouldn't even mind having to go one day a week in either. Where I currently live it wouldn't be easy to work from home but where we're moving into a new house within the next couple of months I'll have an office there I can convert easily.

    I think I have proved myself in my role but the sector that we are in relies heavily on public sector, in particular one area I'm focused on is the police and with recent reports/events this has pretty much closed down a lot of the market.

    I think I'll have to just see what happens this week but if working from home is not an option I will probably look at alternative roles. It's just a pain because I get settled somewhere and then they pull the carpet out, but I guess that's just the way things are in the current market :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hiya

    Things are really tough in many workplaces at the minute, which is hard on everyone. More work, no more pay, people competing to show they are worthy of staying in employment.

    Might be worth offering to work from home if they do move to the new place then - say it will save them a desk and you can use a part timer's desk the one day you go in or something?

    Totally depending on what you're wanting to do and what you see your goals as, but some sectors are / will see a rise in employment in the future. For example, rail freight is increasing as hauliers and companies look to cut costs. If a company can shift their product from A to B with small trucks / lorries to a train yard, then the same the other end, they can shift more for probably a similar or smaller cost than they can on lorry now, due to the price of fuel.

    Inevitably, this will hopefully leads to more jobs. :chin:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Passenger rail is also picking up as people look for different ways to travel other than their car:

    National Express East Anglia

    South West Trains

    TFL

    Brand and Insights Marketing Manager @ Network Rail

    There's loads of jobs going at the moment. Not sure where in London you are, but there's probably a Train Company somewhere near you that's recruiting. I've visited 5 websites and 4 are recruiting!
  • LauraOLauraO Posts: 535 Incredible Poster
    :wave: StarCrossed,

    Hope the meetings that are happening at the moment in your company will start to make things a bit clearer for you. It sounds as though you rightfully feel like you are being taken advantage of, but it doesn't feel like a great time to bring this up with your manager as there is unease within the organisation and a feeling of uncertainty towards it's future and where you could be based.

    It sounds as though you are already considering looking for other jobs, and perhaps ones in a different field rather than sales? Sales can be really stressful and if you don't feel like the benefits outweigh the stress and implications for your health then perhaps it is time to consider moving on? You have job security for the time being, so do you think it would be worth having a look what else is out there now, whilst the decisions are being made, to keep your options open?

    You mention working from home, which sounds good, but if ultimately you do not enjoy your job, or like the people you are working with, working on your own everyday might make you feel more isolated? Or do you think you'll feel calmer and more focused? It's definitely worth considering the pros and cons of this.

    As you said the current job market is very unpredictable, so maybe it's worth updating your CV and starting to look for other jobs and considering your options just to be on the safe side.

    Let us know how you get on :thumb:

    LauraO
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think if you do get moved to another office you are perfectly within your rights to ask for a pay rise to offset the additional cost of travel.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Surely, the costs of travel are nothing to do with the company? I mean, it's not their fault - why should there be a rise just because the OP now has to travel.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Melian wrote: »
    Surely, the costs of travel are nothing to do with the company? I mean, it's not their fault - why should there be a rise just because the OP now has to travel.

    Because she applied to a job in her current location and the company are now moving her elsewhere.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Melian wrote: »
    Surely, the costs of travel are nothing to do with the company? I mean, it's not their fault - why should there be a rise just because the OP now has to travel.
    Because the job that she currently has, involves her getting the the current office location. If they move her to another office, then it's pretty standard to cover the extra travel costs of getting to the new location.
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