How many of you have taken a pay cut for better mental health??
I have a job offer at a place that’s in state (Indiana) and is closer to my house. They wanted me to give me 53k but I got them up to 55k. I currently make 58k at my job.
Let me start where I don’t like my current job. For starters, the commute fucking sucks. I drive 70 miles (40-45 min commute) round trip everyday to Illinois from my house in Indiana(I fill up my car once a week, costs $50 at current gas prices).
I fucking hate my boomer coworker. She’s a fucking A-type personality that if I file something wrong, she flies off the handle. She questions everyone’s every little step. I have to walk on eggshells around her. I have social anxiety to begin with and have made a couple HR complaints after her yelling at me and I start crying and have a breakdown. Her actions and attitude have given me suicidal ideations as well.
She’s in on vacation for until March 21st. Since she’s been gone, my mental health has been fucking great. I’m much happier.
I work at one location while management either work from home or work at our downtown Chicago office (I’m way in far far south side Chicago) and the communication is fucking atrocious. I have to follow up on the same email for an answer 3-7 times when it’s important and can affect a contract or something reported to the Board of Trade. I had practically zero training in my job and somehow I’m ok at it. And there’s only one toilet for 15 people in the office so I don’t properly hydrate myself so I don’t have to use the bathroom at work (bathroom anxiety lol)
I currently make 58,000 a year with a 401k (6%) and really good benefits($140 for health, vision, dental is free, life insurance on myself and my husband every 15 days since I’m paid semimonthly on the 15th and last day of each month). I always have to owe Illinois (1,000 this year after throwing extra money at them out my paycheck) at tax time but always get a return from Federal and Indiana (no, indiana is not a reciprocal state). I get 15 vacation days, 2 weeks sick leave and 2 personal days.
So let’s talk about this new job.
This job is 40 miles round trip (20-25 minutes one way), in the same state I live in but is offering 55k/year, 3k less a year. The hours are pretty much the same 7a-3:30p. I’m so busy at my current job I don’t take lunches so I leave at 3pm. Idk what lunchtime.
All the management would be working in the same location as me so I feel the communication would be better and I stressed in the interview how important good communication and a healthy work environment is to me. Their benefits are a bit higher though and health, dental, vision, life insurance would be about $190 every two weeks and the deductible would be higher too (mine is currently $0 while theirs is about 3k/year for a family), I didn’t even use my insurance last year really other than a checkup. They also have a 401k plan where they’d match 100% to my 6% pre tax contribution. I’d only get 2 weeks vacation, 1 week of sick leave. But I do get the normal holidays off, day after thanksgiving off and the December 23-January 2nd off — the whole fucking time as a shut down period.
I’m still interviewing for a couple jobs. But should I accept this job to get out of working where I am. I can make it work budget wise, it’d be a bit tighter but I can make it work.
I’ve never taken a pay cut and the unknown makes me nervous. I have a hard time with change. But no one else knows how to do my job and at this point that’s my coworkers problem since she refuses to learn the rail portion of the logistics.