So here's my success story that I wanted to share given the amount of joy this sub had brought me over the lay few years. Long thread alert if you want to fast forward.
This started in 2020. Our department had just been through several shake ups and changes (my boss and our dept admin were both fired in a manner that were odd, to say the least). Our CIO came into town to announce the changes. He seems like a nice guy and gave the mid-level managers the heads up; he would be bringing in a new director over our groups. They also split our other support team off to a new director as well. That's when things started getting interesting. A few months in, the other support team's director let it be known they were working on outsourcing their team and my team as well. I asked my new director what was going on. He floated it off like no big deal. A couple of months later, the writing on the wall started. We talk again, and he says they're actively looking into it, and he's writing the business case for outsourcing.
That was the moment my attitude changed. I brought him in to address my team as they were hearing the rumors. He wrote it off as they were just doing the cost analysis and that nothing had been decided. Around this time, COVID hits, and we have to send everyone remote. Communication becomes less and less, and the writing becomes brighter and brighter on the wall. At one point, I'm told I'll be kept, but my entire staff will be outsourced and that I'd be kept to manage them as contractors. That's fucked up, and there's no way they'd want to report to me after that.
At the end of 2020, morale is poor, and we want to do something for the team. We got told all holiday parties and gifts are off the table under the pretense of COVID, but it was really more about not spending money on a department that may not be there in 6 months. So, at month 7 of outsourcing rumors and getting the full mushroom treatment at that point (kept in the dark, fed shit), I started looking outside the company I take an interview at a smaller location that pays slightly less. I rock my interview and get an offer a couple of days later. Fast forward a week, and I pull aside my director for a talk.
I said at this point that I'm almost to 10 years with the company, but things are not going great due to the constant rumors, and I need reason to stay. I asked about what my future looks like and what our department's future looks like. It went from where they were keeping me on to I don't know now. I got the spiel about how he'd been through this, and even if you do get outsourced, we'll take care of you. That was the last of the red flags. I let him know I had an offer on the table, and I was going to sleep on it. He tried the grass isn't always greener on the other side speech.
The next morning, we met to set the budget. This was his first time doing it for my department, so we walked through it. At the end, he asked if there's anything else needed. I said yes, you'll need to budget salary for a new manager as in taking the other job. The look on his face was stunning. He sat there in silence and then ended the video call. I sent a follow-up email as a confirmation and had him verify that he'd received my 2 week notice so that I could retain benefits and such.
10 days later, the CIO wants to chat about why I'm suddenly leaving. I told him straight-up that the decisions of his direct reports had tanked morale and caused a lot of undue stress. He asked if I knew they had decided they weren't going to outsource at that time and if that would have changed my mind. I let him know that my director ghosted me after putting in my 2 weeks and had no clue.
The next words out of his mouth made me almost lose it. “Do you expect me to counter offer to get you to stay?” I sat there for a moment to hold my composure. No, I don't, I said. The damage was done, and I was already mentally checked out. Going through previous leadership changes and then this was more than enough. We ended the call and that was that.
If you're still with me, hit play again here.
So I've been at my new job for about 10 months now and love it. My stress levels are lower, my home life is better, and I've lost weight as an added bonus. I say all that to say bad leadership and a stressful work life are not something you must endure. If you're in a bad work situation, don't let a blind sense of loyalty keep you miserable. Keep looking and you'll find something. I've seen a dramatic shift in how workers are being treated locally and I continue to encourage my fellow management leaders to do better for their people.