I’ve been at my company for 3.5 years, I’ve burned out and now dread each day at work.
-
For different reasons, I’ve had 3 VPs, 3 Directors, and 2 direct-line Managers in 3.5 years. I was promised a promotion with my former management, with many 70-90 hour weeks, excellent performance reviews and political clout, only to be passed over. The Director who overlooked me for the role was new and hired an external candidate (from her old org) with little technical experience (massive oversight) and no people-management experience. The Director has left for personal reasons so my boss has been unchecked for some time now.
-
From his hiring 5-months ago until now, our company got an RTO mandate (1-day/week) and I relocated cities back to my current one; luckily i’m staying with my parents so expenses are zero aside from a car payment (with enough liquidity to sustain myself for 1-1.5 years even if I live alone).
-
My boss will often make demeaning comments to me and my colleague like: “…at my former company your job is considered [lower level]” or “…there are hundreds of people right now who are willing to do your job.” I know he’s being deliberate with his wording because he’s said “… I don’t want to use mean words but you’re making me do it.” :/
-
He’ll also retaliate in other ways: I corrected an error he made, and the following hour he increased my in-office days (from 1 to 3-days/week). Also, I challenged him on the most efficient way to complete a task, and he followed-up by scheduling daily 9AM 15-min touch-bases that always end up lasting 45-min. The list goes on, sadly.
-
Now, my colleague and I are both extremely burned out, to the point where I started smoking weed nightly to relieve stress (before it was 1-2 times every 3-4 months). My colleague confided in me that he thinks he’ll get fired on the spot every day, mind you he has a wife/kids/mortgage and I do not.
-
My boss documented instances where I pushed back on unreasonable timelines, unclear expectations/instructions, and put me on a 30-day Performance Improvement Plan the within first hour of the day I returned from vacation 7-days ago.
In that week, I’ve applied to 5-8 jobs and already finished 2 full interviews at separate companies (each went very well and waiting to hear back). I know the job market is pretty down right now so I’m not sure if this is pure luck so far or that I am truly valued elsewhere. Interestingly, my mood and confidence shot up a lot since then.
Should I ride-out the rest of the PIP and do the bare minimum indefinitely (knowing he might not actually fire me because he needs me) or quit before an offer even comes in and forego potential severance?
TL;DR: After being passed over for a promotion and struggling under a new manager with poor leadership skills, I was placed on a PIP 7-days ago. In the last week I’ve already applied for a few jobs and finished 2 full interviews (which went very well). I feel much better about myself now, but should I ride out the PIP and do the bare minimum indefinitely until I land a new job or just quit while I have momentum?