So basically I started working at this company in March. I wanted to enjoy working there but it has been the most life-draining, soul-sucking experience of my life. The amount of pressure and stress at this company was unreal. I would have several breakdowns and was pretty much unhappy from the start but wanted to try and work with them before I considered quitting.
Anyway, apparently I was doing a good job and got promoted 2 months ago (i’m new to the country and found out that when they brought me on, my compensation was peanuts compared to my team. Probably because I have less experience but was taking on the exact same role).
Fast forward to now, I had an interview with another company last week and 2 days later they got back to me with a job offer starting the 24th of Oct. I informed my boss today and she provided me with a counteroffer, which I politely declined, but then she started guilting me by saying this wasnt enough notice, its surprising news to them so they dont have a roster of candidates available (its hard to recruit for this job and the turnover is pretty high), and she requested that I try to extend my start date at the new company as much as possible because she’d be going on vacation mid-October and won’t have time to interview and find a replacement before I’m gone (she knew I had already signed the offer).
I reached out to the new company asking if there was room to extend by a week and am waiting to hear back now. I initially wanted to take a few days off in between jobs to recoup but now feel guilted into staying for longer. I also feel like I’m making myself look bad at the new company for a boss that’s been making me feel bad about myself for the past 7 months. Is it normal for someone to ask to extend their start date? Also, is it normal for bosses to ask this request? This is a first time for me.