Help?

[tzikeh]

I need advice.

My manager came to me today and pretty much begged me to work one more week. I told her flat-out no. She then offered to pay me a full week's salary for doing bare-bones work updating the schedules and index pages, which I can do from home.

Cons: Still working after I'd planned on not working. Interfering with plan of lazing about (will have to get up and do about 2 hours of work every morning). Makes me ... vaguely weird because I *know* I'll be checking my email to see if there's other work I need to do.

Pros: One more full week's pay for 2 hours of work per day.

Thoughts?

Comments

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

I would take it on condition you work from home (which helpfully encourage you to stick to the barebones limit) -- but then I don't know how much you have saved up.

[debchan.livejournal.com]

If it were me and I'd nothing planned for the week in question, I'd probably do it. But, only if I was sure it wouldn't turn into something more than had been agreed upon.

[movies-michelle.livejournal.com]

My big concern would be that they would then take advantage of you and try to pile on more stuff than what they're saying. And that one week would then turn into two.

I say, if you're really feeling guilty and like these people, it is one more week of pay. But go no more than that one week and know when to say, "Sorry, this is much more work than what we talked about. I'm done."

::points at michelle::

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

Yeah, exactly what she said. The big concern is that whole nonprofit vampire syndrome, where first they only want a little, and then before you know it they're draining your vital life force. I'm just saying.

[kassrachel.livejournal.com]

I'd probably be inclined to go for it, if you can do it from home and you can honestly do it in 2 hrs/day. The extra dough could be nice.

That said -- you'd want to really hold yourself to the 2 hrs/day thing, because you deserve to be finished with this tsuris already. :-)

[destina.livejournal.com]

I'd probably do it, if I could do it from home and I could get the agreement in writing -- so there's no chance of a 'misunderstanding' re hours or expectations.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I had something similar after I got laid off, so it's not exactly comparable because there was more hostility involved. ;-) But in the past, they've shown a rather significant disregard for your time and have taken advantage of you, so that's my concern -- I can easily see it turning into more and more time because they can't find someone to fill your shoes. Maybe you can make a pact with yourself that when your two hours (from home!) are up for the day, you leave the apartment -- go to a movie or something, so you won't be tempted to check mail or find anything else to do. And get it in writing that you will only do the two hours and the one week, if you decide they're not going to try to push their luck.

[lapillus]

this also has the advantage of actually making use of the free time. One of the hazards of having unscheduled time is failing to do things that you want to do. I know that if I have to get up and do something for others it usually means I make more of my day. Even if there are days I'd rather do nothing.

[batdina.livejournal.com]

I'd probably do it, but I'm a paranoid git that way and more savings is always better.

[sithdragn.livejournal.com]

I'd do it, but only if all conditions were typed up, including hours to be worked, that I'd work from home, how much I'd be paid, etc., and then have it signed by the appropriate management. Make the contract a condition; you'll do it, but only if you get the contract.

[the-shoshanna.livejournal.com]

I basically agree with everyone who has already commented. What I'd add is that the whole reason you are quitting the job now in the first place is that you don't need money, so the draw of a full week's pay for ten hours of work is less than it used to be. That's a hard mindset to get into--as jorit says, more savings is always better, and that's true until you hit Bill Gates-ish levels; but it's worth remembering that you don't need that money. Don't let the money make the decision for you.

On the other hand, more money is always a good thing, and you did feel bad about leaving them so screwed even if they did largely screw themselves (and, yes, you), so if you can trust them -- and yourself -- to hold to the ten hours a week agreement, then I say go for it.

[deejay.livejournal.com]

Money. Under the table. And demand per diem expenses, a personal masseur and a new car...

Oh, wait, that's what you ask for AFTER the week is up and they are still desperate, heh heh heh!

(Seriously, though, I'd grab the extra dough offer so long as it's contracted and they pay you the last day so that you leave them with check in hand.)

Good luck, hon!

[par-avion.livejournal.com]

I would probably do it. I gave three weeks notice one time and it was really a bit too much, but I'd felt that two weeks wouldn't be enough time. If you really can do it from home, this seems like a "best of both worlds" situation to me.

But if you are worried about "slippery slope" issues where it either becomes more involved than what they are saying, or they will try to convince you to do this for more than one week, then I might not do it.

[finabair.livejournal.com]

If it were me, I'd grab the extra money, but I tend to have a little trouble letting go of old jobs, so I'd likely bail them out even if it were full days, so that's not necessarily the best advice for YOU.

Also, my first layoff, I made a wonderful, somewhat dramatic exit and never went back. That felt sooo good! It doesn't work so great for the dramatic exit when you keep working for them afterwards - which is more like my recent layoff. But in each case I needed a different kind of closure. The first time, everything could be wrapped up in a few hours and the dramatic exit gave me a better feeling of satisfaction. The second time I had to take months to wrap everything up and make sure it was in good hands. I don't like wasted work, and if I'd not wrapped up those loose ends a lot of my work WOULD have been wasted for sure. (It still could be, but I won't be there to witness it and I can pretend it wasn't.) So again, I get closure.

So you need to think about what, for you, will give you the best sense of closure, IMO.

[boniblithe.livejournal.com]

MONEY! YAY!

I'm sorry, was there something else? Hehehe.

[corinna-5.livejournal.com]

I would PUT IN WRITING that you are only agreeing to do that barebones work, that you are doing it from home, and then I would LEAVE the computer, whether to laze about or wander the streets for a bit.

That way you are not leaving them in the lurch, but again, no non-profit-vampirism shit. Remember that you are leaving because they treated you badly, and you are no longer responsible for what occurs there.

[tv-elf.livejournal.com]

Uh, as someone going on her 8th month of being unemployed... If someone will pay you to do something you can do in your sleep, take it. Get it in writing, but take it.

[kirbyfest.livejournal.com]

Take the money.

(You knew I'd say that!)

[klia.livejournal.com]

As they say, no good deed goes unpunished. Also? No one takes advantage of you without your permission. Knowing what you know about them and their life-sucking ways, if I were you, I'd stick to my guns and make a clean break.

[swamp-dragon.livejournal.com]

I'd say, just get it in writing beforehand, how much work you'll be doing, what work you'll be doing, etc., so if they try to lay more on you, you can pull out your little not-quite-contract and wave it in their lying bloodsucking faces.

[heresluck]

As others have noted, it really depends on whether you can trust the promise of "one more week" and "bare bones." If I had reason to believe that a former employer would stick to that, and if I got it in writing ("schedules and index ONLY"), then I'd do it; but then I need the money more than you do at the moment.

In any event, I'd also be prepared, if approached for "one more week, round two," to say "absolutely not" in a really unambiguous way. One extra week I can see -- your manager's in a pinch -- but any more than that and somebody's trying to take advantage of your guilt and/or your erstwhile goodwill.

You've been looking forward to ditching this job for so long -- I don't want it poisoning your time off.

Verbiage

[greywingnut.livejournal.com]

Based solely on the amount of verbiage for the "cons" versus the one "pro", I'd say stick to your guns. That's what I'd do if I were in your shoes.

However, if you can set things up so you do these updates on your own time (they'd still be getting the updates done in a relatively timely fashion if you rolled out of bed around noon and did the work), and can keep yourself from checking work e-mail, it might be worth the extra week's pay.

In the end, though, I'd say you have to go with your first impulse.

[elke-tanzer.livejournal.com]

Hrm. If you do it, set a timer and walk away from the computer when your two hours are up each day.

I don't believe your workplace when it promises things to you, because it has been a Soul Sucker Of Extraordinary Proportions. For months if not years.

[yahtzee63.livejournal.com]

Might be worth it, if you can manage it on your own terms and to get out of the place with as unburnt a bridge as possible. You've said that you really like your manager as a person, which is probably worth considering; you DON'T need the cash right now, so the only way to look at it is as a favor.

That, or you could think of some thinamabubby you've had your eye on. Is there anything that would cost one week's freelancing salary? Think of that thing, ask yourself if you want it bad enough to do this, and let that be your answer.