Quality of Life ... regarding employment

[mamajoan]

Since we have moved to Illinois, my dh has been working almost 7 days a week. every week. He is averaging 2 days a month off every 30 days.... Really. He is currently an Industrial Mechanic.. The money is ok(benefits stink) but dang we never see him, can't plan anything because this company is lacking in organization and they don't know if they are working what shift on the weekends... but we have come to assume that dh will always be working. It is a company that does not treat it's employees well. There is NO loyalty and NO appreciation.
He is interviewing and receiving offers.. but the money has been below what we need to exist....
Today he was offered an electronics tech position. The money is a little less than he is currently making... not counting current massive overtime...
Benefits are a bit better, he would work M-F with avg overtime running about 10 hours a week, and he would have paid ''call" rotations. That being said...
I think he should take the job. We have not had a normal work week routine in 3.5 years. He was always working.. required OT, or traveling to Puerto Rico for month long contract gigs...12 hour night shifts or weird long swing shifts. So the thought of having him home every night AND on the wkds is very, very nice.... but the decrease in $$$ is a bit scary.

We have no big bills ( right now) and can manage on what they are offering.
It is a quality of life issue. I changed jobs twice during my past career for quality of life reasons.. but to be honest I was a secondary income for our family. He is the only breadwinner now.. ( I am disabled-but a tough bird at that! ) We are in our late 40's, and financially stable. Kids educational needs(1 in HS and 1 in college) have been planned out. We both feel it will be nice to have a life again. but still nervous.. no decision has been made yet... btw he is still at work, I will be picking him up later.. We enjoy that late night ride home together.

So.. have you ever changed jobs due to quality of life issues?
Have you ever regretted that decision?
Was that decision pivotal in improving your lifestyle?

Thanks for listening...

 

[mudnuri]

well yes I've done it.

My last job I was on call 24/7/365. Holidays, weekends vacations didnt matter. Add to that my position was considered a temporary position, so I did not receive benefits. Add to that I was salary.

I decided, I can not live like that, my girls are growing up before my eyes, and they deserve better.

I am now unemployed- basically- working every other weekend while the girls are at their dads, and going to school full time to earn a nursing degree. Its not easy, I wont lie and say it is. Matter of fact, its downright tough, but it's a change that needed to be made. I dont want my girls to miss out on me, or me miss out on them, because I was constantly on call and required to be available etc.

Brandy

 

[Buckalew11]

I haven't but DH has. I'll never regret less money for his happiness or having him at home more often. Good luck!

 

[ZachnElli]

Yes, my dh did it about a year and a half ago. He was an executive at a big private company. He traveled ALOT, his boss was an ego maniac and a real jerk (yelled at him alot). He did it for 7 years and he couldn't take it anymore. He was actually depressed, he had to get out or I don't know what would have happened. He hated his job that much. He took a job 1250 miles away from home and our family. I miss home and my family alot. But I don't regret it. Dh was in a bad state of mind. He doesn't travel now, he works M-F 9-5, it was totally worth it! The next step up the ladder of his old company he would have been making half a million a year, no kidding. But the job wasn't worth it. Oh, and the guy that replaced him, quit after a year! He couldn't take it either!

 

[Rella Bella]

You only live once... why live for someone elses company!
Life is too short! If you're not treated like a person with a real life, move on!
(If you want to work 24/7 start your own business together... so at least you can see each other.)

 

[Meezers]

I wish I had the guts to do something like that....I wish you all the luck in the world.

 

[minniecarousel]

Well, mj - no personal experience here, but I think you both know what he needs to do. For the sake of his health, the kids, your sanity, etc. - you'll figure it out. I think the general consensus will always be to do what is right for you - not the almighty dollar.

Good luck - hang in there.

 

[momof2inPA]

I turned down a job offer at a company like that. What would have been my boss worked 6 days a week, at least ten hours a day. What would have been my boss's boss hadn't had a day off in a year. It was good pay, but I wouldn't sell my life to anyone. The people at the company even looked completely unhealthy, like they were being deprived of sunlight. It was spooky.

 

[JennaTX]

DH has done this a couple of times. The last time was a couple of months ago, not by his choice, he was laid off. But now he has gone off on his own, and everything is much better, the kids actually get to see him during the week!

I think you should do whatever is best for your family!

 

[stemikger]

It is kind of hard to give you the right answer without actually knowing your income and your bills and lifestyle. For your husband's sake I hope he makes a whole lot of money because I don't even know doctors and the lawyers I work with that have that kind of schedule.

I am going to go out on a limb here and assume he is making very big bucks. If that is the case, I say you are in the perfect position to downscale your lifestyle. Like you said yourself you are financially secure, so right now your husband has NO quality of life working like that so I think it really is a no brainer - he should definitely leave this crazy job.

However, if your husband is not making BIG bucks working like he does, there is something seriously wrong. Nevertheless, he should find another job because no legal citizen of this country works like that.

My brother-in-law is a OBGYN who performs surgery and he doen't even have a schedule approaching that.

 

[momof2inPA]

However, if your husband is not making BIG bucks working like he does, there is something seriously wrong. Nevertheless, he should find another job because no legal citizen of this country works like that.

LOTS of blue collar folks work like that. It's called mandatory overtime.

 

[Free4Life11]

The next step up the ladder of his old company he would have been making half a million a year, no kidding.

 

[barkley]

my dh learned from my experience with too much work and stress (2 strokes by age 42).
"we work to live-we do not live to work".

 

[iwantahemi]

I changed industries for this very reason. I worked in public accounting and worked minimum 85 hrs per week Jan - May. When summer rolled around we got a break to working about 55 hours per week. No thanks for the pitiful amount of money I made on salary.

I now work in industry, 45 hrs week at the max and much happier.

 

[disney junky]

zzzzzzzzzzz

 

[smilie]

My DH is giving his 2 weeks notice tomorrow for the same reason. He works-on average- 20 hours overtime every week. He leaves for work around midnight and goes to bed around 5:30 everyday. I don't get home until after 3:00 everyday so I don't get to see him much. His old company just offered him his old position back at a higher pay. Granted, it's not as much as he's making now, but we'll see each other more often. He won't be as stressed out in this job either. In the end it's a better move for him, he'll be happier. To me, that's what matters, not how much money he's making. We'll make it on what he's been offered, so he's taking it.

 

[helenabear]

I flat out quit my job this summer. After giving 5.5 years to a company that treated their employees like crap, having managment never respect you for what you do, pushed to the edge stress wise due to how they needed work done, threats of lay offs at all times (probably saw 20 rounds in 4 years)... I quit.

Granted I still have some issues I am working around since we just dropped my salary period and I didn't get another job, but my husband says he loves how I am now. I have to give up some of the things I used to, and we are still working through the whole budget thing to tweak it out, but I'm happy at home. I am doing what I love and we both feel good together.

It really did wear on me more than I realized, and some of the after effects hit me several months later. So yep, jobs can be a hazard to your physical and mental well being.

It's only money in the end... and if you can make a jump, go for it. But be sure you can survive on teh salary and do all you can to see how the company really is before you jump from bad to worse. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[MeanLaureen]

I'm struggling with this too.. I know my job is hurting me healthwise, but I'm scared to make the jump to a new job because I probably won't be able to find anything that pays as well as my current job and has the benefits I have. Best of luck on your decision.. I'm sure everything will work out for the best.

 

[Disney Doll]

You sound like oyu are financially fairly well-positioned. By that, I mean you have no major bills, kids educations are planned for...those things are usually the biggies as far as money is vconcerned.

If the salary is a slight cut, but with a vast improvement in hours, and you guys could manage on the slightly less salary, then I say go for it.

To answer your question...yes, I did quit a job once due to quality of life issues. I had worked at an insurance company 5 years, my last boss was a control-freak who wouldn't let you sneeze without asking her, she instructed me to do things that were ethically and quite possibly legally wrong, everyone I spoke to at the company (HR,senior admin.) basically wanted to turn thier heads due to her ethnic background, so I quit. I had no firm job to go to. I was able to pick up hours at the hospital where I had worked for many years because thankfully, when I took the insurance job, I kept a per diem position at the hospital. At the time though I was carrying our health benefits, so when I left the insurance job, I lost the health benefits. When you do the right thing though, it always works out. About 2 weeks after I returned to the hospital, a position opened up on my unit, so I took it without a break in time (because I had stayed per diem) and my benefits started the day the insurance company benefits ended.

I've seen a lot of people die over the years, and never once have I heard anyone say "I wish I had worked more".

 

[Zurealsoon]

Benefits is what keeps most people at a job they hate. I work with someone who is recently divorced & she no longer has health Insurance and is pretty scared about the future.