Transition from Industry Job and possibly being fired

[LwT]

Hi,

I currently work in R&D at a small company and will be attending a PhD program in the fall in a totally unrelated field to my current industry. Right now things are on the WAY down low as it pertains to my acceptance to a program. I'd like to maintain some integrity, as the company I work for has been very generous and caring for me. In fact I took a promotion in January which makes this situation increasingly uncomfortable. They do have a small R&D team as well, which is why I've encountered this predicament. I'd like to tell my supervisor of my plans so they don't feel blindsided and I'm also worried that in our small community word will get out that I'm leaving the company before I get to tell them personally. The issue is that I'm afraid they will not find it in their best interests to employ me all the way until August. Maybe they will, but maybe they won't. I'd like to be prepared if they don't. 

I'm married and my wife is a waitress without a degree. We have our health insurance through this company and that is our primary concern because I am a diabetic that needs monthly supplies. Even if we COBRA our healthcare...we'd be homeless. And run through all our savings lol. ~5 months without healthcare isn't feasible either. Has anyone encountered a similar issue where their employer was not supportive of their choice to attend graduate school and let them go? It seems most people are able to treat this transition just like any other summer as an undergrad (i.e. still have parents health insurance and get a summer job). I'd be fine with moving to where I would attend grad school and work at a restaurant for a few months, but again, we wouldn't have healthcare. Part of me thinks unemployment and obamacare would actually be more beneficial than getting a low paying job without healthcare anyways. Any advice or experience with this, I know it may be a unique situation given health complications..?

In an ideal world I'd work in a lab for the summer at the university I'll be attending. However my program does not start until Sept, which is also when the stipend and healthcare starts of course. Would it be appropriate for me to contact the program coordinator people to discuss if any profs would consider taking me on in their lab over the summer?  or discuss other potential options. I'm worried I'll come off as a moocher and would prefer not to start off on their bad side. I'm appreciative of any input:) Thanks.

 

[TakeruK]

Many schools will offer to let you start early and pay you as well as put you on their health insurance, if there's funding. So, when you accept the offer, this is a good time to ask if this is a possibility. 

Otherwise, I would say your first responsibility is to yourself and your family. You don't owe your current company any more than the minimum required notice (whatever that is). After all, if it's possible that they'll fire you if they knew you were leaving in August, then it doesn't really sound like you owe them anything special.

Also, take into account how your benefits change based on when you resign from your positions. Some companies let you keep benefits until the end of the calendar month, so if you are starting your new program & benefits on Sept 1, it might be a good idea to make August 1 your last day of work (or give notice on August 1 if you think they'll fire you) so that you keep your company's insurance until August 31, then start your school insurance on Sept 1.

Hopefully you have not said anything to anyone about grad school yet, and I would continue not saying anything. In my opinion, it's not our job, as employees, to feel bad for "blindsiding" our supervisors. It's their job to find a replacement when you move on because it's very common that people do move on to other opportunities. In my opinion, the current work culture heavily favours employers and gives employees very little rights. So, I think the whole culture of people feeling bad about leaving (especially after a promotion) is just a symptom of the power differential. Company loyalty doesn't exist anymore because you rarely see it go the other way (companies protecting their employees). 

This is normal in academia too. Both for researcher positions (e.g. faculty) as well as administrative ones (e.g. Deans, directors, etc.). It's not rare for someone to take a promotion and then leave a few months later because another school made a better offer. We all need to act in our own best interests. Of course, also stay in ethical and legal realms; but as I said above, I don't think "blindsiding" a supervisor is unethical.

[emmabear]

If I were you I wouldn't tell your job till 2 weeks or a month before. Also, you can get obamacare anyways, it doesn't matter if you are employed somewhere or not, and if you don't make a lot you will get a tax credit. For example, when my husband started a new job they didn't start his medical for a few months so we had it through the state.

Edited February 29, 2016 by emmabear

[LwT]

I appreciate your guys input. I understand your reasoning and originally planned on just giving them a 1 month notice. However, the more I sit in on meetings regarding products I'm responsible for creating over the next 5 years and have direct contact with my supervisor about which conferences I'll be attending this year, booking flights for times I won't even be here- it makes me cringe. I also live in a very small town, so despite my best intentions to keep things under wraps I'm very worried this will make its way through the grape vine.

I'll have to check on a summer start for the program though for sure. Also, isn't obamacare absurdly expensive if you don't get the tax beak haha?

[emmabear]

2 hours ago, LwT said:

I'll have to check on a summer start for the program though for sure. Also, isn't obamacare absurdly expensive if you don't get the tax beak haha?

There are different plans out there and if you go to your state's marketplace and sign up you will be able to see them. You input your income there and it tells you if you get a tax credit. It's really easy

[Sigaba]

I am going to offer a different perspective than TakeruK with whom I've disagreed many times on topics related to the workplace. This perspective and my disagreement with him are offered from a place of respect.

I worked at the now defunct R&D lab of a multinational consumer/business electronics firm. (The one that pioneered one.word.sentences.)

IME, a lot of time, money, hard work, and care are invested in R&D. While fortunes may rise if products come to market, people--your peers--may lose their jobs if projects are not completed on time and under budget. Reading between the lines of your post, your leaving under any circumstances is going to cause a void that is going to take a lot of work, sacrifice, and maybe even heartache to fill.

Yes, you can give minimum notice and walk away unscathed professionally. Yes, you may get fired (as in get out now) the moment you let your supervisor know that you're leaving. Yes, you may be the guest of honor at a party thrown after you've spent your remaining time documenting what you know and making sure your team has a full grasp of your work and be taken to lunch on your last full day.

But given the objective you've stated ("I'd like to maintain some integrity") what is the right thing for you and your wife to do?

IRT the diabetes. For several years, I was a housemate to a RN who has Type I diabetes.One of the things I learned from her as she worked towards becoming a CDE was the degree to which the disease can impact one's frame of mind. Managing diabetes is not just about having the medicine and the equipment one needs, but also the spirit to keep fighting each and every day against a disease that seeks to turn one's own body into one's assassin.

What choices can you make now that will equip you and your wife to fight?

(FWIW,  I got the job because the incumbent was upfront with the boss about the job offer she received in an entirely different industry and because she offered to help find and to train her replacement.)

[TakeruK]

Obamacare prices may vary from place to place. As non-resident aliens, my spouse and I did not get the tax break before my spouse were able to find work. We paid full price for the "Silver" plan, which was about $250 per month in California, which is about $3000 per year and we probably spent about $1000 more out of pocket since there are deductibles and copays. I would have categorized the level of supplies we needed to be more than the average user but not as extensive as managing diabetes. $4000 a year isn't nothing, but during our first year here, Obamacare didn't exist and insurance companies denied coverage, so our only choice was through my school's dependent health program which had a premium of $7200 per year, and we had to pay out of pocket. In any case, the Affordable Care Act may be more expensive to you compared to having your employer cover your insurance but at least in California, it has lowered the barrier to care for low income earners. 

I appreciate @Sigaba's point and they bring up a good point that I neglected to consider: the impact on the other workers in your department. When I read your original post, I did not get the sense that you would have such an impact/responsibility on other employees. That is, when I read that "you took a promotion", I understood this as rising through the ranks, for example, going from Research Scientist I to Research Scientist II. When you say "products [you're] responsible for creating", I am not certain if you mean you are leading a team to develop this product, or if you are an important part of a team that is creating this product.

I do think the situation is a little different if you have supervising responsibilities and subordinate employees that you are responsible for. I want to first say that I still think your first responsibility must be to yourself and your family. However, if you are a manager of a small R&D staff within your department, then I do think you have some level of increased responsibility. Having this power means, in my opinion, you should start quietly setting things up so that your department/team is taken care of when you leave. For example, you might want to start training your team in responsibilities that you will vacate when you leave. Include them where possible in your meetings (if you are able to invite them to join "for consultation" etc.). Start documenting as Sigaba suggested. Mention the promising employees in a positive light when speaking to your supervisors. Ultimately, I think you should also tell your team before you tell your supervisors, but depending on your comfort level, that might be a month before, a week before, or just minutes before going into your supervisor's office.

I notice that you also mention discomfort in booking flights etc. I understand the discomfort but here, I disagree with Sigaba, respectfully, and I do not think booking flights that you will not take constitutes a lack of integrity. The reason is because I do not think employers should have the right to know your future plans, whether they be personal or career. Employers should not treat you any differently because of your future personal plans and commitments. Therefore, withholding this information from them to avoid unfair treatment is within what I would consider acting with integrity. Ultimately, the truth is that you are replaceable, and it may come at some economic cost to the company, but I think that is part of the inherent risk in running a business, and it's the company's responsibility to worry about this, not yours.

All of this said, I am not saying that I think the only correct choice is waiting until the last minute. The main purpose of my post is to say that waiting until the last minute is one option you have, and I made an argument about why I believe this is an ethical choice and maintain integrity in tact. Ideally, you would be able to do more than just be ethical and maintain integrity, and I agree with Sigaba that if you are able to be in the same position as the incumbent to Sigaba's former R&D position, then that would be an ideal case (at least in my opinion). However, it sounds like there may be considerable risk to attempt to achieve this and it's your personal decision to choose how much risk you are willing to take. 

[LwT]

Obamacare seems to have similar quotes as those previously mentioned, which is pretty decent even if my wife and I both worked in coffee shops hah.

I do not have specific manager responsibilities and do not supervise individuals. However, I do still manage my own projects for specific product development ideas. I form a team of individuals from other departments that aren't necessarily my superiors nor am I their supervisor- however I do assign specific tasks to individuals and do general accountability and make all projections pertaining to the development process. We're essentially "Project Leads" from a specific department, and the project manager depends on the focus of the product. Because I am not super engrained right now and most of my projects are waiting for equipment installation, I am very replaceable, but it will still be a hassle because I've worked in other departments and was already trained in most methods related to my new position. I would not be essential for a smooth transition which is partly why I don't think they would find it necessary to employ me much longer.

Most people have until mid April to make a decision for programs, so I may wait until the end of April to determine a timeline for informing my supervisor. Hopefully we can keep things quiet for that long, and I think May would be a good time. I'd only have 3 months to worry about not having a job and could likely accumulate enough supplies to last medically, and pay out of pocket for anything else. Always a risk of an emergency, so perhaps even just the lowest form of obamacare would be smart.

@Sigaba I really appreciate your perspective as well. I think @TakeruK replied with a good combination of perspectives. The main goal is not just to maintain integrity but stand out as an opponent of the exact system @TakeruK mentioned initially. The "it's their job" mentality and power differential is only perpetuated through our equally blatant disregard for our employers. I do think my first responsibility is to my wife and myself of course, and hopefully we can plan a timeline that would ensure our financial security while not just going unscathed, but having outstanding integrity.