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kareinaI have been employed at my current university for just over eight years now. The first 1.5 years in a post-doctoral research post (full time), then, when that funding ran out, I transitioned to a half-time, but permanent, laboratory technician post (for a lower base-rate of pay) because I wanted to stay in the area and, having had my funding applications to try to extend the post-doc all fail, I wasn’t inspired to return to the stresses of needing to apply for funding, and I liked the idea of the security of a permanent position. However, our department has had financial issues for a while now, and in an attempt to solve it, has decided to try outsourcing the lab, which means my job will be ending sometime in the spring.
Luckily for me, the university has very good policies to protect its employees and help keep them employed. One of these is a right to being hired in another position at the university, if I meet the qualifications for that job at least as well (or better than) any other applicants for the position. Therefore I prepared a comprehensive CV which includes not only all of my various research related positions, but also all of my non-academic jobs that demonstrate skills that might be useful somewhere on campus, and I have provided that to my supervisor, who passed it on to our Human Resources department, and to the Union.
This week I had my first meeting with the person in Human Resources who is responsible for my case, and, in addition to all of the useful information she gave me, she pointed out that there are two positions currently available on campus for which my CV shows me as qualified. One was an administrative roll, which she advised against, as it is a temporary position, and it wouldn’t be wise to give up my current permanent position (which hasn’t ended yet, and comes with a minimum 10 month notice period) for one with a set end date (which would lose me the above mentioned right of transfer to another job at the university).
The other is with janitorial services, which, as she pointed out, I am over-qualified for (I actually do have experience working housekeeping in a motel, and on a self-employed basis). However, the janitorial position is full time, and, she tells me that if I were to transfer within the university I would keep the same base rate of pay. Therefore, my salary would double, which would do good things to my budget.
Other potential benefits to such a job would be a greater chance to practice the local language (English is the dominant language among the researchers here, but the support staff tends to speak Swedish), more physical activity than I am currently getting, and work that wouldn’t ever follow me home in the evening. However, there would be a tangible loss to my personal sense of status—managing a Laser-Ablation ICP-MS laboratory is “cool”, even when talking with people who have zero idea what that means, but scrubbing toilets, not so much so.
I need to let my HR person know by Monday if I am interested in this job (saying no to this one would not, she tells me, hurt my chances at other jobs that may open up at the university later, but there is no guarantee that something more interesting will open up). Therefore I ask here for people’s thoughts/reactions to my situation? What factors would encourage you to go for, or to run from, the janitorial job, if you were in my shoes?
Luckily for me, the university has very good policies to protect its employees and help keep them employed. One of these is a right to being hired in another position at the university, if I meet the qualifications for that job at least as well (or better than) any other applicants for the position. Therefore I prepared a comprehensive CV which includes not only all of my various research related positions, but also all of my non-academic jobs that demonstrate skills that might be useful somewhere on campus, and I have provided that to my supervisor, who passed it on to our Human Resources department, and to the Union.
This week I had my first meeting with the person in Human Resources who is responsible for my case, and, in addition to all of the useful information she gave me, she pointed out that there are two positions currently available on campus for which my CV shows me as qualified. One was an administrative roll, which she advised against, as it is a temporary position, and it wouldn’t be wise to give up my current permanent position (which hasn’t ended yet, and comes with a minimum 10 month notice period) for one with a set end date (which would lose me the above mentioned right of transfer to another job at the university).
The other is with janitorial services, which, as she pointed out, I am over-qualified for (I actually do have experience working housekeeping in a motel, and on a self-employed basis). However, the janitorial position is full time, and, she tells me that if I were to transfer within the university I would keep the same base rate of pay. Therefore, my salary would double, which would do good things to my budget.
Other potential benefits to such a job would be a greater chance to practice the local language (English is the dominant language among the researchers here, but the support staff tends to speak Swedish), more physical activity than I am currently getting, and work that wouldn’t ever follow me home in the evening. However, there would be a tangible loss to my personal sense of status—managing a Laser-Ablation ICP-MS laboratory is “cool”, even when talking with people who have zero idea what that means, but scrubbing toilets, not so much so.
I need to let my HR person know by Monday if I am interested in this job (saying no to this one would not, she tells me, hurt my chances at other jobs that may open up at the university later, but there is no guarantee that something more interesting will open up). Therefore I ask here for people’s thoughts/reactions to my situation? What factors would encourage you to go for, or to run from, the janitorial job, if you were in my shoes?
(no subject)
Date: 2019-12-13 03:01 pm (UTC)I went with the first, but I was unhappy about it. It was one of the things that led me to leave sooner. (And predictably, the budget power move failed... and the layoffs were never going to happen anyway.)
(no subject)
Date: 2019-12-13 03:37 pm (UTC)If this would improve your base needs (financial, in this case), then it seems like a wise choice to take this job. If you do not need the money, then what benefits would additional income bring that would offset your status loss?
If you need the security of this job, and yet it impacts your esteem needs, could this be a temporary solution that allows you to focus on those higher base needs outside of employment? i.e., your base is covered with this job allowing you time to explore intellectual pursuits outside of employment?
I, too, have scrubbed toilets. And in the evenings I wrote.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-12-13 05:26 pm (UTC)I have never in my life really felt like I was lacking in the basics of food/water/shelter and I have always felt safe and secure. Between the SCA and my many other hobbies I am pretty well covered on the belonging level (though I would enjoy a local romantic partner, I don't suffer from the lack of one, either). I have ticked an awful lot of boxes in the "feeling accomplished" category, and most of my hobbies fall into the "creative activities" box.
Have I achieved my "full potential"? No idea, but I suspect that no matter how much one has achieved of their own possible potential, there is always more that one could achieve if one isn't dead, sick, or injured.
On the other hand--while my salary is plenty good enough to meet my share of the mortgage/bills and keep me eating very well, I would love to have more of a travel budget, since I have friends all over the Kingdom, but getting to Kingdom-level events isn't cheap. I also think it might be nice to once in a great while travel to visit friends in other Kingdoms. If one wants to focus on playing SCA on a travel-basis then it would be good to have a job that doesn't have deadlines and major pressure not to take time off. I don't know how the cleaning job would feel about taking vacation here and there for travel, rather than all at once for five weeks over summer as is "normal" in Sweden.
Side note: The first page I happened on that explained his hierarchy also had a list of "Behavior leading to self-actualization" I was amused that the first six are things that are part of my own self-image. It is only the final one (g) that I am not always so good at, since I don't tend to spend so much time on introspection:
(a) Experiencing life like a child, with full absorption and concentration;
(b) Trying new things instead of sticking to safe paths;
(c) Listening to your own feelings in evaluating experiences instead of the voice of tradition, authority or the majority;
(d) Avoiding pretense ('game playing') and being honest;
(e) Being prepared to be unpopular if your views do not coincide with those of the majority;
(f) Taking responsibility and working hard;
(g) Trying to identify your defenses and having the courage to give them up.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-12-14 12:22 am (UTC)