Early 30s. Recently started a role in Project Management. Two weeks in, tendered resignation letter. To cut the story short, found out a bully from a former workplace works there and we'll be working laterally. When I tendered my resignation letter, HR did probe and I told them as is.

Can't do much as the bullying didn't fall under the current company's purview, and the most they can do is ensure the bullying will not happen in my new company. It's not so much of the intimidation I'm afraid of, I simply do not want to be in any proximity to them, let alone the same organization.

Have since been involved in several back-and-forth conversations with HR and eventually confirmed my intention to proceed with resignation. HR has informally suggested a reconsideration.

Truthfully, part of me wants to stay, as I can see the management and my manager are doing their best to ensure no harm comes to me. However, a part of me wants to go, simply because the bully's presence has stripped all excitement I have of the job.

Job-wise, I think the learning curve is great and the potential is there. It's an interesting role but as with all Project Management-based roles, client-facing is something I dislike. But I will say I had to take a far bigger paycut than I was expecting too.

My biggest concern is, will I be looking at long-term unemployment if I leave now? I have no commitments, but I don't want to be involved in a long-term unemployment with how everyone's been telling me the economy is absolutely bad now. Can I quit, and still find employment within 1-2 months time?

If any recruiters or HR practitioners are familiar with the job market, would appreciate your advice. Project Management is fine but given how short-lived my experience is, I suppose I'll have to return to a creative role.

Thanks for the kind words guys. I'm reading each and every one of your replies, and I can see some of you getting enraged on my behalf, hahaha.

To clarify, I'm not leaving just so my bully gets the last laugh. I simply want nothing to do with them and to know that they event exist in my life at the moment is upsetting. In fact, I'd confront them if I can but I don't wanna risk making a scene.

hksgmy understands where I'm coming from. I would say the presence of bully was what kickstarted the thought of daring to resign in 2 short weeks. There are many other factors at play too, though if I had to pick a second factor, I'd fault client-facing being another putoff. Great role, but I'd rather be managing my own team than stakeholders . Alas, we can't have it all. The largest concern I have here is my job hunting prospects after resignation.

I am however, quite fundamentally a solo-ist, and enjoy the simple pleasures of working by myself.

But to the million dollar question - How bad is the market, I'm seeing lots of people agreeing that the market is absolutely shite at the moment? I took an 18% paycut and am worried the next job, if I get one in due time, is another 10 - 20% paycut, which is ugh.

This post has been edited by pastafreak26: Apr 5 2024, 01:21 AM

Probably. The current organization I work in is quite prestigious and I believe many creatives have flocked over for better pay and benefits as they seem to be the only one offering above average market pay.

Few reasons. The decision to switch roles stemmed from a difficult time in locating any opportunities remotely suitable to what I do. The market pay for the role I'm looking at is significantly lower than what I received previously. After months of trying and still nothing promising, I made the tough call to explore roles outside my expertise. Then came this role which was recommended by a recruiter.

Perhaps in a combination of how everyone kept telling me that times are bad and wanting to be employed within my timeline, I accepted the job offer that I currently have in order to make full use of my time. In terms of a sizable paycut, I later learned from an employer that the recruiter and the management were in cahoots on this (something along the lines of bumping the salary package during job advertisement, but be honest that the amount they offered was lower.) I was also "prepped" by my recruiter to not ask about salary packages as it was a dealbreaker for the management. All in all, I was gullible and fell for it, and when it came time to speak up, did not clarify.

I'm not too worried about being asked the question, I've been approached by several recruiters and approached several myself and I have been upfront that I am dealing with a bully in my current organization and am actively seeking out due to the psychological trauma it causes me.

To provide more context on the bullying, I only learned that the bully was working in my current organization after signing the offer, as I received a message from them days after.

This post has been edited by pastafreak26: Apr 5 2024, 12:10 PM

Hello! Apologies for the lack of updates in the thread and thanks for thinking of me, and yes, there has been some update .

For those asking, following the creation of this thread and much deliberation, I eventually stayed on with my current role. I'm moving toward my 4th month as we speak and have found support in some colleagues.

Regarding the bully, there have been several interactions in the organization, and I'm not entirely sure if they are aware of their past involvement with me (again, the bully does not know me by appearance but I do with them as we worked in a time of pandemic). A very close colleague who serves as my social support system and close confidante has implied my bully's awareness of my dislike for them, and on several occasions, my colleague has noticed them staring at me when I'm within the vicinity.

I, however, have not given up looking for better options, as is the case with anyone who wishes to seek a better life for themselves. I suspect I may return to this thread in the weeks to come to seek advice, though it won't necessarily concern my bully.

As far as life has gone, three months of paycheck has definitely helped improve my quality of life, if not future-proof my financial wellbeing for stormier days. Life has moved forward in more ways than one. This is one of the best outcome to arise from sticking it out. However, I will say that client-servicing in my role is something I still dislike strongly, owing to the unpredictability that comes with managing stakeholders.

I'll be back to seek everyone's advice when the time is right.

Thank you all for thinking about me and showing concern!

This post has been edited by pastafreak26: Jun 14 2024, 09:30 AM