I confess that I really don’t know what to do, and I’m just here to crowdsource opinions on the most frequented thread on the forum.
I left my old company (big corporation) two years ago. They had cut hours, taken away matching for our 401Ks, and when they offered me the plant supervisor position, they brought me into a room with a guy who they had just recently hired and knew virtually nothing about the business as a whole, and offered me a $2 raise, which was insulting enough without also putting me at a gross income that was less than the minimum salary range for a machinist lead (a salary range that the company had recently paid another company to figure out, and then handed out sheets to all of us with those salary ranges on it). Needless to say, when our competitor - a private company - offered me a job for more $$, i took it. Put a months notice in since I was a supervisor - they let me on the spot, the day I told them.
Fast forward 2 years. My new company gets rid of HR and assigns the CFO of the company to be HR as well (conflict of interest?). Our health insurance costs are through the roof - I’m paying a TON of money every paycheck and our deductible is $5000 individual, $10,000 family. The state of the plant is abysmal. I guess the company doesn’t want to clean up properly since it costs a lot, but I’m literally working in a living OSHA violation. Pools of chromic acid and copper sulfate in unventilated plating areas. Hoists that groan and shriek when you lift the cylinders (which are up to 5 tons). Lead paint, since the building is from the 40s. Despite all this I’ve sucked it up, made evening plant supervisor, and have an interview this week for day supervisor. Biggest position underneath the plant manager. Only problem is, the entirety of day shift consists of 99% of 50-60 year old trade workers, most of whom are a couple years from retiring, never hustle to get anything done, and already resent me for being the rising young guy in the company. I’ve already caught and called out people for trying to blame my shift for stuff after fucking it up themselves. Then there’s the fact that nobody gets fired, ever. We have people that miss a day a week. One guy no call/no showed for 2 days, turns out he was in jail, was told he had one more chance, and when I needed him to do something one evening and he was gone. Didn’t tell me, didn’t do his job, just left early. Called the plant manager and said fire him, the next day they call me in to rip him a new one while they sit there, and then they give him another chance. It’s a management nightmare, and the last two people that had this job were fired in the past year, because if things get fucked up the plant manager will put it all on you. Point being, I’m concerned about being set up to fail, and the fact that this will be the ceiling of where I end up and what I earn at this company.
MEANWHILE, my old company got rid of its plant manager, brought back matching 401Ks, got a new CEO (big deal since we’re international), and gave Raises all around. Well, they called me back and offered me a job today. More money, better health insurance, and their manufacturing plant is spotless - I go home now with acid holes in my shirt and covered in grime head to toe, they provide work uniforms and you could eat off their floor.
I’ve never not gone upwards in a company, I’m always learning and aiming for the next position up, but I’m at an impasse here. Am I just giving up on a new position before I get it, or have I just been trying to make this new job work for a couple years to justify leaving my old company? Or am I just stuck between a Giant Douche and a Turd Sandwich?
