Ok..long story short...i am in a specialized field..Water Treatment...there really isn't alot out there but in small shots when a group of operators retire...

There are a few new openings in the area and though I have job security and great benefits i am not getting fair treatment and training in my current position.


So...should I see whats out there and possibly put a rift between the city and I by looking for a better opportunity or should I suck it up and be happy I have job security and benefits??

I can make more per hour and have a better chance at training and promotion but I will not be able to find the same benefits I have now...i don't know...




So...professional and personal opinions PLEASE...



Shawn
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"should I see whats out there"
Anyone should ALWAYS see what's out there.
I am not sure how looking for an opportunity would create a rift. If it is an internal position then all you are really doing is seeking to advance within the organization. If it is outside of your employer, they really wouldn't know.

"The best time to look for a job is when you already have one".

:-)
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The only concern i have really is if the other job offers called to check on my performance in my current position....not worried about my performance just that I was looking for another position....

its not an internal position its in another city and county..no competition..



I do think the best time to look is when you have one also...Thanks Peter!




Shawn
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Most prospective employers ask if it is o.k. to contact your current employer. I suspect in your case, the answer is No. Just be sure your references are not from your current employer and you should be fine.
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IMO, even if you look elsewhere, with most government employment, they can't just terminate you if they don't like you or think you'll jump ship first chance you get.

If you don't like your job, are not being treated fairly(you could expand on that) and don't get the training you feel is warranted/needed....I think you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not exploring EVERY OPPORTUNITY to move to somewhere you feel like you will get what you deserve as a valued employee.
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Not being treated fairly--well there are 4 employees where i work. A mechanic, a Drinking water operator, a Sewer Water operator and the Plant Manager..when the Drinking water Operator is off or on vacation we are expected (mechanic and I) to cover his position..when I am off or on vacation my plant suffers and just the bare min is taken care of leaving me to work double when I get back.

As for the training..I and the mechanic are taking our certification tests this week...the mechanic is going to a 2 day class for the test and I dont get the chance. the mechanic is taking a class for Building Operation Certification which isnt going to help our plant..and the Manager and the mechanic both admit it..and I havent been to a class for training in 18 months...and I am an operator...


Shawn
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Okay, I don't know a thing about what you do or the politics at your work, so this is just off the cuff....things to think about.

The not being treated fairly looks like a "life's not fair" type of thing. Maybe the powers that be feel like what the DWO is doing cannot wait days and days, so you cover....but feel like other jobs can wait, so it doesn't get covered. Sometimes that is just how things work out. If it bothers you enough to leave a job, then you leave.

If you need training for work and it is not being provided, then ask why. Maybe those guys are putting in for training and it is being approved. The squeaky wheel theory.

Long and short of it is this.... Security and benefits in a weak economy are big....Hell, they are big for most people when the economy is booming. But workplace satisfaction is at the top of my list. If I was not happy with my job, I'd look until I found another....done deal. I may not jump at the first "job"....but I'd continually look and find something that provided me what I needed and bolt.

Life is too short to hate how you pay for it.
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I would say that if I were in a similar position and I have had an honest and open discussion with my supervisor(s) about my concerns and they can not or will not improve my situation I would not worry about it. Especially after I explained that I am motivated person and I have certain goals that I hope to accomplish and I feel that I can't be faulted for wanting to work hard and increase my proficiencies.

Depending on my relationship with the company I might even let them know that I am exploring certain other opportunities and give them a/another chance to make me happy.
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Well I was doing some of the online studies for my Certification Test on thrus and found out there is a class for the wastewater test after I was told there wasnt...its aggravating how the mechanic has told the Plant Manager he doesnt want to be an Operator and he is told and paid to go to this class for his certification and I ask and told there isnt..i take my boss at his word...


anyways now its just a thread to vent in..applied to 2 other plants in the area..we will see...




Shawn
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Best wishes Shawn.
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Shawn, the one thing I'd like to add is - does your boss know you have these feelings of being treated unfair? I ask this because if you're suffering in silent or have penned up feelings, it's always relieving to talk with him. Not a bi tch session, just a "I've been feeling this way and need to talk to you. Is there anything you can do to help me?" discussion. It's his job to make sure all shifts are covered as equally as possible. If your discussion and subsequent follow-up doesn't get some changes, then your leaving would be understandable to everyone. Don't tell him you're thinking about leaving, just state the facts you know and how it makes you feel. If nothing else, he needs to know the guy that's hired to take your job is going to feel the same way. Also, ask any potential employer not to check references unless there's a serious chance of getting hired. A new employer will want to know why you're changing jobs and it's best to be truthful. A reference check to your present supervisor will then get his attention, as he should have corrected the problems you brought up.

Best of luck. A job you're working at is the best job you have at present. Don't do anything rash.
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I have spoke to him. both myself and the other operator have had sit downs with him about this. even today we had equipment failuer due to lack of maint and I am asked why it wasn't taken care of...

I have asked for a job expectations sheet so I know what is requried and I have got nothing.

I won't do anything rash..i have 3 boys that I have to take care of.
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My situation is different than yours. I'm 23, still live with my parents (I call them "older room mates"), and have no major obligations aside from basic living expenses.

That being said, in March I quit a full time, salaried position with full benefits for a lesser paying, part time, no benefits internship with another company.

I hated my previous job. I was saddled with an unneccesarily large amount of work (when I told them this the response was "but you're doing fine! just keep going!"), I rarely worked less than 55 hours a week, and I went home angry with my situation every day. I was looking up the corporate ladder and knew that I had no chance to advance for at least 10 years (barring an someone quitting a cushy job (not gonna happen) or dying unexpectedly).

Quitting that job and accepting lesser pay and no benefits was the best decision I've made yet. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

(For full disclosure, with the recent healthcare changes, I was able to get onto my parents benefits. I took a prestige and a paycut for a happier workplace.)

My view on it is that you are spending at least 40 hours a week there out of 168 hours in a week. 1/4th of each week (really 1/3rd when you factor in sleep) is spent at work. If you feel neglected, stuck in a rut, or saddened by your workplace you really owe it to yourself to find something else to do. If you can find a place where you can still fulfill financial obligations and be happier/more content/more motivated, you should do it!

:-)
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I agree. Looking for a new opportunity may reinforce that you have a good opportunity right now. You and your family are more important than the town or the job that you do.

If they can you for looking, you answered your own question whether you had a good opportunity, which you didn't.
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You answered one of the questions I had, are you married and do you have any children. Well you just said you had 3 children, and that is big. I'm guess the other cities/counties you are seeking are close by and not to far? You say you have great benefits now and security, this can me the most important part when you have a family!

Sounds to me that for whatever reason you and your boss do not see eye to eye, since you feel that way you may come across as being an ass or whiner when you are talking to him but may not even notice it yourself. You may have to be more of a man and keep everything at a high level to make things work even if your boss doesn't. Instead of doing things like asking him if there is a class you can go to, find out ahead of time if there is one and give him plenty of notice when it is etc... He may not of know about the class you found and could have been telling the truth as he knew it when he said there wasn't one. Also being in his shoes I can totally see how sending somebody to a class to get his operators license (rather he wants it or not) is more important then having somebody who already has it go to a class, from a business point of view.

We all want to be happy with our jobs, no doubt about that! If this is something you plan on doing the rest of your life the benefits and security for yourself and family may be better then a new job. For one the grass isn't always greener, you may like your new job even less then the one you have now! And if the retirement is one of the benefits that is better where you are at then leaving can be a huge mistake. Just my two cents.
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