Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Work

I have been doing some hard core soul searching about my job and have come to some serious conclusions. I need to either get off my current project or leave my company. A few things have happened recently to make me realize that I need to do this.
  1. We have a new senior member of our team. She had breakdown late last week and I realized that I was looking in a mirror. Nothing has changed, she is having the same difficulties I experienced 2 years ago when I began this job. Even more startling to me was the fact that none of those difficulties have gone away in 2 YEARS.
  2. Monday we had a big wigs staff meeting and every big wig admitted to having health and/or relationship difficulties due to our work on this project. I should mention there are 5 of us!
  3. I woke up at 3am this am, could not stop thinking about a meeting I had with our FC early that afternoon in light of the revelations from the senior staff meeting on Monday and I ended up sobbing.
So I need to do something. I don't want to leave my company, if I were not on this particular project my company would be one of the best to work for. But, I've been pigeon holed in my current position on my current project because I've made it work (we literally make the impossible happen, over and over again!) and I've made it better for everyone else involved (except for myself).

I have made it quite clear to the powers that be over and over again that I would like to be involved in other projects and that I'd even be willing to stay on my current project part-time if I could find something else intellectually stimulating. I have also asked to shift my responsibilities to take on tasks that are more intellectually stimulating and would entail less direct contact with my supervisor and FC. These requests have all been met with what the powers that be thought was what I wanted to hear at the time, but no follow up action.

I am no longer willing to stay on part-time and I no longer care to have my responsibilities shifted. I need off the project or moving on to another company. It's not a threat, it's the reality of the situation. I just don't think there is room for me on other projects. There are so few PhD spots

Here's the other side of this: I am 6.5 months pregnant. I'll be on maternity leave from mid-July to mid-October. So when do I tell the powers that be that I need to either be switched to a new project or I will have to leave? Any Advice?