Job decision advice please? My husband has been offered a salaried position. Should he take it?

Question

He has worked for the same company for 21 years in a good paying but very labor intensive position as a machine operator. He was asked to apply for a salaried position of first line supervisor and got the job. he has 60 days to try the job with the ability to go back to his old job within the 60 days if he chooses.
He has only a couple of weeks more to make up his mind. Some of the folks in the salary ranks love it and others say the company is piling more work and taking away benefits. Some say they are fine, and others say the stress is killing them. My husband does not handle stress well and is a very methodical thinker. He knows he can do the job well, but does not like the job or the constant headaches it brings. He is experiencing anxiety and doesn't know if it's just the decision or the job.
Money wise the new job is better, but we are ok with money either way because his operators job pays ok, too- new job less days but higher salary.
Thanks!

Answer 1

I am a salaried employee. This means that I get paid a 40 hr/wk. regardless of how many hours I actually work. I like it, but it is not for everyone. You are wise to seek counsel on this decision.

There are both benefits and detractors to being salaried. One benefit is that you are showing partnership with the vision of the company, and it is a great way to grow with the company. The detractor in this is that the company expects for from you due to this partnership. If something needs to be done, they go to the salaried employees first for two main reasons. 1) They have greater responsibilities within the company than hourly workers (most of the time); therefore, they are trusted with new jobs first. 2) The salaried people are not immediately rewarded (paid) for their extra work for the company. Their reward is taken into consideration at the time of their review. Without knowing the details of the company's benefit package, 401(k), vacation, etc., as they compare to the hourly workers, there is no way to effectively assist you in that.

The other part of this decision is the way your husband will handle this new job. You mentioned that he does not handle stress well. Well, it is inevitable that unless he works for a utopian company the workload will mount, and his responsiblities will grow. It's not a bad thing. Remember, as a salaried employee, he is a partner in the companies success. He's on the track toward company leadership. Adding responsibilities and workload is the company's way of testing his mettle to see his character, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. If he is interested in these things and he is ready for a challenge, then he should give it his best shot and go for it.

However, you must also take into consideration your home. You're relationship together is more important than any job. It is your primary responsibility. While you can't raise or provide for a family without having a job, when push acomes to pull family responsibilities should always win out.

I hope this has helped you in some way.

Answer 2

Ultimately it sounds to me like the new job may be a poor fit. People who are very good at their jobs, with loads of experience (sounds like him!) may find they do not enjoy supervising others doing that job. It takes a whole different set of skills, mostly people-related, that he may not have, even though he has the respect and admiration of his co-workers.

It's hard to boss people who used to be your equals. It's hard to be flexible, but not too flexible, dealing with the needs of workers while getting the work done the way the company needs it. "Constant headaches" is the big clue here that says he may not find this a good fit in the long run.

It does sound like the company is trying hard to reward him for being a long-time dependable employee. Maybe he can suggest some sort of job description that sets him apart from his colleagues but isn't directly supervisory, with less stress? I bet he'd be a good trainer, liaison between the workers and management, safety supervisor, quality inspector, etc.

Answer 3

I am on salary and love it. The question would be if he does find out he is loosing some type of benefits from the company. That would be something to find out. As you say he does have 60 days to try it out. You have nothing to loose at this point. Have him try it out. You can make a better decision that way.

Answer 4

Take the promotion. If if does not work out, worry about that if it happens.