I don’t like my job, can I have my old one back please?
So you hate your new ‘dream’ job… You’re 2 months in and the thought of another 2 months at your new desk, in your new team is enough to make you want to stick pins in your eyes. You’re edging closer to sending the drafted email you’ve saved in your inbox to your old boss who you hope with every grain of your being is missing you as much as you miss them and your old job. But is going back really the right choice? AQUAretail discusses the pros and cons…
Pros:
– The ‘comfy pair of Ugg boots is so much more appealing’ theory. You get to go back to your old team, your old office, hell if you’re lucky then even your old desk! But most importantly you get to go back to your old ‘trusty’ routine. It’s the easy option.
– You’ve experienced somewhere else and it’s made you appreciate what you left behind, the grass is not in fact greener
– You get on well with your team – you’ve built some great professional and personal relationships and who doesn’t like working with good mates that you can have a pint with on a Friday night?
– You get on well with your manager – she had your back and didn’t want you to leave in the first place
– You know the systems inside and out…You were the ‘go to’ person for any report and you’re struggling to adapt to the new systems at your new place
– You trained the new girls and boys, you were NEVER the new girl and you enjoyed the responsibility of being the knowledgable one on the floor
– Your old employer will be delighted that a team member wants to come back – it’s a great message and says good things about them as a business.
– It saves the HR team a hefty recruitment fee if they still haven’t replaced you.
Cons:
– You left for a reason. Think back to how you felt when you handed your notice in – if it was a sense of relief or complete elation, then going back might not actually be the wisest move.
– You have to swallow your pride and your words. If you resigned and gave some solid, strong reasons, then be prepared to answer lots of questions from both the HR department and your old team when you ask to go back
– The old ‘niggles’ that are so easy to forget about when you’re unhappy will still be there, things don’t just change in a couple of months.
– There may be a loss of trust…’A dentist appointment or an interview?’…if you’ve left before, your manager may not trust you as implicitly as they once did.
– You may not be able to negotiate a pay-rise or promotion as easily as you could have done if you had stayed. That lack of loyalty shown could hold you back.
– Your old job has been recruited, there’s an opportunity on a different team with a different line manager… basically a new job then, right?
Going back to an old employer should be a decision that is not taken lightly. As you can see, it might seem like the ‘easy’ option but there are lots of factors that you need to consider before you ask to go back. Whatever choice you make, it needs to be the right one for YOU and one that you feel happy with!