I hate "us or them" ultimatums. I was given one today by one of my bosses.
I had been getting work through a temp agency. While I was working for the temp agency, the seasonal job I had last winter contacted me and wanted to know if I would come back for another season. I said "Yes, I'd love to". Then the temp agency gave me a 'temp to hire' position, which I accepted. My seasonal job was due to start the last week of my 'temp' period at that position. As the end of my temp commitment was drawing near, I kept asking if they were going to hire me. No one would give me a straight answer. I spoke with the supervisor from the seasonal job and told them that I was 99% sure the temp job was going to offer me a permanent position, but I since I didn't have a definite offer, I was going to go ahead and start the seasonal job as a second job.
Three days after the seasonal job starts, I get told by the temp-to-hire position that the job was mine if I wanted it. I accepted, and was going to try my best to balance the two, since I had committed to the seasonal job before the year-round job was offered. I kept both supervisors up to date with what was going on. I told both of them that I was going to try to work both jobs so that I wouldn't burn any bridges. I was trying my best to make sure I could work both jobs, and swapping shifts with people as needed to make sure both jobs had coverage.
Tonight the supervisor from the year-round job came to me and said she was cracking down on things. NO more swapping shifts. Period. If I can't get the seasonal job to work around the year-round job's schedule then I had to choose which job I wanted more.
I just hope I made the right choice.
The year round job is a full time job, but with very low pay (more than minimum wage, but less than what AMR offers a fresh out of school EMT). I would, however, be eligible for health insurance in January.
The seasonal job pays $2.56 more an hour, but only lasts 2 1/2 months with variable shifts which can be swapped as much as you like, EXCEPT between Thanksgiving and Christmas when they have a no-swapping, maxed out hours schedule. I could have withdrawn my commitment for the seasonal job before my first shift without any repercussions, and I would have been fully eligible to go back and work for them another winter. But since I started the job, and then gave my notice, I'm going to have a note on my file that said I left before the season was over. Which means I MIGHT be able to be hired in the future, but they also may not hire me if I applied again. If I do get hired by them in the future and leave before the end of season a second time, I will never be hired by them again. If I had stayed and was tardy or called out too much due to scheduling conflicts and they let me go for that, I would never be hired by them again.
As much as I love the seasonal job and the company culture there, I felt I had no choice. I need a year-round job with insurance, even if it is very low pay. I just wish I felt better about my decision...
And for the record, I only swapped 2 shifts at the year-round job.
