Almost posted in r/careerguidance but think this is more appropriate here because it's not about what job to take but rather how to go about it.
I have been talking to a company for a couple of months now. It's a bit of a career change (same industry, very different role) and I'm 100% taking the job as it aligns with my career goals and what I want to do on a daily basis. The program I'd be entering was just revamped, so it took them a few weeks to make a formal offer. I have the offer letter in hand as of yesterday.
Now for the dueling "offer." On my current company's firmwide meeting last Tuesday, the owner of my current company announced that he was selling the firm, with the closing date next 6/21. We had less than 2 weeks to digest the news, and of course the timing is just ridiculous as I was awaiting the formal offer discussed above. In order to be employed on 6/21, I have to accept the acquiring firm's offer, return all HR paperwork, etc. by COB today.
So the decision I have to make is: Do I sign over in the merger, then tell them next Mon/Tues that I'm leaving? Or do I just not sign over? This is a question because I believe I stand to gain the following financially if I sign over: 1. Automatically fully vested in 401(k)/PSP when plan terminates. (Not sure if I'd qualify for auto vesting if I leave before the merger takes place. In a perfect world, I should, since I'll be working through my firm's final business day, but a technicality could prevent that). Only makes a difference of about $2,500. 2. There's a retention bonus at the 1-year mark, but they pay you out 10% of that bonus if you leave before a year. 3. Most obviously, I'd be pulling all or part of a paycheck from the acquiring firm. So while I'll start my separate new job right after the 4th of July, and get a little 2-week "vacation" out of not signing over, I'd be passing up a paycheck.
So the total swing as I see it, assuming I'm right about the 401(k), is north of $5K. I don't NEED the money, but $5K is $5K! That said, is it a dick move to sign over already knowing that I'm leaving? (Not concerned about the company at all - more about making myself look bad in a tight-knit industry).
Submitted June 17, 2021 at 06:32AM by markymark-2014 https://ift.tt/35zdHOs
