Hi guys,
Just wondering if anyone has had experience with this. I work at a small fund where the style is not a good fit for me. The manager is unfortunately knows I am not happy with my position and am interviewing. However, because he is concerned about investor redemptions / inqueries (we are a small term), he does not approve of me taking any paid vacation days (which I have several) or even half days off. But I need to take days off to interview.
Any anyone dealt with this? Last time I tried taking a paid day off he called me and screamed at me on the phone. I don't think it's right for him to get in the way of me looking for a better fit and protecting my career, but this is thorny because I don't want to get fired or treated like crap if he knows about this. There seems to be no way to avoid this. How should I deal with this. Should I consider, worst case scenario, resigning first and then focusing on interviews with other funds full time (as many involves cases studies or several full day sessions)? He's purposely making it impossible for me to search for other jobs without being fired (not for work related issues, but b/c he is too emotional). There are fundamental reasons why I want to look for other opportunities and feel that is totally my right. But want to handle this the best way possible for me.
Thanks
If he is concerned about your departure creating a marketing issue with the fund's investors, then you have a bit more leverage than you think. If he knows that you are unhappy and are looking to leave, maybe you can propose a 3 month transition plan. This allows him to do what he needs to do to manage your departure, whether it's hiring someone else to replace you or slowly communicating news of your departure to his investors. In return, let him know that you will be 100% focused on getting your day-to-day work done until the transition date, but will use your remaining paid days off to interview and secure another job. Let him know that you will speak positively about your experience at the fund and hope that he will do the same for you if people call him for a reference. If he is reasonable, he should be OK. If not, then you just need to quit and get out of that toxic environment.
Great points by hominem .
To add, if your contract clearly states that you have paid vacation days and he is not letting you take these days off, you might have a legal basis to take the issue further (this would be a violation of your employment agreement). You obviously don't want to litigate against him/make this a whole big thing (or maybe you do), but the next time he doesn't allow you to take off a paid day, you should bring it up; "Can you explain why I'm not allowed to take off a paid vacation day when my employment contract says differently?" If you do decide to take a day off, put it in email to hedge your bets; "Hi ____. I won't be able to come into the office on Wednesday and will be taking one of my five paid vacation days. Thanks!". Realistically, based on your comments, I agree with hominem in that you have leverage in this situation (because he gets stressed/emotional, I doubt finding another analyst would be something he would want to do, especially given the current dynamics). He might make your life tougher, but I personally think it would be posturing.
The bottom line is that if he doesn't acquiesce on this point, he probably will not have much flexibility with you in the matter--which will result in the same outcome (he will get irritated/mad, and the situation will end up with him letting you go or you resigning).
If possible, I would also try to explain to potential employers that you work in a small fund and try to move meetings to before market/after. Not sure what your hours look like, but this should be a fairly reasonable request for a potential employer. I know in the case of full day interviews this might be tough, but always worth throwing it out there.
I would definitely try to be diplomatic/political in this situation (you do have a current paycheck coming in), but at the end of the day, you need to do what's best for you. If that means that you have a wonderful opportunity at your fingertips and you need to take a day off to interview, do it. You're entitled to that day (per your contract). If things get worse/he hypothetically fires you for taking a paid vacation, you might be able to pursue legal action (perhaps wrongful termination). Things here also do not seem conducive for your growth from a long-term perspective.
Unfortunate situation. From your earlier thread, it appears your PM is very toxic and you should run to greener pastures asap.
I'd document all communication with him in case things go awry. Keep it via email and store/print any applicable ones. You want to hedge yourself in any case.
Maybe it's worth to state that you need a medical day (dentist appointment) via email. He can't deny this. I'd also recommend reaching out to the firm you're interviewing for, and trying to schedule all interviews in the same day. It's a difficult ask, but most firms are understanding and will try to work with you. This will alleviate the number of "dentist" days that you need.
you can also just email the morning of your interview
"i'm sick...feels like the flu...can't come in today...taking one of my paid sick days today"
who is going to argue with that? the next day, you go into the office, and if asked, just say "must have been the 24hr flu, cuz i'm feeling better"
yea good advice, just lie bro
another thing people do...dentist appointment.
you just say "i have a dentist appt...gotta leave early today"
i've never seen people argue with that...
If you take Friday or Monday off, easier to pretend to be sick (since it doesn't have to be a miraculous one day recovery)
Employers have actually little recourse if you just say you're sick and don't come in.
He can't fire you without taking massive legal risk, and even if that wasn't the case, it only exacerbates his concerns of explaining that to his LPs. Just put yourself in his shoes and you'll see he has less power than you think.
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