Got a job pre-quarantine, start date TBD for months. Is this in poor taste?

[RhoYourBoat]

Hello EB!

I have been trying to leave my job for maybe 6 months now, and I had an interview and offer (I accepted/signed) in March for another land dev company. The day I was going to put in my two weeks, everything shut down and my future company said they can't onboard me remotely, but might look into remote training so I could start. It's now June and they say my start date is still TBD, they won't onboard me remotely, and I'm going a little crazy. Companies in the same area say that trials for office working don't start until July, potentially not returning to the office through September-end of year.

Is it in poor taste to apply for companies/jobs that will start me remotely, even if I have signed an offer with the first company?

Advice please, ty!

 

[tj_PE]

Hello EB!

I have been trying to leave my job for maybe 6 months now, and I had an interview and offer (I accepted/signed) in March for another land dev company. The day I was going to put in my two weeks, everything shut down and my future company said they can't onboard me remotely, but might look into remote training so I could start. It's now June and they say my start date is still TBD, they won't onboard me remotely, and I'm going a little crazy. Companies in the same area say that trials for office working don't start until July, potentially not returning to the office through September-end of year.

Is it in poor taste to apply for companies/jobs that will start me remotely, even if I have signed an offer with the first company?

Advice please, ty!

so they gave you a start date when you signed the offer, and they pushed the date?

imo they broke the contract first. i would play very carefully though. if you like the company might be worth it to wait. but gotta do what's best for you

 

[RhoYourBoat]

@tj_PE Yes. I was supposed to start end of March and it's been pushed several times until the current TBD. And yeah, it feels tricky because I do want to work for them, but I really would like to make the move to that company's area since my fiance also got an offer there and has started.

 

[tj_PE]

@tj_PE Yes. I was supposed to start end of March and it's been pushed several times until the current TBD. And yeah, it feels tricky because I do want to work for them, but I really would like to make the move to that company's area since my fiance also got an offer there and has started.

have you communicated all of those things to the company? and reiterated your determination to relocate asap etc? 

i would just see whats out there i guess if you've done all the above

 

[youngmotivatedengineer]

What was it about the company that attracted you to them? What are the benefits of that company over your current employer?  Is it strictly a relocation move, or is it benefits and growth opportunities?  Will you be doing the same work as current job, or doing different daily tasks? While it is frustrating,  you have to look at it from the employers viewpoint. If it is an entry level position,  they may want you to have constant oversight at the beginning to do things a certain way, or teach you the way they do things.  This will be hars to do with you and your supervisor working remotely.  They may also have a formal training program that all new hirea go through.  Another thing to think about is that their workload may be reduced right now due to the shutdown. If so, they may be struggling to pay their current employees and keep them busy.  If this is the case, it wouldn't be fair to the current employees for them to bring on someone new, when there is already a lack of work. Hopefully things work out soon for you, but you have to realize that this is uncharted times for everyone. 

 

[RhoYourBoat]

have you communicated all of those things to the company? and reiterated your determination to relocate asap etc? 

i would just see whats out there i guess if you've done all the above

Yes, I have communicated all of this to them, but it seems there isn't much they can do on their end if remote start is not an option. 

What was it about the company that attracted you to them? What are the benefits of that company over your current employer?  Is it strictly a relocation move, or is it benefits and growth opportunities?  Will you be doing the same work as current job, or doing different daily tasks? While it is frustrating,  you have to look at it from the employers viewpoint. If it is an entry level position,  they may want you to have constant oversight at the beginning to do things a certain way, or teach you the way they do things.  This will be hars to do with you and your supervisor working remotely.  They may also have a formal training program that all new hirea go through.  Another thing to think about is that their workload may be reduced right now due to the shutdown. If so, they may be struggling to pay their current employees and keep them busy.  If this is the case, it wouldn't be fair to the current employees for them to bring on someone new, when there is already a lack of work. Hopefully things work out soon for you, but you have to realize that this is uncharted times for everyone. 

Really good points, and I appreciate the added perspective. I've been looking to leave my company due to low pay/lack of benefits in general, as well as being passed up for PM training. The new company has a great PTO policy, bonus system and a clear track for career growth and I'd be starting as a project engineer (those with a PE basically, above entry level and below PM). It's definitely a step up in pay, responsibilities, and they do have training. IMO there have been no signs internally/externally of a lack of work, but I didn't consider that as a very real possibility.

So I guess it's really weighing the wait/uncertainty/current job vs. the benefits. In the case that we move and I still can't start there, would it be okay to look for other jobs where they are hiring at this time? Is that something I tell the company I'm supposed to start with?

 

[Tiger15]

As long as you are honest and respectful I don't think there's a wrong answer. This is unprecedented time. I would hope that they wouldn't hold it against you. You're still at your old/current employer, right?

I would think the new employer would understand that you can't wait forever. The best option may be to apply for temporary / contract position in the new city to fill in until the new company is ready for you. You could contact local recruiting companies.

I was going to say the thing you should not do is interview and accept a permanent position, knowing that you plan to quit in a couple months when the new company is ready for you. That's disrespectful of that's companies need to hire someone. But the thing is, you never know what might happen. What if the new company rescinds the offer due to financial reasons. 

You gotta do whatever is best for you. Like I said, just be honest and respectful

 

[youngmotivatedengineer]

Yes, I have communicated all of this to them, but it seems there isn't much they can do on their end if remote start is not an option. 

Really good points, and I appreciate the added perspective. I've been looking to leave my company due to low pay/lack of benefits in general, as well as being passed up for PM training. The new company has a great PTO policy, bonus system and a clear track for career growth and I'd be starting as a project engineer (those with a PE basically, above entry level and below PM). It's definitely a step up in pay, responsibilities, and they do have training. IMO there have been no signs internally/externally of a lack of work, but I didn't consider that as a very real possibility.

So I guess it's really weighing the wait/uncertainty/current job vs. the benefits. In the case that we move and I still can't start there, would it be okay to look for other jobs where they are hiring at this time? Is that something I tell the company I'm supposed to start with?

If you start searching again and tell the company you are doing so,  they could rescind your offer and also start looking at other candidates. If this was under normal circumstances, Id fully support looking at other places. But with current situation you have to give them some relief. 

If I was you,  I would reach out to HR or your hiring manager and try to see where they stand. Are they waiting for a certain metric before starting you? If they have a formal training program,  see if there is anyway you could start doing some of it now, maybe on a part-time basis.

 

[Dean Agnostic]

Hi @RhoYourBoat  You're going a little crazy these days? (Me too!). There are no right or wrong answers in this unprecedented uncertainties. For me, I love that you're taking action and executing. Do what you gotta do to survive. Peace and Blessings!