Stay at current job or switch

[Pharmgrlnxdor]

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So I am currently working at a big box retailer where I started after leaving CVS. I was thrilled to get this job as I was sure working at CVS was going to kill me. The new job was a great improvement over CVS but there are a few things that are not so great. After ten months at the new job my 40 hours a week got cut to 37 hours (this was an across the board cut and did not have anything to do with me personally) which cost me essentially $10,000 in lost wages, and that plus some frustration with being saddled with a tech that didn't do much prompted me to start looking at the job listings that were still automatically popping up in my email several times a week. I am going to try and list the pros and cons. I am leaning toward the new job but would love some other viewpoints.

Current Job Pros:
3 weeks of paid vacation plus = 120 hours a year off plus 24 hours of personal paid time off.
Know the system and workflow and know the customers and what is expected.
Some great technicians and one who was very difficult but is finally coming around sort of.
1/2 hour of paid lunch every day of the week but the weekends.
No pharmacist overlap (you will see this in the pro and con column) the pros of having no pharmacist overlap is that I am the boss when in the pharmacy and don't have to deal with another difficult pharmacist.
Roughly 160-210 scripts per day during the weekday with about 15-16 tech hours.
The devil you know is better than the devil you don't know feelings. Trying to learn a new system work with a new group of people get along with a new set of personalities can always be exhausting.
No drive thru
Closed on all major holidays and paid for those days.
Medical, dental, vision


Current Job Cons:
Working the cash register, counting 1/5 to 1/3 of scripts on any given day in addition to typing in 90% of scripts, answering 50-75% of the phone calls, doing 100% of all pharmacist only duties.
Less metrics than CVS overall but still metrics. Current request is that we actually call our customers at home that have certain insurance that covers the flu shot 100% and asking if they want to come in for a flu shot.
One fantastic technician that kicks ass and does the bulk of the tech work, one very nice and friendly tech who is a great person but does not do nearly as much as tech number one. Tech number 3 who is finally doing more work when she is scheduled but for 6 months basically did as little as she could and who I could not get to do more and who always is so negative and regularly brings down the overall mood in the pharmacy. The fact that when one person calls in sick or goes on vacation there is not enough coverage and they have not bothered to hire anyone else so the pharmacist gets to deal with a crazy crazy day.
$10,000 pay cut due to the change from 40 hours a week down to 37. Although I can offset this by covering my partner's vacation days during the year it is something I have to actively stay on top of each month in order to not lose all or part of that pay each year.
Worry that the company is not stable....they have been known for instability.
No pharmacist overlap...crazy Mondays that are very stressful.
Mainly 12 hour days that leave me exhausted and with little energy or time to do anything other than eat and go to bed. Miss two nights each week with my child who right now needs help on homework that is getting harder and harder for her to do.
Working every other weekend
When saddled with the two least productive technicians can result in my staying up to an hour after my normal leave time doing their job so everything is "cleaned up" for my partner pharmacist.
No 401k matching.


Possible New Job Pros:
Pharmacist overlap every weekday for 5+ hours
Two technicians that open and close with the pharmacy
Cashiers (two) that handle ringing out customers.
Technicians handle the drive thru
Longest day of the week is 10 hours.
Work every third weekend
Independent pharmacy with several locations and seems very stable. I want to start an independent pharmacy in the next two to three years so would give me some great experience in that regard to see how things are done in an active and successful independent.
Overall higher rate of pay (by about $5 a hour) for less overall hours worked - will equal a gain back of the lost $10,000 dollars for ultimately less time worked each week.
Bonus has been given every year to all pharmacists....supposedly it is very good.
Script volume at about 280-300 per weekday when there is 7 hours of pharmacist overlap and two technicians and two cashiers, where main pharmacist responsibilities are typing in scripts, verifying scripts, transfers, counsels, and other pharmacist only duties....little to no counting, ringing up customers, etc.
Miss only 4 nights every three weeks (equal to 1 and 1/3 nights per week) so I am able to help my child more with her homework and test preparation during the school week.
401k matching.




Possible New Job Cons: No paid vacation time or personal days off. Need to rearrange schedule with other two pharmacists to get time off, supposedly this is easy to do, but who knows.
Open all major holidays with a reduced schedule of 4 to 6 hours. Major holidays are rotated among the three pharmacists.
Total unknown regarding the personalities at the new location. Could be a disaster.
Pharmacist overlap could be a nightmare if I get a lazy, difficult personality, dominating, or other negative type of pharmacist.


Any opinions out there?

 

[bacillus1]

Ugh no days off? That's an easy way to burn out.

 

[Pharmgrlnxdor]

Yeah that is the big conundrum.....i get so much paid time off with the current gig and that is really useful....however the twelve hour days are really hard on me and I have so many of them only broken up by the weekend shifts of 8 hours and 6 hours. When I am at work at the current job I begin to really start to run on empty after ten hours. I worry that is when I am going to make my mistakes....when I am just really tired and done.

While there is no paid time off the schedule at the new job would be working 5 days in week number 1 (including the weekend), working 2 days in week number 2 (no weekend), work 4 days in week number 3 (no weekend)

so when trying to get a full week off for a vacation I would just have to swap the 2 days off during the light week to have essentially a whole week off to go somewhere....but it isn't paid time off so that is a downside.

 

[panasoniku]

So if you go on a two week vacation you essentially forfeit an entire paycheck?? I suppose you make it up if another partner takes a two week vacation and you have to work overtime for that time period (do you get extra $?) Sounds weird to have no PTO.

 

[Pharmgrlnxdor]

So for you all the lack of the paid time off would be a deal breaker? Even if you could rearrange your schedule two or three times a year giving you the ability to take two one week vacations (unpaid) or even three one week vacations (unpaid) you would still consider the lack of paid time off to be a deal breaker? I am having a hard time getting to an answer with this decision so I thank you for your help.

 

[bacillus1]

For me, yes, since you would then need to work more hours on your "on" weeks or not be paid at all. If I want to travel out of the country for 2 weeks, I want to be able to do so without relying on rearranging my schedule. I don't want to put my trust in other people who may or may not want to switch with me. It doesn't matter though what my decision would be, as I am not considering that job offer, you are.

 

[owlegrad]

I don't think the vacation thing would be a deal breaker for me. What's 6k compared to your sanity? Although presumably your coworkers take vacations too so for a good part of the year I suppose you are that much understaffed or overworked.

Although I am still not sure I would take the job personally. Can you meet your potential cowrokers? I suspect something is up.

 

[JanuviaGrl]

"prompted me to start looking at the job listings that were still automatically popping up in my email several times a week."


Where and how do you sign up for job listings? Do you go to each company's website to do this or is there a website that will send you listings for different companies job openings?

 

[Pharmgrlnxdor]

So it is actually 60 * 144=$8,640. However the salary breakdown is $ 60 * 37 hours * 52weeks a year$ 115,400
Whereas the new position is $67.63 * 35.83 hours per week = $126,000

 

[Pharmgrlnxdor]

Yes, I used simply hired and indeed as well as glass door and many of the standard pharmacy websites.

 

[FarmD711]

There is zero chance I would take a job with no paid time off. My vacation time is the only thing that gets me through my paid time on.

That said if you care less about vacation or time off and the job is really that much better maybe it would be worth it for you.

As for coworkers personalities I think you're going to find that there are problem people everywhere and that nowhere is going to have a perfect chemistry. There are going to be personality conflicts and lazy workers everywhere you go.

 

[Amicable Angora]

Stick with your current job.

 

[BidingMyTime]

I would stick with your current job.

1) For me personally, the pros on your list would out weigh the cons.
2) From what you say, it sounds like the new employer pays nothing extra (not even straight time) for someone to work an extra shift. So you would *NEVER* get an extra time off, the best you could hope for would be to switch days with someone. Which your co-workers would probably do here and there, but do you really think someone is going to work 35.85 hours extra in 1 week, so you can have a week off (and then of course, you would be making it up to them by working 71.7 hours the next week.) You aren't going to want to do this, and neither will your co-workers, so count on that never happening. So if you do take this job, do so knowing that you will be working 52 weeks a year, you will never get a week off to take a vacation.
3) When companies have to mail/e-mail out trying to fill a job opening, that's a sign that there is something wrong with the place. Especially for an independent. Normally, places only have to list their job openings for a week or 2, and they will have plenty of applicants. I think the lack of time off would discourage most pharmacists from taking the job, but it is possible there are other issue going on. Also, an independent paying more than a chain is also a warning sign, independents normally pay less then hospitals or chains.

So it is actually 60 * 144=$8,640. However the salary breakdown is $ 60 * 37 hours * 52weeks a year$ 115,400
Whereas the new position is $67.63 * 35.83 hours per week = $126,000

Where are you getting these numbers? Your first post said you were making $5/hr more, not $7.63/hr more. Plus, you aren't working 37 hours x52 weeks because you are getting a free 144 hours pay each year in time off (so its 37hr/week X 52 weeks=1924, then subtract your 144 hr vacation, so you have 1780/52 or an average of 34 hours/week working (although you have the ability to pick up overtime).......so you are actually working less at your current job then you are at new job (I'll assume your 35.83 average is correct, I'm not sure how you figured that.)

So old job, $60/hr x 1924 hrs =$106,800 + $8,640 vacation bonus=$115,400/yr (but have the ability to earn overtime.....what is your overtime rate of pay/hr)
new job, $65/hr x 1924=125,060 (or $67.63/hr x 1924=$126,000) (no ability to earn overtime)

So you are getting paid less with your current job, you are getting paid less, but have 21 days off/year, and can easily earn overtime presumably at a much higher hourly rate than your normal hourly pay.
New job, getting paid more, but no time off ever, and no ability to earn overtime.
Yeah.....unless the new job was the only job option out there and I couldn't stand one more day at the old job, the lack of vacation time would be a deal breaker.