Dear Ms. Theologian,
I have read your blog for quite a while, and have even commented thereon a few times. And, at the moment, I find myself in need of some advice.
My situation is thusly: My “boss” (quotes explanation in a moment) seems to have gone completely mad. (The reason for the quotes is that technically she’s my boss’ boss, but she is actually The Boss. I cannot do anything to please her, and I recently was told that she wants to: 1) give me a “needs improvement” review and 2) open my position in order to replace me.
She has always been a difficult person to work with. She is very demanding, and expects me to be available 24/7/365 (even when I am on vacation or have taken a sick day - which I only do when I’m running a fever or vomiting), and where I do get paid overtime I am not remotely compensated in a way that would make being available as she wants - which, to clarify, is not part of my job description nor was it when I was hired - acceptable to me. My actual boss is the one who warned me that the Uberboss was gunning for me - and that she has been accusing my actual boss of not doing her job, either. Therefore, my actual boss wants me to look for another job, both because I’m probably going to need one and because she does not like the way Uberboss’ is wearing me down and undermining my self-confidence.
Additionally, there is no point in going to HR about this, because we are in a soft-money environment (I am sure you know what that is, but for your readers who don’t, a soft-money environment is one in which there is no corporation backing the funding of the operation, but rather the operation is paid for through money brought in by persons like the Uberboss - in our case, from scientific grants and research money). The Uberboss alone brings in twice as much funding as the next nine top earners in the operation combined; if that money is combined with her “partner’s” (I don’t know what else to call him) money, they bring in three to four times as much money. And thus, they are essentially untouchable within the operation. And I know, both from understanding people and from having been told by my boss, that if I were to go to HR that nothing would be done about my complaint - /and/ the Uberboss would make my life hell until she could fire me.
So, other than keeping my head down while brushing up my resume and job-hunting (which I’ve started already), what do I do? Is there somewhere that I can look up how much COBRA is going to cost me (because, you see, I’m afraid to go to HR and ask…)?
Thanks,
dogsbody
Dear Dogsbody,
As you know, it’s time to do everything in your power to find a great new job. And they are out there even in this economy. You are very smart to look for one before you have the unpleasant review, and the consequences of it. The only thing I would suggest is shifting your search into extra high gear—life is too short to work for and with people who are out to get us. There are significant health consequences to feeling continually under attack. You don’t want to know more about that.
As to your question, if you don’t want to go to HR, I would ask a former employee how much COBRA is. It’s the entire premium, but it varies, of course, from employer to employer depending on the plan. It’s probably not listed on your paycheck, but might be in the HR handbook or in health insurance information that is given out yearly. I would guess it’s somewhere between $500-1500/month. Expensive, yes.
You might also look into how much a lesser individualized insurance plan would be through ehealthinsurance to get a basic idea and then contact the insurer directly on-line. This is a lengthy option, and individualized plans are not ideal, but Ms. Theologian is concerned enough about you staying in this job to suggest it as a possibility.
Good luck out there!
P.S. If you’d like to write to Ms. Theologian, send an email to ms dot theologian at gmail dot com.
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