On Friday I was given a choice of transition to a 100% in office role or get laid off with the rest of my team. I chose the transition.

My old job was 50/50 split between field or mechanical work and office work. The dress code was almost non-existent to the point that if someone was wearing ripped or stained clothes or smelled terrible you just assumed they were working harder than you that day. All the sunshine and fresh air you could want and more.

New role is completely the opposite, I think. I'm not sure of the dresscode but I will be at one of those half cubicles like in Severance.

I'm probably overreacting but if anyone else has gone through similar changes and have some nuggets of wisdom that may not be obvious to everyone, I'd love to hear them.

Make the most of the opportunity.

Field work is great when you're young, but everyone gets older and many have no way out as their body breaks down.

For dress code, just observe what everyone else is doing. Take walks outside when you take a break. Get a sit/stand desk if they'll allow it. Most do now.

Good luck!

Advice? - keep an eye out for another field/remote option elsewhere. Office jobs in agriculture (assumption of your field based on user name) are the equivalent of getting a lobotomy.

AgResearch said:

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Advice? - keep an eye out for another field/remote option elsewhere. Office jobs in agriculture (assumption of your field based on user name) are the equivalent of getting a lobotomy.

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I'll be doing analytics, basically. It was a part of my responsibilities before, but now it will be 100% of my day. I don't hate it, but I've always had the choice of leaving my desk and working on equipment or scouting plots when coding or data cleaning got old.

I'm also losing my direct reports, which is OK but this will be the first non-leadership job that I've had, ever.

I'm thinking of getting a cheap Seasonal Affective Disorder lamp, like what people up north use during the long winter nights.

And once I get my feet under me, I'm going to try and find a position that hits that 50/50 sweet spot again, either with this company or another. My last job was honestly perfect as far as that balance goes.

You have been given good advice, my $0.02 would just repeat some of what has been said. From the sound of it you have no choice, so you get to try it on for size. If you like it, you can keep at it. I would definitely keep looking around for the 50/50 type job you really enjoyed.

Also, I've gone from having reports to no reports and, if you're called to it, leading people is very rewarding. Not having that might make work much less enjoyable.

birddog7000 said:

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You have been given good advice, my $0.02 would just repeat some of what has been said. From the sound of it you have no choice, so you get to try it on for size. If you like it, you can keep at it. I would definitely keep looking around for the 50/50 type job you really enjoyed.

Also, I've gone from having reports to no reports and, if you're called to it, leading people is very rewarding. Not having that might make work much less enjoyable.

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Leading people is a pain in the ass. The only reward is when you no longer have to babysit.

Just the wife and her new doctor, now. No employees. Waving at her former employees in their office across the breezeway is a delight as she nurses her 1987 cabernet for lunch. The doctor is quite the wine collector.

People. Pfffffft. lol.

Just from the way you worded your post, I would start looking now. You don't lay off guys and pick one for a quasi promotion. You lay guys off and pick one to do all the work.

Jeans and a polo are always acceptable in Texas. Keep some work tshirts in a duffel and maybe backup jeans or work pants. Put some deodorant and a hairbrush in your desk drawer.

Never dip your pen in the company ink.

(I've seen 3-4 get fired for undisclosed relationships and general drama)

SpreadsheetAg said:

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Never dip your pen in the company ink.

(I've seen 3-4 get fired for undisclosed relationships and general drama)

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I wouldn't have to worry about getting fired, they would never find my body once my wife found out.

I've applied to other places but I do want to give this team a fair chance. From what I've learned, they were pretty insistant that I needed to be retained one way or another and not everyone got that kind of support.

As far as leadership goes, I have found that some people develop the tolerance for it and some don't. Everything is pain in the neck to some degree, that's why it's work. I enjoy finding people with potential and coaching them up until they're superstars. Now it's my job to become that superstar.

It's just going to depend on how you operate. I lost my corner window office and we moved buildings to an open floor plan cubicle thing. I don't operate in those types of environments, but a lot of people do very well in them. I would do everything to make sure you give it a go. Might be fantastic for you. Sounds like they want to keep you anyway, so you may have the ability to do whatever you want, that's a nice place to be.