When Enoch finished his Master's degree back in 2009, he of course hoped it would lead to some new job prospects and opportunities. But the economy at the time was also quite bad, and he elected to stay where he was at Forever Living Products. He likes it there pretty well and works with good people. He also has enjoyed a pretty high level of job security. He's the only one who does what he does and few people around him have the knowledge and skill set that he does. They like him and they value him in ways. They helped him pay for his Master's which is another reason he stayed for a while. Otherwise, he would have had to pay them back.
FLP isn't perfect, but no job is. He wishes they were more forward thinking in terms of their technology and their plans for technology. He is an information systems guy, so these things matter to him even if others in the company don't understand the needs for the future. Because it is a company founded on principles of direct marketing, people can sometimes be hired and/or promoted for reasons other than skill or knowledge. It's something Enoch has learned to work around.
But about 6 months ago, a friend of Enoch's from his Master's program contacted him about an opening at his company and encouraged him to apply. He did and went through the hiring process only to have the job go to someone else. Enoch wasn't all too sure that he wanted it. He knows he doesn't exactly have a bad thing where he is, but being at a place where health insurance benefits were better would be a real plus.
Well, about 4 months later, the friend told him that the job was once again open. It turned out the guy they hired really didn't have the skills for the job and he ended up quitting after 2 months.This time Enoch didn't know that he wanted to apply. He'd already done the whole process one, and they were going to make him do it again? Well the HR department at the other place contacted him as well, so he decided to put his resume in again. The process was streamlined a bit for him since they had already met him once. They also implemented some testing on various programs to check the skills of applicants in order to avoid a situation like they had the first time around. Enoch did fairly well and was cautiously optimistic he would get an offer.
Enoch also felt very strongly that FLP would do nothing to counter offer in order to keep him. It's just not something they do. He knew it would also be very hard to find someone to replace him. It would likely take months, and that person still probably wouldn't be able to replicate all he did. But such is the business world. If you want to keep great people, you have to compete for them, and he was pretty sure FLP wouldn't.
The offer did come from the other company. Salary wise, it was actually a bit lower than what he made at FLP, but with the better insurance, he would actually bring home more money. (It's ridiculous how much we pay out of pocket to insure our whole family.) With the better money and the ability to do some telecommuting, Enoch was pretty convinced he would take the offer after a weekend of mulling it over.
Then Friday afternoon at 3:30 he gets called into his big boss's office. They had heard he had applied elsewhere and that he had received an offer he was considering. The Bid Boss wanted to know what they needed to do to keep Enoch. He was offered a substantial raise and was able to have some pretty frank conversation with his boss about how he would work into the company's future plans. The idea that they were going to lose him, suddenly made them realize just how important he was to their plan and functioning.
So in the end, he has decided to stay at FLP. I'm happy for him to be valued in ways that he has earned and deserves to be valued. He works with good people, and has some longevity and seniority there which is no small thing. The grass is not always greener elsewhere. The other company would have been good, too, in ways, but I am glad to have him be where he is valued and where he knows the ropes. Plus, we can take our nice long vacation to Utah and Montana this summer without any problems. ;)
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