Questions for State Workers (San Diego: home, job market, transfer)

[ecsdude]

Hi, I got a state job 6 months ago and just finished probation. Now that I've been here 6 month, I am not sure this is the best fit for me or the answer to meeting my personal/professional objectives and am looking to either apply for other state jobs or a hardship transfer.

I'm hoping there are some knowledgeable state workers here that can help answer the following:

1. After 6 month probation, you're considered a civil servant and get some priority over non-civil servants, right? But is there any good reason to seriously consider staying put for a whole year to gain some sort of benefit(s) instead of looking right away to get a different state job elsewhere?

2. Does your current supervisor know when you are looking or applying for other state jobs? Are they
notified somehow when you send a completed application package during the screening or interview process? I'd like to apply, be screened, and interview and not have my supervisor aware of it until I'm being extended an offer from somewhere else.

3. On my first day of work, my supervisor mentioned after probation I could do AWW and telework. However, after probation ended recently, I asked for my available options and mentioned both and was told my supervisor wouldn't be comfortable yet approving telework since I'm new, but AWW is fine. This was kind of disappointing to me because I assumed both would be available and the supervisor would be ok with approving both following probation. A few others on our team do telework but they've been here for years. The thing is, our work does not require us to be at the office most of the time, and pretty much 90+% of the time we don't even need to have team discussions about anything and go about working on our respective projects and tasks individually. And since I've passed probation I don't understand why I would not be able to telework like the others even if I am freshly out of probation. Is this restriction typical of most state job supervisors?

4. I want to consider a hardship transfer or apply for a new position elsewhere, closer to home, because my commute each day eats up about 2 hours round trip by train. If I work closer to home (there are state jobs within a 15-minute drive of me), I can be home to tend to loved ones who are dependent upon me in case of emergency and can also relieve a family member of the burden of looking after my pets during the day, because I'd be able to go home at lunch and care for them (one of them has special needs and needs medication applied every few hours).

Would it be easier to pursue a hardship transfer or apply for a new position elsewhere, to get a state job closer to home? I think I read somewhere that if you don't pass probation during a hardship transfer, it doesn't mean you're guaranteed the same type of job back at your old department of employment. Is this correct? In other words, you could be out of a job entirely in that case. I'm not so much worried about that but it is kind of scary nonetheless.

5. Upon my 1 year anniversary (should I stay another 6 months at this same job), I would likely get the annual raise of 5%. But what if I pursue the hardship transfer or get a new position elsewhere before my 1 year anniversary? I believe I re-start a 6 month probation at the new job but would I also start again at the bottom of the salary range, assuming it's the same classification job as my previous one? Or would I get the 5% bump up at the new job?


Thanks in advance.

[cb73]

A reference from your current supervisor is mandatory, so yes, they will know.

Generally--and different agencies may have different views of this--supervisors like to see a person that's in a job 1 to 2 years. Someone who wants to move after 6 months of their current job might be looking again as soon as the training for the new job is done.

Hardship transfers are not easy to get--and just might get you a reputation as someone who needs to be catered to. At least at my agency they did--and were generally always denied.

If you stay in the same classification, you'll get the raise--assuming there's nothing on your record to prevent it.

Just my opinion.

[vgr]

Your supervisor has a right to approve or deny your telework application. In your position it will be easier to apply for a different job closer to home. Typically they only call a supervisor for a reference check.

[ecsdude]

Originally Posted by vgr

Your supervisor has a right to approve or deny your telework application. In your position it will be easier to apply for a different job closer to home. Typically they only call a supervisor for a reference check.

Do you mean, a different job in the sense of it not being a transfer position? Or a different job entirely?

I'm not sure how the trainers or supervisor will take it if I say I'm looking to leave just weeks after probation (depending on if/when I receive a job offer closer to home), after investing 4 months into training me and getting me up to speed. Most of the things I could have learned on my own, but even so, they took the time to plan formal trainings.

How likely is it that my supervisor may not be as positive a reference as otherwise would be because of this? We had a 6 month probation with 2-month checkpoints and at the end of probation I received mostly the highest marks you can get except in a couple of categories I just got average. Nothing negative is in my file that I know of and I believe I'm supposed to be notified if anything were every put in there.

Would it be much better to try to ride it out for a full year and then apply elsewhere?

[justducky2]

I don't think a one hour commute one-way would be considered a hardship. That's a pretty much normal commute - or shorter - for most of my colleagues, and I did that commute for about ten years. And - if you took the job knowing you would have the commute - I don't think it would constitute a hardship now.

Alternate Work Weeks (AWW) are very common; telework is not. I occasionally ask to telework a day here or there when I need to...but I don't ask regularly. The rare people that I know that telework have been in their positions for a long, long, time. They are trusted, and know their jobs inside and out.

I agree with you, ecsdude....they spent all that time training you. If I were you...at least wait until your one year. At least.

You can ask them not to contact your supervisor, until they make you an offer. Once you're an old state worker and have been on a job for many years, and are at the top of your pay scale, and need to leave to move up the pay scale, then yes, you'll likely have that "I'm looking for a new job" talk with your supervisor and they'll likely understand and give you their blessing.

Best wishes. And congrats on passing probation, welcome to civil service!

[ecsdude]

Originally Posted by justducky2

I don't think a one hour commute one-way would be considered a hardship. That's a pretty much normal commute - or shorter - for most of my colleagues, and I did that commute for about ten years. And - if you took the job knowing you would have the commute - I don't think it would constitute a hardship now.

Alternate Work Weeks (AWW) are very common; telework is not. I occasionally ask to telework a day here or there when I need to...but I don't ask regularly. The rare people that I know that telework have been in their positions for a long, long, time. They are trusted, and know their jobs inside and out.

I agree with you, ecsdude....they spent all that time training you. If I were you...at least wait until your one year. At least.

You can ask them not to contact your supervisor, until they make you an offer. Once you're an old state worker and have been on a job for many years, and are at the top of your pay scale, and need to leave to move up the pay scale, then yes, you'll likely have that "I'm looking for a new job" talk with your supervisor and they'll likely understand and give you their blessing.

Best wishes. And congrats on passing probation, welcome to civil service!

Thanks a lot justducky2, and everyone else..


Just a few more questions:


1. If I do apply to a job opening closer to home (let's say after my 1 year anniversary at my current department), my understanding is that probation starts all over again (6 months). Except, this time, if you don't pass probation (for whatever unforeseen reason), are you guaranteed a position like your previous one? What if the position you're applying for that's closer to home is the same (lateral move)?


2. I have this dream of one day moving/retiring down in San Diego (mainly because I like the beaches and want to live by one someday). How's the state job market down there? Would it be considered just as stable?


3. My understanding from my bargaining unit rep is that MLOA is not available until I've been on the job for a year. What happens if I apply for and am offered a job at another location that may be even in a different department after my 1 year anniversary? Do I essentially have to wait another year to qualify for MLOA?


Thanks in advance.

[ecsdude]

Originally Posted by justducky2

I don't think a one hour commute one-way would be considered a hardship. That's a pretty much normal commute - or shorter - for most of my colleagues, and I did that commute for about ten years. And - if you took the job knowing you would have the commute - I don't think it would constitute a hardship now.

Alternate Work Weeks (AWW) are very common; telework is not. I occasionally ask to telework a day here or there when I need to...but I don't ask regularly. The rare people that I know that telework have been in their positions for a long, long, time. They are trusted, and know their jobs inside and out.

I agree with you, ecsdude....they spent all that time training you. If I were you...at least wait until your one year. At least.

You can ask them not to contact your supervisor, until they make you an offer. Once you're an old state worker and have been on a job for many years, and are at the top of your pay scale, and need to leave to move up the pay scale, then yes, you'll likely have that "I'm looking for a new job" talk with your supervisor and they'll likely understand and give you their blessing.

Best wishes. And congrats on passing probation, welcome to civil service!

I can understand why telework may be an available option for those in their positions a long, long time and are trusted, knowing their jobs inside and out, as you say, but here's why I take issue with it (let me know if this is off base in any way):


1. I've already passed probation with high marks and am now doing work that is higher in complexity that even a "veteran" there who has telework privileges. Plus, there has been at least one time where
the VPN wasn't working on his telework day, yet somehow he didn't report the issue and people found that odd and joked about it.


2. There's no reason not to trust that I'd make proper use of telework. I think I should be trusted until given reason not to be, rather than the other way around. I don't think it builds an environment of trust to start out untrusting. I've teleworked in my previous job without issues.


3. Training by the leads was discontinued about 2+ months ago, and most of the time we're working independently on our individual projects. Aside from some superficial chit chat every other day or so, we don't really talk to each other much and are busy at our own workstations focused on our own projects. If I did have any questions, they could be answered by phone or email.


4. Telework is supposed to make life more convenient for workers, save employee resources, help the environment, and etc. It doesn't feel right to have some arbitrary date set by my supervisor for when I can start teleworking. If there was a rational and good reason for waiting until you've been there for years and years, I've yet to be presented with it.


Am I missing something?

[MyNewsLogin]

Yeah, you are missing something. You JUST passed probation. In other words, you have been on your best behavior for the last six months and have achieved "permanent" status. Now, your supervisor is wondering if that is your actual work ethic or just your work ethic while being closely watched. You have just been hired and are looking to move to another job, using a "hardship" transfer, take a medical leave of absence, shift to an alternate workweek schedule, and hide your job search from your current supervisor. Could it be you are telegraphing your flightiness?


Telework is a privilege, not a right and few agencies allow it - even for long-time, highly-trusted employees whose job does not require a physical presence.


Trust does not magically appear just because you passed probation.

[ecsdude]

Originally Posted by MyNewsLogin

Yeah, you are missing something. You JUST passed probation. In other words, you have been on your best behavior for the last six months and have achieved "permanent" status. Now, your supervisor is wondering if that is your actual work ethic or just your work ethic while being closely watched. You have just been hired and are looking to move to another job, using a "hardship" transfer, take a medical leave of absence, shift to an alternate workweek schedule, and hide your job search from your current supervisor. Could it be you are telegraphing your flightiness?


Telework is a privilege, not a right and few agencies allow it - even for long-time, highly-trusted employees whose job does not require a physical presence.


Trust does not magically appear just because you passed probation.

Whoa there, assuming a bit too much based on limited info you have.. yes I asked about hardship transfers and MLOA but you don't know the full story behind that...

Not sure what's wrong with wanting to shift to an AWW or telework after probation as long as my output is not compromised. But I came from private sector and this is perhaps one of the limitations of state.

And the realization about need to change jobs came during probation as things evolved with my family situation and I realized it was something I'll need to address sooner or later (most likely no later than after working for the state for 18 months I'm guessing).

As for flightiness, my last job I was at for nearly 8 years.

In the private sector I'm used to having some latitude in how I work, and had a boss that treated his direct reports as adults. A certain level of trust is needed between team members and with managers as well.

I'm thinking it's a different paradigm and you're not used to it.. perhaps you've been a lifer at state and that's where this is coming from.

[Adamson865]

Wow. With that condescending attitude toward state employment, and considering you're already looking at every possible option to get out of that office after just barely getting out of your probation period, you might be best served by going back to your "different paradigm".