Leaving Full Time for Part Time - advice?

How long do you think you will be gone? Have you looked into this: http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/

dont give up your pension!

Will your employer allow you to take an extended leave of absence? Also look into the family emergency medical leave act. It forces your employer to allow you some extended leave in the case of a family emergency. Not sure how far you are from full vestment but if it gets you to that point, it might be worth looking into.

Quote from slipgate : Will your employer allow you to take an extended leave of absence? Also look into the family emergency medical leave act. It forces your employer to allow you some extended leave in the case of a family emergency. Not sure how far you are from full vestment but if it gets you to that point, it might be worth looking into.

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I am not sure how long I will be gone, my father is to recieve treatment for his condition but we wont know the specifics until mid-May. I was hoping to do the FMLA but until we know the specs of this treatment I cant' even submit the paperwork. I am more concerned about being near my parents during these stages so while the FMLA sounds great, I have to return after twelve weeks and I don't become fully vested until late this year.

I will research more about the FMLA though, perhaps I can get his doctor to confirm that he will receive treatment and then I can take the leave sooner.

nonyaoksd, that is great that you are leaving to help with your family. It really is too bad about your 401K. If you have a desk job, you may want to try to broach the subject of performing remote work for your company. You may also want to review the particulars of your 401K plan. With some companies, if you leave but come back within a year, then there would not be a break in service. So this is something to consider if you have a good relationship with your present firm.

Regarding resignation letters, definitely keep it upbeat and short. I don't think that it would be an issue if you mention that you are leaving due to family illness. It makes it clear that otherwise you would like to stay with the company. And in terms of giving notice, I like to give at least 2 weeks notice, especially if you are in a key or short-staffed position. It gives the company time to find and have you possibly start training your replacement or documenting job duties for a successor, but not so much time that they will let you go early. I think that about a month or two is ideal, but wouldn't do too much longer than that. (I once gave 6 months, and that was way too long!)

As for recommendation letters, I think that depends on your line of work. In my line of work (corporate accounting), I have never been asked for letters (except for my first job out of college, I handed over some letters from the professors). Recruiters & HR departments seem to want to talk to your references to get a sense of them rather than read a possibly outdated letter, so it's crucial to build up goodwill now and to keep in touch with your managers. However, I know that in other lines of work (like medicine), a good reference letter is usually part of the package. If you need a reference letter, it also doesn't hurt to offer to write the reference letter and have your reference modify and sign off. It makes it much easier on them!

And as for timing of the references, I like to ask a potential reference for their support soon after I announce my resignation, and I also warn them when a potential employer is about to call so that they can be prepared.

Hope that these tips help! Hope that your father has a good recovery!

Quote from shopnut : nonyaoksd, that is great that you are leaving to help with your family. It really is too bad about your 401K. If you have a desk job, you may want to try to broach the subject of performing remote work for your company.

Yes what do you do OP?

What is your side "hustle"?

Quote from LordOfChaos : Yes what do you do OP? What is your side "hustle"?

Haha...more like a full-time and then some hustle! I'm a remote working corporate finance analyst. But almost any desk job that doesn't require a lot of paperwork (for example, it's a really bad idea for Accounts Payable specialist) can be converted. To name a few of the jobs where I know acquaintances working mostly remotely: Computer programmer, HR Director, Internal Auditor. I guess it really depends on the openness of the company to a remote job, how much work a person can concentrate on doing when they are on their own, and of course, a REALLY good internet connection.

And to be truthful, I think that the OP of this thread could be a good candidate if he has already been with his company for 5 years and they know the quality of his work (and of course, if his job can actually be converted).

Quote from shopnut : Haha...more like a full-time and then some hustle!

my bad, I was more wondering what the OP did for a living to let us know if remote was possible, or other ideas for jobs. And if his side hustle is seasonal, then maybe there is something related that is not seasonal he could be doing.

Actually, it's my bad for not realizing that your question was directed at OP.

SH, thanks for the helpful advice.

Believe it or not, my comp actually allows some in our office to work remotely (IS, Accounting, etc., ) but not in my department. Although we have shared equip., we can only use it AFTER hours or on the weekend and it must be returned the next business day. In the future, it maybe a possibility but right now, because of the way our servers are set up and licensing, etc, we cannot do so. But, I have an awesome future idea that I have been considering for quite some time since we do outsource some of our work AND the outsourcing company actually works off of our licensed software. But I will keep this on the low in case my sups read this board. lol

And I did not know that about the 401K so I will def check it out.

Quote from shopnut : nonyaoksd, that is great that you are leaving to help with your family. It really is too bad about your 401K. If you have a desk job, you may want to try to broach the subject of performing remote work for your company. . . .

LordofChaos, hope its okay. I inboxed ya.

Quote from nonyaoksd : LordofChaos, hope its okay. I inboxed ya.

Yeah thats cool... I mean slangin rocks isnt something you want to advertise in this forum.. oh wait..

nah jk, nothing illegal from nonyaoksd

Couple reasons I asked:
I was wondering if you were able to do your main job with out much collaboration with co-workers, or if you didnt need many resources other than a computer (like IS and Accounting). I doubt that is the case with your role though.

Also I asked because I know a guy who is in construction. He had a side job of installing cable through a buddy and made some nice money. Something like that would be hard to move across country because it is a "who you know" type thing. He also knows guys who do basements and other side work.

If it were me I would set up a meeting with as high up a boss as you can get to Director, VP, etc. Tell them your situation and your plan. Give them your timeline. See if they know anyone in your industry where you are heading "who can use someone with my expertise". Then ask them what they want as far as a resignation letter, and ask their policy on referrals and letters of recommendation. This way you are giving them a months notice, leaving because you have to and not "hey here is my two weeks notice". I actually did this when I moved from CO to GA and the President of the company I worked for wrote me an awesome letter of recommendation.

If that doesnt bear fruit, think outside the box a little... Maybe check the pawn shops for someone who has pawned their landscaping trailer or car detailing trailer. Or if you have a truck or can drive someones rental, offer to help people move... Or some other strange needs that people may have that no one ever thinks of.

Quote from LordOfChaos : Yeah thats cool... I mean slangin rocks isnt something you want to advertise in this forum.. oh wait.. nah jk, nothing illegal from nonyaoksd ... If that doesnt bear fruit, think outside the box a little... Maybe check the pawn shops for someone who has pawned their landscaping trailer or car detailing trailer. Or if you have a truck or can drive someones rental, offer to help people move... Or some other strange needs that people may have that no one ever thinks of.

Thanks for the advice, I am actually putting all of this to use so thanks to everyone.

I havent visited any pawn shops yet but that might be next on the list! lol But great advice, I appreciate it guys.