u/Podcastjones

US, Colorado:

Context, I've been with this company for over a decade, and there was a private-equity buyout several years ago now. Our customers have been increasingly unhappy since this transaction, and my role has absorbed the majority of this unhappiness, we're the messengers who are always being shot by both sides. The last year or so, the money-minders have really leaned into automation tools and, as a result, have rushed half-baked solutions to market that customers hate, which is another thing my role has been required to absorb, and was part of the straw that broke this camel's back.

Since I've been back from my FMLA leave, I've had three meetings with my manager, each accompanied by an HR rep each time, and one team meeting. I've been placed on a performance improvement plan, and have had zero opportunities to speak with my manager one on one. The team meeting I attended was incredibly disheartening because it sounds like all of the bullshit that led to my frustrations before my leave have only become entrenched/gotten worse. Furthermore, the idea that their "welcome back" was primarily couched in "let's do a postmortem on all of the problems you created before your leave" really leaves me with no desire to stay with this stress mine.

My brother's employer is a competitor in the same space, and they have my resume, but there's also apparently a "hand-shake deal" between our two companies about "poaching." So, what's the right way for me to say I'm done with my current employer while maximizing my chances with my brother's, all the while reducing lost income and benefits?

TL;DR Company was acquired by PE a few years ago, shit's been getting worse and worse since. My role has absorbed the majority of the difficulty which led to me to break down and seek FMLA, and then [title].

I think the leave was helpful, but the root of my issue at this point is that I'm completely alienated by the direction my employer has taken. Context, I've been with them for over a decade, and there was a private-equity buyout about several years ago now. Our customers have been increasingly unhappy since this transaction, and my role has absorbed the majority of this unhappiness, we're the messengers who are always being shot by both sides. The last year or so, the money-minders have really leaned into automation tools and, as a result, have rushed half-baked solutions to market that customers hate, which is another thing my role has been required to absorb, and was part of the straw that broke this camel's back.

Since I've been back from FMLA, I've had three meetings with my manager, each accompanied by an HR rep each time, and one team meeting. I've been placed on a performance improvement plan, and have had zero opportunities to speak with my manager one on one. The team meeting I attended was incredibly disheartening because it sounds like all of the bullshit that led to my frustrations before my leave have only become entrenched/gotten worse. Furthermore, the idea that their "welcome back" was primarily couched in "let's do a postmortem on all of the problems you created before your leave" really leaves me with no desire to stay with this stress mine.

My brother's employer is a competitor in the same space, and they have my resume, but there's also apparently a "hand-shake deal" between our two companies about "poaching." So, what's the right way for me to say I'm done with my current employer while maximizing my chances with my brother's, all the while reducing lost income and benefits?

TL;DR Company was acquired by PE a few years ago, shit's been getting worse and worse since. My role has absorbed the majority of the difficulty which led to me to break down and seek FMLA, and then [title].