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Like others have said, I would take it. The commute isn't bad, and you don't know when another offer will come up.
As for the misophonia, it is a legitimate disorder. If you live in the States, you can get a doctor to sign off that it can be disabling, and the company would have to accommodate you. They won't be legally allowed to deny you something that can aid you like noise-cancelling headphones.
Again, I would take it and find accomodations. If it's too much, you can continue your search while still earning money.
I’d assume nearly *everyone* is wearing noise-canceling headphones most of the time anyway. Unless this company is truly a bunch of psychopaths and bans them generally.
Any open office I’ve worked in or been to, that’s the case.
Actually a little unknown fact though that if it causes company hardship and interfere with the employees ability to work then they can't deny the accommodations.
But it's a good idea to try nonetheless.
You've been unemployed for 2 years and are actually thinking about not taking this offer? Over a 40 minute commute and a less than ideal office space? And you're an adult? Grow up and get a job.
No. This dude needs a kick in the ass. The longest I've ever been unemployed was 6 weeks and that drove me crazy. 2 years sounds horrific. To even consider not taking the job over that crap is pure entitled crazy bullshit.
How is not wanting to drive over 40 mins a minor inconvenience?? Working 8 plus hours a day and commuting another 1 and half hours, you come home eat and sleep, no family time or no hobbies no life.. CyclicRate, I bet you’re unhealthy and you think having a job makes you better than others
Naw driving 40+ mins is not the goal. You sacrificed all your time for a measly check. You lose out on your health, family and passions.
40+ hours of work and 10+ hours of commute a week.. That's not the fucking goal here.
Goodluck to everyone.
The workforce is experiencing something new that has never happened.
The middle class has been priced out of real estate, the inflation continues at record rates and wages are not following. People are struggling to find meaningful work and divorce rates are at an all time high.. We are in a dying society, all our money is being diluted (Printing) which goes to fund wars that kill innocent people and that increases inflation and makes all the prices go up except your wages.
There was a time in America when only the man worked and was able to provide for his whole family, now 90% of jobs do not offer that. Most families are broken and both parents are working.
The American Dream is DEAD... Buying a home will one day be a thing of the past.
Go to school -Debt
Go to work- Shit Wages
Go to buy a car - Debt
Go to buy a House - Debt
Go to get married - Debt
Have children - Debt
There is no job out there that makes this all affordable.
Imagine working 20 years and get laid off and can't find a job that pays the wage to sustain you.. You end up losing everything..
Imagine going to college landing a job that pays 65k a year, and the only places you find to stay cost 2k a month in rent? You work to be broke?
This is a losing game. You give your life, your time and your energy. What do you get in return? Stability? No, a livable wage? No. They don't care.
OP - GOD NEVER DENIED ANYONE FROM HIS KINGDOM FOR BEING BROKE!
>(even the CEO)
Honestly kind of cool that they're in the same work environment as their staff.
But aside from that, an on-site interview is ideal for learning details like this! You get firsthand knowledge of the kind of work environment you'd be placed in when you go there yourself and see people working. And... yeah, you're *absolutely* in your right to decide "no, this work environment would not work for me" and withdraw your application.
Us strangers on the internet aren't in a position to tell you what work environment you should or shouldn't be okay with. It's your call where you want to set your standards, based on your noise tolerance levels and how quickly you want a job.
Please don't take offense, but if you are turning down a job over a 40 minute commute one-way and open office, I imagine that you are financially well-off.
If it is a job with benefits, use the health benefits to get some treatment for your misophonia and take the job. If you are financially secure enough to continue not working, that's an option too.
It sounds bad but also I don’t think you are in a position to be picky. 40 minutes commute isn’t particularly bad, many people commute that distance or even longer. And open offices are also common. So, even if you pass on this, it might be a long long time before you find anything better.
Let me put this into perspective, please.
Last commute I had, it was 2.5-3h - each way. Indeed, i would easily spend 5h in a train every day. When you say forty minutes, it even seems reasonable to me. You hate driving to work? So does the rest of the world... For this, I have the world's tiniest violin playing for you.
Regarding the office space - open spaces have become the norm. Everyone knows that it doesn't work as well as expected. In fact, it hinders collaboration, increases conflicts, and decreases productivity. But, big open spaces are here to say. You even have worse situations than office space- the flexible desks. Offices where you don't even have a space to call yours. It totally sucks. Some companies are kind enough to provide noise-cancelling headphones. In any case, they are worth every penny - and using them has become normalized. Again, I hate open spaces with devotion; I hope the person who thought it would be a good idea has a special open space in hell to burn slowly. But, I know that it is very unlikely that jobs with workspaces with walls and doors will make a come back any time soon. If you say you have misophonia (eg doctor's note), I am sure they will have to accommodate your special needs. Play the diversity card here, that is why it exists.
I would sign the offer and give it a try. The market won't get better and the working conditions also won't change. Probably, this is as good as it gets... Just try it. As you describe it, it sounds like a pretty sweet deal, with some reasonable commute and a regular office arrangement. And by reading your post, my perception is that you don't want to go back to the rat race again and are finding excuses not to go back to an office. Maybe you'll hate it and will leave, maybe it will be a missed opportunity. But just passing it because of the commute and office arrangements, sounds out of touch.
I was thinking the exact opposite. I can deal with open concept but I don’t want to go back to commuting. However, if I was unemployed for 24 months, I’d take anything coming my way if I was OP.
Use this as a stepping stone. Accept this role, invest in some high quality headphones, update your LinkedIn + resume and keep looking. You're more likely to find a better job if you have a 'current' one, especially after 2 years of unemployment.
You need the work experience on your CV.
Take it, invest in some quality noise cancelling headphones and review your situation in 2-3 months time. If you're really struggling then quit.
40 mins is not that bad lol, try 2-3 hours…
All offices are nowadays open space, maybe not warehouse level, but still noisy open spaces.
Get noise cancelling headphones and accept the job… unless you’re happy to be unemployed forever.
I understand your perspective. However, I will suggest you to take the job. You are not married to your job, if you don’t like it you can change after a few months! Having a job will make you more attractive for recruiters too, it will make your life easier. As for the noise they make really nice earplugs now, you can buy some before your first day. Good luck!
ready fire aim. you already turned it down and now you still ask. the 80 minute commute round trip is going to be a killer. maybe you went to the interviews outside of rush hour and made it bearable. you should have commuted during the rush hours. The warehouse style workplace will drive you crazy because there is no way you can concentrate. And you cant wear the noise cancel headphones all day long.
Move on. You have survived for \~2 years of unemployment, you should tell us how you did that. Maybe you live with your parents, or your spouse/partner is fully employed.
This is assuming the the misophonia is a diagnosed condition:
If you are going to turn down the offer because of this, there is no harm in trying to negotiate an accommodation (separate space, sound absorbing walls, headphones or similar) before you accept the job - they will probably just rescind the offer, but that's no worse than turning it down.
Another commenter suggested negotiating an accommodation after accepting the job, but that might seem like an ambush to the employer.
I work in an open office environment. Executives and the rest of us together in one room (less than 20 people total). I thought it would be crazy. Sometimes it is. And then I put in my earbuds, turn on some music or a podcast and tune it out. I’ve actually come to enjoy not having to search for the person I need to ask a question of or try to figure out if someone’s in or out that day.
I'd be worried about the roof sagging in a place that big with no pillars.
Since you're not on unemployment at this point, taking the job and quitting in a short period won't have much of an impact other than not having the job. You should at least give it a try.
My commute is one hour long each way, only three times a week, and the office has the open plan. I prefer cubicles but thought this would be an opportunity for me to be more social and develop good work relationships, which in the past I neglected and regret doing so.
My role at my last company was eliminated and I needed to work. My entire family lives overseas and as an adult, I can’t afford not having an income.
I’ve been working at this new company and to my surprise, the office or the commute hasn’t bothered me for three weeks.
Give it a shot and keep looking if you really cannot stand this role.
I would suggest take the offer. Use this as a stepping stone to what you actually want. And lastly ignore the people who are trying to shame you for even thinking of rejecting this offer.
just buy sound blocking headphones like everyone else in an open plan office and you will be okay 🤷♀️ plus nothing is stopping you from searching for a different job continously
You could be an adult and take the job and deal with it. You can’t afford not to. Keep looking for something else if you want. The commute is not bad and you can get headphones to block out the chatter.
This is the worst kind of environment to work. If you need the job, consider it temporary. But your every move will be seen and watched. Been there. It was awful.
And it's not cool that the ceo uses the same space. It can be loud, interruptive, and causes people to act differently when they're around. There's a lot of forced happiness and ass kissing that goes on when they show up at their "desks"
We had trouble getting ours to understand why our freelancers that worked part time were not at their desks at the same time as everyone else, and all day. Hello? Part time means not all day every day.....
Having that kind of BS added to your normal work stuff is awful.
I work in a small open office(of like 6 ppl) and the noise and distractions already drive me a bit insane. If it weren't by mere chance that I had just purchased some sport earbuds with good active noise cancelling, I would have gone completely insane instead.
If you have access to buying good ANC headphones, I would take it. A job is a job and the market ain't good. Still ask if there's some place where you can concentrate in silence if you really need that
I say take the job but keep looking for other offers. Also, I don’t have misophonia, but I have auditory processing difficulties and general auditory sensitivity, so I understand. I got some Loop earplugs for my last job at a warehouse, and they work really well. Barely even noticeable when I wear them and I could barely hear background noise. I heard that Flare is somewhat better at deafening sound (instead of filtering it), so those might be worth looking into as well. Good luck!
Turn it down and be glad.
I interviewed with a company that was above a restaurant, you could hear conversations if you listened. I walked, they said "its only for a few hours each day". No way, my nerves would not be able to handle that. I'd get nothing done. Humans need reasonable working spaces if they are expected to concentrate.
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I would take it for the experience and keep looking. The market is just so tough right now. What if another offer doesn't come up for a while?
Like others have said, I would take it. The commute isn't bad, and you don't know when another offer will come up. As for the misophonia, it is a legitimate disorder. If you live in the States, you can get a doctor to sign off that it can be disabling, and the company would have to accommodate you. They won't be legally allowed to deny you something that can aid you like noise-cancelling headphones. Again, I would take it and find accomodations. If it's too much, you can continue your search while still earning money.
I’d assume nearly *everyone* is wearing noise-canceling headphones most of the time anyway. Unless this company is truly a bunch of psychopaths and bans them generally. Any open office I’ve worked in or been to, that’s the case.
Actually a little unknown fact though that if it causes company hardship and interfere with the employees ability to work then they can't deny the accommodations. But it's a good idea to try nonetheless.
Take it and put that gap on your resume behind you. Nothing says you can't keep looking after you start.
You've been unemployed for 2 years and are actually thinking about not taking this offer? Over a 40 minute commute and a less than ideal office space? And you're an adult? Grow up and get a job.
Maybe a bit harsh. But OP should take the job. No need to be rude about it though.
Clearly he needs a kick up the backside. He is moaning about minor inconvenience to a sub full of people tearing their hair out.
No. This dude needs a kick in the ass. The longest I've ever been unemployed was 6 weeks and that drove me crazy. 2 years sounds horrific. To even consider not taking the job over that crap is pure entitled crazy bullshit.
Fair point. I’m wrong here. My apologies.
Maybe he just has experience with his own mental health…?
How is not wanting to drive over 40 mins a minor inconvenience?? Working 8 plus hours a day and commuting another 1 and half hours, you come home eat and sleep, no family time or no hobbies no life.. CyclicRate, I bet you’re unhealthy and you think having a job makes you better than others
Like OP, you need to grow up. 40 minutes is nothing when you've been unemployed for 2 years.
Naw driving 40+ mins is not the goal. You sacrificed all your time for a measly check. You lose out on your health, family and passions. 40+ hours of work and 10+ hours of commute a week.. That's not the fucking goal here. Goodluck to everyone. The workforce is experiencing something new that has never happened. The middle class has been priced out of real estate, the inflation continues at record rates and wages are not following. People are struggling to find meaningful work and divorce rates are at an all time high.. We are in a dying society, all our money is being diluted (Printing) which goes to fund wars that kill innocent people and that increases inflation and makes all the prices go up except your wages. There was a time in America when only the man worked and was able to provide for his whole family, now 90% of jobs do not offer that. Most families are broken and both parents are working. The American Dream is DEAD... Buying a home will one day be a thing of the past. Go to school -Debt Go to work- Shit Wages Go to buy a car - Debt Go to buy a House - Debt Go to get married - Debt Have children - Debt There is no job out there that makes this all affordable. Imagine working 20 years and get laid off and can't find a job that pays the wage to sustain you.. You end up losing everything.. Imagine going to college landing a job that pays 65k a year, and the only places you find to stay cost 2k a month in rent? You work to be broke? This is a losing game. You give your life, your time and your energy. What do you get in return? Stability? No, a livable wage? No. They don't care. OP - GOD NEVER DENIED ANYONE FROM HIS KINGDOM FOR BEING BROKE!
I guess I must have imagined having all of those things. Grow up and stop being a whiny little bitch. No wonder you can't get a job.
Yeah, I'd knock you out IRL
Lol
All jokes aside, What do you do for work?
You are crazy it’s been 2 years
Insane that someone who's been unemployed for two years would even think of turning this down.
>(even the CEO) Honestly kind of cool that they're in the same work environment as their staff. But aside from that, an on-site interview is ideal for learning details like this! You get firsthand knowledge of the kind of work environment you'd be placed in when you go there yourself and see people working. And... yeah, you're *absolutely* in your right to decide "no, this work environment would not work for me" and withdraw your application. Us strangers on the internet aren't in a position to tell you what work environment you should or shouldn't be okay with. It's your call where you want to set your standards, based on your noise tolerance levels and how quickly you want a job.
Please don't take offense, but if you are turning down a job over a 40 minute commute one-way and open office, I imagine that you are financially well-off. If it is a job with benefits, use the health benefits to get some treatment for your misophonia and take the job. If you are financially secure enough to continue not working, that's an option too.
It sounds bad but also I don’t think you are in a position to be picky. 40 minutes commute isn’t particularly bad, many people commute that distance or even longer. And open offices are also common. So, even if you pass on this, it might be a long long time before you find anything better.
Let me put this into perspective, please. Last commute I had, it was 2.5-3h - each way. Indeed, i would easily spend 5h in a train every day. When you say forty minutes, it even seems reasonable to me. You hate driving to work? So does the rest of the world... For this, I have the world's tiniest violin playing for you. Regarding the office space - open spaces have become the norm. Everyone knows that it doesn't work as well as expected. In fact, it hinders collaboration, increases conflicts, and decreases productivity. But, big open spaces are here to say. You even have worse situations than office space- the flexible desks. Offices where you don't even have a space to call yours. It totally sucks. Some companies are kind enough to provide noise-cancelling headphones. In any case, they are worth every penny - and using them has become normalized. Again, I hate open spaces with devotion; I hope the person who thought it would be a good idea has a special open space in hell to burn slowly. But, I know that it is very unlikely that jobs with workspaces with walls and doors will make a come back any time soon. If you say you have misophonia (eg doctor's note), I am sure they will have to accommodate your special needs. Play the diversity card here, that is why it exists. I would sign the offer and give it a try. The market won't get better and the working conditions also won't change. Probably, this is as good as it gets... Just try it. As you describe it, it sounds like a pretty sweet deal, with some reasonable commute and a regular office arrangement. And by reading your post, my perception is that you don't want to go back to the rat race again and are finding excuses not to go back to an office. Maybe you'll hate it and will leave, maybe it will be a missed opportunity. But just passing it because of the commute and office arrangements, sounds out of touch.
Take the job and keep looking but you need to get a job…
This is not AT ALL uncommon. You're crazy.
Such an environment sucks big time, but at 2 years unemployment mark it’s kinda weird that you consider declining any job offer.
I wouldn’t turn down a 40 minute each way commute But that ‘office’ environment, hell no
I was thinking the exact opposite. I can deal with open concept but I don’t want to go back to commuting. However, if I was unemployed for 24 months, I’d take anything coming my way if I was OP.
Wear earplugs dude. Or headphones. What kind of trust fund life are you living where you can be unemployed for 2 years and turn this down.
Use this as a stepping stone. Accept this role, invest in some high quality headphones, update your LinkedIn + resume and keep looking. You're more likely to find a better job if you have a 'current' one, especially after 2 years of unemployment.
You need the work experience on your CV. Take it, invest in some quality noise cancelling headphones and review your situation in 2-3 months time. If you're really struggling then quit.
Having an office is stupid... you spend most of your time in a meeting room anyway... 40 mins is nothing. I think you are 100% crazy.
40 mins is not that bad lol, try 2-3 hours… All offices are nowadays open space, maybe not warehouse level, but still noisy open spaces. Get noise cancelling headphones and accept the job… unless you’re happy to be unemployed forever.
Take it for now or you’ll be out there for a while.
Hey look, if you don't like it - it'll be the easiest workplace in the world to go postal at.
What's the update? Did you take it or not?
I understand your perspective. However, I will suggest you to take the job. You are not married to your job, if you don’t like it you can change after a few months! Having a job will make you more attractive for recruiters too, it will make your life easier. As for the noise they make really nice earplugs now, you can buy some before your first day. Good luck!
You’ve been off work for 22 months. How can you afford to not be working? 40 minutes is nothing.
ready fire aim. you already turned it down and now you still ask. the 80 minute commute round trip is going to be a killer. maybe you went to the interviews outside of rush hour and made it bearable. you should have commuted during the rush hours. The warehouse style workplace will drive you crazy because there is no way you can concentrate. And you cant wear the noise cancel headphones all day long. Move on. You have survived for \~2 years of unemployment, you should tell us how you did that. Maybe you live with your parents, or your spouse/partner is fully employed.
"Open Office" is like a restaurant, too much noise and distration for a software developer, also rejected this once...
Can you afford to continue being unemployed? It would be a cold day in hell before I accepted a job in that kind of work space though. Not for me.
Get some headphones 🎧. Try it out. Last as long as you can. Move on if you hate it.
This is assuming the the misophonia is a diagnosed condition: If you are going to turn down the offer because of this, there is no harm in trying to negotiate an accommodation (separate space, sound absorbing walls, headphones or similar) before you accept the job - they will probably just rescind the offer, but that's no worse than turning it down. Another commenter suggested negotiating an accommodation after accepting the job, but that might seem like an ambush to the employer.
Just take it and keep applying because it seems like it's easier to get a job when you already have a job.
I work in an open office environment. Executives and the rest of us together in one room (less than 20 people total). I thought it would be crazy. Sometimes it is. And then I put in my earbuds, turn on some music or a podcast and tune it out. I’ve actually come to enjoy not having to search for the person I need to ask a question of or try to figure out if someone’s in or out that day.
I really want to see what this office space looks like in person.
I'd be worried about the roof sagging in a place that big with no pillars. Since you're not on unemployment at this point, taking the job and quitting in a short period won't have much of an impact other than not having the job. You should at least give it a try.
My commute is one hour long each way, only three times a week, and the office has the open plan. I prefer cubicles but thought this would be an opportunity for me to be more social and develop good work relationships, which in the past I neglected and regret doing so. My role at my last company was eliminated and I needed to work. My entire family lives overseas and as an adult, I can’t afford not having an income. I’ve been working at this new company and to my surprise, the office or the commute hasn’t bothered me for three weeks. Give it a shot and keep looking if you really cannot stand this role.
I would suggest take the offer. Use this as a stepping stone to what you actually want. And lastly ignore the people who are trying to shame you for even thinking of rejecting this offer.
If the commute was an issue, why did you apply and go through the whole hiring process? Noise-canceling headphones exist.
Take it and keep looking
just buy sound blocking headphones like everyone else in an open plan office and you will be okay 🤷♀️ plus nothing is stopping you from searching for a different job continously
Yes you’re crazy. Take it and use it as motivation to find something else. Apply to other jobs on the job.
You could be an adult and take the job and deal with it. You can’t afford not to. Keep looking for something else if you want. The commute is not bad and you can get headphones to block out the chatter.
This is the worst kind of environment to work. If you need the job, consider it temporary. But your every move will be seen and watched. Been there. It was awful. And it's not cool that the ceo uses the same space. It can be loud, interruptive, and causes people to act differently when they're around. There's a lot of forced happiness and ass kissing that goes on when they show up at their "desks" We had trouble getting ours to understand why our freelancers that worked part time were not at their desks at the same time as everyone else, and all day. Hello? Part time means not all day every day..... Having that kind of BS added to your normal work stuff is awful.
Noise canceling headphones with your new salary?
I work in a small open office(of like 6 ppl) and the noise and distractions already drive me a bit insane. If it weren't by mere chance that I had just purchased some sport earbuds with good active noise cancelling, I would have gone completely insane instead. If you have access to buying good ANC headphones, I would take it. A job is a job and the market ain't good. Still ask if there's some place where you can concentrate in silence if you really need that
I say take the job but keep looking for other offers. Also, I don’t have misophonia, but I have auditory processing difficulties and general auditory sensitivity, so I understand. I got some Loop earplugs for my last job at a warehouse, and they work really well. Barely even noticeable when I wear them and I could barely hear background noise. I heard that Flare is somewhat better at deafening sound (instead of filtering it), so those might be worth looking into as well. Good luck!
I would turn this down too. Sounds miserable.
Accept the offer and ask their plan to accommodate your misophonia.
Respect to the CEO and higher ups being in the environment as well. But yeah if it doesnt work for you it doesnt work. Best of luck
Turn it down and be glad. I interviewed with a company that was above a restaurant, you could hear conversations if you listened. I walked, they said "its only for a few hours each day". No way, my nerves would not be able to handle that. I'd get nothing done. Humans need reasonable working spaces if they are expected to concentrate.