For us it’s slate season. We’re waiting to hear what our next orders will be. It’s something I’ve been working on being okay with. Things might change. We might move. Whatever happens, we’ll make the best of it for two years. Fortunately, we have about a three-to-four-month gap between when we would get our orders and when we would move. For me, the worst part of this waiting is how you handle it at your job. How do you casually mention to your boss that you might be leaving in a few months? Do you even mention it? Do you wait just until you know? These questions keep me up at night.
Luckily, I haven’t had to change jobs due to a PCS, only when I decided to move to Virginia to live with my husband. The company I was with at the time knew that at some point I would be moving, so it was anticipated. Of course, they were excited for me personally but sad to see me go.
Fast forward to now, I’m so conflicted about whether I should tell my boss we might be moving or not. I’d say the team I work on is relatively close knit, so sharing things that are going on in our personal lives is pretty normal. However, it feels weird to tell your boss “Hey, I’m extra stressed because we might move, and I’ll have to quit this job.” At the same time, not telling them makes me feel like I’m hiding a secret. I’m sure my boss would be understanding since I really have no control over it. But if I mention this, does it hold me back from say, future promotions or projects? Do they see me as someone they shouldn’t invest in because I might leave?
Then once you get your orders, how and when do you let your job know? Most jobs typically require giving two weeks’ notice, but would you still do that in this case? I’m not sure how I’d secretly manage selling our house, finding a new house and moving all of our belongings without my employer finding out. It seems like so much to keep hidden for that long. If I tell them early, maybe they could help me with future opportunities or have some advice for me. But what if I tell them early and they want me to leave sooner than later?
At the moment, I haven’t told anyone at work that we’re waiting on orders. It’s a little stressful hiding a secret from them, but I’m clearly not sure how to approach this. If you have any experience with waiting on orders at a job, leave your experience below. I’m so torn on what to do about the situation. Let me know if you told your coworkers you might be moving and how it went for you.
