It's mostly not about safety, even though I am not wild about what we're doing right now. It's about feeling disrespected, and hating it so much that I'm continually on the verge of an unprofessional outburst.

Flea, what would be your reasons to stay?

Disrespected by higher ups? Or by coworkers? Or by the public?

Well, they pay me, and my ability to find another job in my field is limited. This is by far the largest library employer in the region, and I expect everyone to be in hiring freezes for the next two years.

Less practically, I would be leaving my direct supervisor, who I like a lot, and the other 30 people in my department, sort of in the lurch.

Also it's admitting I've failed. I should be able to just not care about stupid decision making and disrespect.

Disrespect from library administration. It's a very top-down culture here; we're told what to do and expected to like it.

flea - could you talk about coping strategies with the direct supervisor you like?

I know it's aggravating, but the best thing might be to stick it out and start looking for a new job. That way if the hiring freezes do interfere, you still have your income while you look. Then when you do find another job, you can just leave.

That's how I've made it through the last year. It's not really fair to him, either. He hates the bullshit as much as I do and it's not fair to ask him to deal with my feelings as well as his own!

We could probably squeak by without my income for some time. And if I didn't get a new job I would be better positioned to hard-carry my children through whatever the 2020-2021 school year ends up being.

Would not having your income be a real hardship for your family if you can't find other work right away?

Would not working make you feel better or worse than you do now?