Only 1-week break between jobs - any room to nego?
Need advice on whether I should push for a later start date or just take the offer as-is.
I recently secured an offer with a decent pay bump (~36% increase from my current base). The past year + in my current role has been pretty exhausting mentally, in light of the multiple transitions and impending restructuring (I’ve had many boss changes since last year and all my other bosses have left) which may see my role being subsumed under a different team or dissolved entirely. I’m quite clear that leaving is the best move. Thing is, I was really hoping to get at least a 2-week break to reset properly.
Issue is:
- My company’s bonus payout is at the end of this month, and HR’s policy says employees who resign on or before payout date forfeit it, so I can resign only after that.
- I have a 1-month notice period.
- New company wants me to start early Jul because the VP will be overseas from mid till end of month and wants enough onboarding/guidance time before leaving.
- I don’t have enough leave to meaningfully offset notice, and leave offset during notice is also subject to HOD approval.
This means I realistically only get about a week-ish break before starting.
Part of me feels like I really need more time off after what’s been a pretty draining stint. But another part of me feels I shouldn’t risk pushing too hard in this market, especially since the offer is pretty solid and the increment is significant (albeit a drop in leave benefits).
Would you:
- Just accept the start date and push through?
- Or prioritise the break even if it slightly risks the offer/impression?
Appreciate any thoughts on what would be a realistic approach in this market. I did try to negotiate a longer break but they mentioned already allowing me the additional time given for me to wait for my bonus, so I do think I have lesser leverage since it’s only fair to them.
EDIT: Thank you all for sharing your thoughts. Know this is a rare offer and I should focus on securing it without being too picky in this market. Appreciate the perspectives!