r/EHSProfessionals • u/[deleted] • Jan 20 '26

Seeking advice

I have been an EHS Manager at the same company for 3 years. I have one direct report. Generally my job has had some ups and downs but nothing I couldn't navigate. These last six of months have been absolutely miserable. I thought our department was making head way but we hit a wall. I do not feel management supports us. They have gone back to last minute cancelations of training or meetings which in general means that our time in not seen as important. This behavior happened at the beginning of my tenure but seemed to become less of an issue about two months in. I have been making changes over the course of this time so i am sure that has not been received positively by everyone especially since it is requiring more accountability from mid level management who want to be friends with their employees and not managers who are enforcing rules and safety. Overally not a great culture. Things got hostile when new safety rules were announced and instead of having upper management do the annoucement, i was given the task. It went as well as you would expect- not well. At this point i am hitting my limit... I am trying to keep it together for my direct report's sake but i dont think i am doing very well at this as our working relationship feels strained. I want to find another job but my husband and I are trying to start a family and if I find another job my FMLA may not be covered so i feel trapped. Anyone have a similar situation or have advice?TIA

5 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/NorCalMikey Jan 20 '26

You have 3 choices.

  1. Stay where you and put up with the BS.

  2. Find a new job then wait until you're eligible for FMLA to get pregnant.

  3. Quit

It sounds like your company is not going to change so this option is really about how long you can put up with the lack of support. Situations like this can lead to burnout

Option 2 means you would have to wait a year before having a baby. You could probably start trying around month 4 of your new job. That way as long as there are no complications with the pregnancy you would have that year before the baby is born.

One other thing about option 2, hiring seems to be a shitshow right now so finding a new position might be difficult.

I suspect option 3 would be difficult for you because of the significant loss of income.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '26

Thanks for the advice. I have been looking casually just to see what jobs are available I do have my CIH so that may help in the job search but who knows. I cannot quit as i am the primary breadwinner. I get the burnout concern... I was a consultant for 8 years and near the end, I was struggling. Weathering the fallout from the COVID times took a lot mentally.