Baaargh so fed up and frustrated.

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Jim
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Baaargh so fed up and frustrated.

Post by Jim »

Work has been so horrible recently, it's increased my stress and anxiety levels exponentially to the point I'm feeling fed up, demoralised and downright miserable.

Worse is, it's not even because of any incapability on my part, but the politics and selfishness of others.

It's getting to the point where I'm simply going to have to get out and this would likely put my aspirations of saving for my own house in jeopardy.
Last edited by Jim on Thu Mar 21, 2013 9:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
“When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie
That's amore” :whistle:
AlleyCat
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Re: Baaargh so fed up and frustrated.

Post by AlleyCat »

I can't stand 'office politics' either. At least no one is pushing you out of your job, but if you hate it so much, perhaps you could start looking for other jobs and only resign from your current job once you've been offered something else. I know it's difficult staying somewhere when you're unhappy, but it's particularly difficult to get any employment in the current economic climate, so it's probably not a good idea leaving without something else lined up first.
Jim
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Re: Baaargh so fed up and frustrated.

Post by Jim »

It's something that I'm considering.. I've pretty much decided that unless the correct person is restored to the charge role (politics has removed them I hope only temporarily) then I won't be staying for much longer.

There is a job vacancy within the same organisation which I've decided that I will apply for. Unfortunately if I get offered it and accept it then it means a reduced income for me, but if that means a more comfortable life then of-course it merits serious consideration. But equally why should I have to jump ship to a lower income because of the nonsense and selfishness of others?

Apart from that there is nothing really else out there, partly because of the economic situation but also because I'm under qualified for a career progression (and my head isn't in a good place for me to throw myself into further education right now...) and yet I'm "over qualified" to settle for a super market type job, I actually got turned down by Tesco once because they felt by the strength of my CV that I wouldn't hang around for long!

My friend has suggested that I should emigrate to Malta and work there with him. It's something that holds some allure and a little temptation. But ultimately I think it'd too big an upheaval for me.

So it leaves me ultimately hoping beyond hope that some kind of normality returns to my current work, because the right boss has my back and I have hers. She is the only person who values my work. Plenty of others appreciate the level and quality of my work and am glad I do it but she's the only who values it in the way of providing the conditions and reward for it.
“When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie
That's amore” :whistle:
Jim
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Re: Baaargh so fed up and frustrated.

Post by Jim »

In today's staff meeting I told some uncomfortable truths as they are, and I think I might have shocked some people with the seriousness and assertiveness of my comments.

But things had to be said, and someone had to be strong enough to say them. I made sure I was that person.
“When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie
That's amore” :whistle:
Jim
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Re: Baaargh so fed up and frustrated.

Post by Jim »

I've come to a fairly momentus decision and it's scope and impact is taking a high toll on me.

I've decided to leave my job and soon rather than later. My plan is to call in sick for this week and visit my GP, with a view to being written off for stress and anxiety. In the meantime I'll be looking for new work, maybe a career change completely. Being unemployed for a period although less than ideal is looking distinctly possible.

I've had the final motivation needed to make this decision following more bad news last week in which my "former boss" confided in me the continuing persecution she is under and lack of support she receives has motivated her to pull out of the running for the permanent full time managers role at our work and she is now properly looking for jobs to allow her to leave. Good luck to her, in her situation I'd be doing the same and she'll forever have my moral support.

Whilst it may seem foolish and rather short sighted to fixate my future at my current work around her it is simply the culmination of a series of factors and upheavals stretching back some years now which have increased my stress and anxiety levels and harmed my health.

These include several and continuously big changes in the working environment, as a Dyspraxic who craves solid routine this is always difficult to cope with, I think I coped admirably under the circumstances. Then about a year ago I was assulted by a patient. This has always been a risk in my work (mental health nursing) and I've had several near misses in the past, but when it actually happens for real and you end up in A+E requiring medical treatment... then you'd be lying if you said you're confidence wasn't severly affected. More recently, due to the increasingly less favourable working conditions imposed upon us by the excectitives in charge of us, the lower staffing numbers, the long term sickness agmonst other colleagues and the ever increasing burden of responsibility upon my shoulders for absolutely minimal incentive and support.

I have been in a situation where as the only permanent member of staff on duty, the others being agency workers not accustomed to our ward, I have practically ran and taken charge of the unit. I am not a qualified nurse, I am a assistant. I am not paid to take on the burden of taking charge of a mental health hospital where most of our patients are directly from prison on court orders from the home office. This is a very risky situation and I increasingly fear for my safety. As a situation it's unattenable and it's pushing me to my personal breaking point.

The "boss" who is leaving has been the only person ever to genuinely value my skills and contributions, the only person to advocate my development in a way designed to get the best out of me but also for me. So I know which side my bread is butterd, with her gone, things can only get worse for me. As melodramatic as that may sound it's honestly true.

This is not a personal capability issue, I know what I can do and I can do it better than many others. This is not strictly related to my dyspraxia, although cleary that is a burden which doesn't help and only serves to exaggerate my current issues.

But I am now in the situation where I have to pick myself up of the floor, and my morale is rock bottom in all honesty... But I need to put my best foot forward now to sell myself to a new career. My current employer has had the best of me and I have given my all and more. Now it's time to take my best back, and place it elsewhere.
“When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie
That's amore” :whistle:
AlleyCat
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Re: Baaargh so fed up and frustrated.

Post by AlleyCat »

If things have become so bad at work, your decision to leave is probably the best one. I hope you find another job soon, but if not, there are some important things you need to be aware of if you need to claim JSA. When you have resigned from your job, the Jobcentre will want to know why, and will usually contact your former employer for confirmation of the circumstances surrounding your resignation. If they decide that your reason for leaving wasn't good enough, they can sanction you for anything between 1 week and 26 weeks. You will need to weigh up whether you would have enough savings to live off if that happened. However, it may well help to prevent you from being sanctioned if you can show them medical evidence that work was causing you to suffer stress. Here are the current guidelines for JSA so you can see for yourself:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg ... 199994.pdf
Jim
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Re: Baaargh so fed up and frustrated.

Post by Jim »

Thanks for that, I hope it doesn't come to that although it's a possibility. I'm going to use the sickness policy to my initial advantage for some rest bite to at the very least take the edge of the anxiety.

And hopefully I won't need to officially resign until I secure another employment.
“When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie
That's amore” :whistle:
Jim
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Re: Baaargh so fed up and frustrated.

Post by Jim »

I've applied for about 5 jobs already this week. (Which isn't bad going considering my bodyclock is wrecked and I haven't been eating properly... I've lost somewhere in the region of 8-10kgs!) Haven't heard anything back from any of them, but I'm having help to write my CV in the best way to display my work experience and skills and I'm positive if I keep up the effort something happen for me soon.

I'm also considering sending out a load of prospective letters enquiring about opportunities as well.
“When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie
That's amore” :whistle:
Jim
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Re: Baaargh so fed up and frustrated.

Post by Jim »

I have now applied to over 20 jobs and so far received 0 interviews. I'm not liking this ratio very much. But I'll keep on pushing.

At least I have a couple of people putting good words in for me on one of the applications.
“When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie
That's amore” :whistle:
Jim
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Re: Baaargh so fed up and frustrated.

Post by Jim »

And the door to that particluar opportunity has been shut. As I received a email message today informing me that I'd been unsuccessful this time round. I can't pretend that since this was the job that I felt that I had at least my best chance to get a interview for... I found the failure to even get an an interview particularly dispiriting. :(

However, it's not all doom and gloom, not 2 hours later I received a telephone call responding to a speculative letter I sent to a local company at the weekend inviting me for an interview tomorrow! :)

Funny thing is though I don't even know what role it might be since they haven't actually got any vacancies advertised. But I guess they must have liked something in my letter and CV.

Just trying to make myself well informed now, so I can make a good impression.
“When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie
That's amore” :whistle:
Jim
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Re: Baaargh so fed up and frustrated.

Post by Jim »

So job hunting is going as well as predicted, which is not well at all. I've basically been described by some recruitment agencies as "a square peg trying to fit a round hole". I think this is some ignorance on their part because I know I could do the jobs I'm applying for blindfolded and with my arms tied behind my back and I do have relevant qualifications and transferable skills. The real problem is that I'm up against dozens of other applicants with more actual experience in the industry and so I'm not going to make too many short lists because employers are very risk adverse.

Meanwhile my Doctor has been understanding enough to write me off for stress, so I'm still currently "off sick" from my current job. Although they are now beginning to put the due policies and procedures into action. I'm required to attend occupational health and have been summoned to a formal meeting about my continued long term absence.

It's a process which is supposed to support me, but they made a bit of a pigs ear of organising it. My referral to occupational health and summons to the formal meeting letters were made the same day. But one was emailed the other posted by via Royal Mail. This resulted in me only knowing about the formal meeting two days before the date they'd chosen to hold it. Meanwhile occupational health had not processed my referral yet and when they did they telephoned me to organise a telephone consultation for 31st May. (Still as now in the future).

For something that is supposed to support me, it's all a bit haphazard. I had effectively two days notice to organise union representation (if I wanted it) and no recommendations by occupational health to discuss in the meeting.

I therefore contacted Human Resources (because my work managers were unavailable and absent) to postpone the meeting citing that the notice was too short and I had no appointment for occupational health. I also contacted my union.

Now the plan is to have my occupational health consultation (which itself is a joke because it's over the telephone). And then myself, my union, HR and work will agree on a new date for the formal meeting. Where my absence will be discussed and how best to get me back to work, be that a phased return, change of role/responsibility, redeployment to a different job within the company or early retirement on grounds of ill health. The later is unlikely... I'm only 30.

I'd consider redeployment to a different job though.
“When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie
That's amore” :whistle:
desertboy
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Re: Baaargh so fed up and frustrated.

Post by desertboy »

Good luck with everything, Jim.

I'm sorry that this problem has been going on for so long.I'm appalled at the way you're being treated but not altogether surprised. It sounds as if you're dealing with a group of people who are perfect examples of the Peter Principle (individuals who have been promoted to their own level of incompetence).

Your story is similar in some ways to mine almost 20 years ago. Back in 1994, I was working for a large well-known company. I was transferred to a new manager after 6 months. At the end of the 6 months this boss gave me an atrocious appraisal and gave me 3 months to improve myself before demotion. I did everything I humanly could but still got demoted. I was too proud to call the union or call in sick, which looking back on it was a big mistake. Instead, I demanded to be fired in order to get some money to fund some travelling. I did do the travelling that I wanted to do, but with hindsight realized that I had been far too proud and too impetuous. So whatever happens, at least you can console yourself that you are acting far more shrewdly than I was.
Jim
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Re: Baaargh so fed up and frustrated.

Post by Jim »

I'm confident that my actual job is safe.

This has never been a personal capability issue and I know that I'm actually considered to be one of the most reliable and capable in the team. They'd be quite happy for me to return and carry the team, as too often happens.

But I've had enough of the whole environment, I can no longer tolerate the combination of ever tightening working conditions imposed upon us by the executives, the difficult client group and all the auxiliary nonsense attached and worse of all the internal polictical games being played by colleagues.

I'm no longer prepared to carry others, who end up being treated more favourably whilst I actually end up taking on more responsibility (albeit unofficially), but without any incentive nor positive motivation to do so. (Long story).

I do not want this job anymore because it makes me miserable.

People are too used to me going with the flow, avoiding conflict and basically getting shafted. People were used to me meekly not fighting my corner. And the more you let people take then the more they will do so.

So now I'm applying my intelligence and using the policiy and procedure to do what it is supposed to do, treat me fairly and equally instead of letting it put me into a corner where I can be unduly manipulated for the benefit of others. For a while now my health has been suffering because of work and sooner or later I was going to have some kind of breakdown. Which is why I've taken this stand.

With any luck, it'll result in me getting a more appropriate job environment for me, one which doesn't pull all of my stress triggers.

And people being promoted up to their level of incompetence is all too true. I've known many useless people have plum jobs, get paid well, bumble about whilst others below them get the job done.
“When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie
That's amore” :whistle:
Jim
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Re: Baaargh so fed up and frustrated.

Post by Jim »

Finally some positive news :)

I've got an interview for a post as Administration officer, next Thursday. It's in the same Trust of the NHS I currently work for. (I might let HR know to see if I can rely on their support with regards the formal process currently going on with my sickness).

So now I need to prepare myself as well as I can, I already know where the interview is as it's on the same main site as my current job, there's going to be a typing test during the interview, so I'd better have a little bit of practice of my touch typing and also just try to figure out the kind of questions they might ask me.
“When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie
That's amore” :whistle:
desertboy
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Re: Baaargh so fed up and frustrated.

Post by desertboy »

The absurd expectations of certain executives never ceases to amaze me. Demand more and more out of their employees for no incentives. And then wonder why so many of them have to go on long-term sick leave. Some of these executives are just so short sighted! Things haven't really changed much since Charlie Chaplins' 1935 film, Modern Times.

I can truly understand the business of organization politics, too.

Good luck with the clerical officer job interview next week! I hope it provides you with a break.
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