I hate my job - feel stuck

LegacyUser

I've been working with a company for the past year - it was grand at the start, but then during the summer of last year a change happened in management at higher levels and it has gotten so much more worse.

It is in a form of recruitment, where we deal with a high number of people, far more than our department can handle and yet they will not higher anyone else. On top of this, they frequently tell us how bad we are doing, despite our efforts saving the company a lot of money and fulfilling every task that has been given to us.

It makes me feel miserable every day I come in here and the thought of coming in gives me aches and pains in the pit of my stomach.

I work crazy hours to stay on top of everything - 7:30AM to 5:30/6PM, during the evenings I have no energy and just sleep, and it has actually started to affect my eating habits as I don't have the drive to make myself any food - I can feel myself become steadily more depressed and each email I get from my teamlead makes my heart sink.

Here's the thing though;
I have no savings. I figure that between this month's and next month's pay I can pay rent and bills for about 3 or 4 months, more if I become extremely frugal. I'm debating taking the first dead end job I can find and apply for jobs as I do that. I've been applying for jobs but so far nothing has gotten back to me.

But I genuinely don't know how much more I can take of this - there are days where I come quite close to tears and have actually cried a little at my desk.

I just feel at a loss and don't know what to do.

IlmoNT4

First thing, take a breath

Do you have any holiday days you can take? If yes, take them and get some rest and a new perspective.
Dont quit to get into another job thats a dead end, it'll make you feel worse
Be proactive about your situation, get your CV ready and start applying for new jobs
Stop working crazy hours, go into work at 9 and leave on time....if the work isnt done because the workload is too high, thats your managers problem, not yours (although they'll try and make it your problem). Push back in a professional manner.

You need to take control of whats happening and you can and will find a new job thats right for you, but dont make things worse for yourself because your feeling bad...

LegacyUser

loulou2009 wrote: »

First thing, take a breath

Do you have any holiday days you can take? If yes, take them and get some rest and a new perspective.
Dont quit to get into another job thats a dead end, it'll make you feel worse
Be proactive about your situation, get your CV ready and start applying for new jobs
Stop working crazy hours, go into work at 9 and leave on time....if the work isnt done because the workload is too high, thats your managers problem, not yours (although they'll try and make it your problem). Push back in a professional manner.

You need to take control of whats happening and you can and will find a new job thats right for you, but dont make things worse for yourself because your feeling bad...

It's not really a case of feeling bad though. I feel downright miserable. I get panic shakes, stress headaches, exhaustion. I just cannot cope anymore and I know that if I start doing less hours and less work, they'll just make me feel much much worse.

I don't know what holiday days will do - I'll still have to come back in here at the end of the day.

Rubberchikken

How long more could you hang on while applying for another job?

If you really feel you can't take anymore of it then hand in your notice. Imo a job that causes such misery isn't worth sticking with.
But for an easier life, if you can stick it out a while longer it might be easier to get another job while still employed.

Best of luck with your decision

SATSUMA

I left my job and it was the BEST thing i ever did. I couldnt find another one while i was working but as soon as i left i could see more clearly.

It took me a couple of months to find work and its early days but the company are lovely so far. It was the bravest thing ive ever done but life is so short dont spend your days unhappy when a change is all you need.

Good luck

dixiefly

Go to your GP. Tell him everything you said here. He will almost certainly give you a sick note due to the stress. This could be for a few weeks to let you get your head together. It might also highlight the management issues within the company and it might spark them into doing something though by the sounds of it they are blind to the effects on their staff.

I worked in a place previously where a guy was out for a few months with work related stress and I would never have thought that he was under stress. He came back after a few months and eventually moved on.

In my opinion this would be preferable to handing in your notice.

Stavro Mueller

dixiefly wrote: »

Go to your GP. Tell him everything you said here. He will almost certainly give you a sick note due to the stress. This could be for a few weeks to let you get your head together. It might also highlight the management issues within the company and it might spark them into doing something though by the sounds of it they are blind to the effects on their staff.
..

In my opinion this would be preferable to handing in your notice.

This is what I'd do too. What do you have to lose? By putting down this marker you're highlighting issues in the way they're choosing to do business. It also puts them on legally shaky grounds if they try to get rid of you.

fulmer1984

Sounds like you just have a poor manager. Is there nobody above his/her head that you can go to, to explain the situation? Or why not talk openly to your manager? Nothing to lose...

Stavro Mueller

OP, did you approach your team leader about this? Tell them that you're being overwhelmed with work and need to have other people working alongside you to share the burden. Have it put on the record that you are under massive pressure and that it can't continue. If your working hours are supposed to be 9-5, then just come in for 9 and go at 5. Make no apologies for it. If you had commitments outside of work you'd not have the flexibility to work these hours and they'd have to like it or lump it.

If you're not getting word back from the other CVs/job applications you've sent out, could it be because it's not as good as it could be? Might be worth having someone have a look at it and make suggestions?

Wanderer2010

Stavro Mueller wrote: »

OP, did you approach your team leader about this? Tell them that you're being overwhelmed with work and need to have other people working alongside you to share the burden. Have it put on the record that you are under massive pressure and that it can't continue. If your working hours are supposed to be 9-5, then just come in for 9 and go at 5. Make no apologies for it. If you had commitments outside of work you'd not have the flexibility to work these hours and they'd have to like it or lump it.

I couldnt agree more with the above. OP, I dont know what your contracted hours are but lets just say its 9 to half 5. What do you think is going to happen to you if you just walk out at half 5 and head home - that someone is going to run after you and drag you back to your desk, that you will get fired, cut pay etc? You might get a few disapproving looks because you have the nerve to leave on time but I implore you to just do it and if anything is said the next day about why such and such wasnt done, simply reply "That request was sent at 20 past five and I leave at half five"....and simply leave it at that and put the ball in their court.

Up to now they have had it easy because you are choosing to work long hours and they now expect it of you, but you have to cut this habit, nobody else can do it only you. And you will feel better almost instantly, even if only you have more time to yourself to exercise, chill out etc, then you are rested for the next day and will put in a great days work. But please dont be fooled by mantra that you "have" to work long hours, only mugs and company men do it. Everyone is just a number and can be replaced in a second. Your health is everything OP and if they do pile on the pressure about working later, mention how stressed you feel and considering a doctor and see if they back down. And also, dont ever justify your reasons for leaving on time either. If they ask you why you are going, say "I finish now, I have commitments outside of here, see you tomorrow".

Best of luck OP.

Stavro Mueller

OP I learned the lesson early in my working life that you get no thanks for putting in loads of extra hours. When I was in my early twenties and in my first proper job, I used to work late quite a lot. The company started doing well and taking on new people on better wages than I was on. Yet nobody came near me to offer me any sort of pay rise. So I approached them for a pay rise and was offered something derisory. Even in hindsight I would say I was very good at my job, I got on well with everyone, I worked hard...but I was part of the furniture and taken for granted. I got no thanks or acknowledgement for all those extra hours I'd put in. So I started looking around for another job and left. I noticed my old job up for grabs twice in quick succession after that and in the second ad, they'd upped the wages to higher than what I'd been offered.

Don't get me wrong - I'm still the sort of person who will take short lunch breaks and work late if there's a need to meet a deadline. The difference is that I only do it occasionally and it's noticed when I put in the effort. My philosophy these days on work is that you can only do what you can do in a day. I'm lucky in that I have a good working relationship with my boss and if I feel things piling in on top of me to the extent that things won't be done on time, I go to him. He once showed me a grid for prioritizing tasks and it's quite helpful. How about going through your list of things to be done and categorizing them? Then go to your manager and show them what's on your plate. This isn't something I'd have had the confidence to do when I was 22 or 23 but now that I'm older and wiser, I have no problem doing. It's your team leader's job to manage and if you can't deal with everything that's being landed on your plate, then it's their problem.

castaway_lady

Definitely do your contracted working hours and little if any more. Jobs will expand to meet the amount of time available for them and bosses will very often take advantage. Don't help them to take advantage of you for a start. Also state in clear terms to them what is going on with you because of the job stress- they can easily claim they didn't realise.

Secondly if you still need to get out then you need a plan of action instead of kicking the idea of quitting with nothing to go to around while making no progress. You don't mention what industry you work in but anyway:

- type up a current c.v. and cover letter that maximises your offerings
- check out recruitment websites and upload your cv everywhere you can
- If its a professional occupation then try LinkedIn too
- Check out recruitment agencies offerings
- Save your sick days for potential interviews

Quitting with nothing to go to should be your absolute last resort. Get c.v's out there asap for things anyway suitable and make sure companies know you exist.