Should I just Leave?

PictureFrame

Hi guys,

Wanted to get a bit of advice re: my current work situation.

I work for a Multinational company in a Global Headquarters in Ireland. I have been there about 6 months.

Long story short- I hate the job. I am doing quite well in it, having had a performance review and was told that my learning curve is far above what is generally expected from a new hire.

There is a horrific culture in the job, toxic is the only way to describe it. There is a strong clique within a small team (from the 2 longest standing team members) who spend their time whispering incessantly, being very abrasive/snappy to questions, ignoring other staff completely if they are stressed etc.

The manager is unopen for questions/feedback/mentoring, and does not check in with your work- or check if you need any help. The job is notoriously difficult and there is an air of 'you can't make any mistakes' even though the information is not readily available and feedback is not provided.

The sheer amount of work is staggering. There is no checking of your workflow before a new project is given to you- and you are anticipated to manage the project from end-to-end often having to work with other EMEA markets/offices in order to facilitate this.

I am managing projects that I am simply not experienced or capable of doing- and being made feel that no matter what I do, it's incorrect.

There is also a huge amount of blame-game culture, to the point that I have seen Junior Consultants getting ripped to pieces by Directors, for mistakes that they didn't have the training/experience/feedback not to complete.

I am actively applying for roles, but i'm at the point where I feel at my wits end. I just want to vent and see if anyone else has ever had a similar shared experience and what have you done? At this point I am honestly thinking I am better to just leave, as it's really taking a toll on me personally. Financially, my OH has quite a good job- and I think with the savings i've put aside i'd manage for 1-2 months. I think I would manage to get something even PT initially in this space, so I don't have much issue there thankfully.

Thanks for your help in advance.

OMM 0000

I have quit many jobs when I have been deeply unhappy in the role. No new job to walk into. I just gave my notice, did my month or whatever was required, and left.

I don't regret any of it.

> Financially, my OH has quite a good job- and I think with the savings i've put aside i'd manage for 1-2 months.

Sounds like you'll be OK.

I guess the "smart" thing to do is to try to talk to your manager to see if your problems can be solved, and if they can't, you give your notice. But I think no shame in simply giving your notice.

Based on what you've written, I'm actually ok with the workload and chaos, but the toxic culture is unacceptable and not worth it.

Always Tired

I've left jobs for similar reasons, with no OH or savings, and I survived. I've found a lot of Irish workplaces to be at least somewhat toxic, with often a lot of stress due to chronic understaffing and lack of training, organization and accountability coming from the top.

When it's so bad that you want to quit, there's usually no point trying to air your grievances and get things changed. I'd be using up any paid sick leave I had and then bounce.

NSAman

Sympathy Sir, been there and done that. For some strange reason, by pure fluke, I got an interview for a job abroad (first time abroad). I gave in my notice the next day. Hated the BS associated with too much work and being "talked down" to by someone who had no clue how the computer systems ran or were programmed. I came back to say hi to a few old work colleagues and there were 5 or 6 people doing what I was doing in a job by myself.

The place closed a year or two later.. wont say why... but I already knew someone was aiming for this.

Leave, life is too short. Your health is your wealth. BTW, the job abroad has lead me to some most interesting jobs internationally.... Happy out here.

Strumms

It’s sounds toxic on two levels..

1- a severe case of being overworked

2- no recourse to get assistance or even to be able to confidently voice your concerns to managers and to in tandem, find a solution.

It’s unlikely to improve, so yes, by all means attempt to knock on their door again to further your concerns, but by the sounds of it you are wasting your breath. Don’t waste your time or your health, say ‘good luck’ and find a job with a more balanced and realistic workload with more open channels of communication to your bosses.

chprt

Just leave - hand in your notice and leave.

Its a great feeling

Youll get another job, dont worry.

Ulysses Gaze

Sounds like a lot of modern workplaces now - you are expected to perform miracles with too much work to do and little to no training.

I really think a lot of Directors and HR people should be made sit and do front line jobs for a month and see how they get on.

For all their "expertise", they'd be floundering even worse.

My opinion is leave this place. No job is worth the stress.

Strumms

Ulysses Gaze wrote: »

Sounds like a lot of modern workplaces now - you are expected to perform miracles with too much work to do and little to no training.

I really think a lot of Directors and HR people should be made sit and do front line jobs for a month and see how they get on.

For all their "expertise", they'd be floundering even worse.

My opinion is leave this place. No job is worth the stress.

Totally, I think most of the HR people ive encountered especially have been next to fûcking useless. They have tended to be office jockeys with little or no interest in involvement in getting to know the machinations of their workplace or the staff which they are there to help.

It’s an often misconception that HR is a department and position that is designated to have the back of the company and management where in fact it supposed to be an impartial position. They do tend to want to serve the positions and ideals of those who put them there though.

OMM 0000

NSAman wrote: »

Leave, life is too short.

It really is, and you don't get a second try, so why put up with crap you don't need to put up with?

kravmaga

@op pictureframe

I would get the CV updated, move on, life is too short to work in a toxic work environment.

If its a FDI company , North American, the culture in these companies is to work you into the ground, non union workforce, blame culture , lets look for a head instead of proper de- brief, post mortem , learning curve on why something happened.

I worked on contract with such companies, could not wait to get out of there, dont stay, the culture in these companies is totally toxic , especially from middle management, no loyalty, no coaching, directing of employees, your just a number.

Look for something in the Public service arena

Andrea B.

PictureFrame wrote: »

Hi guys,

Wanted to get a bit of advice re: my current work situation.

I work for a Multinational company in a Global Headquarters in Ireland. I have been there about 6 months.

Long story short- I hate the job. I am doing quite well in it, having had a performance review and was told that my learning curve is far above what is generally expected from a new hire.

There is a horrific culture in the job, toxic is the only way to describe it. There is a strong clique within a small team (from the 2 longest standing team members) who spend their time whispering incessantly, being very abrasive/snappy to questions, ignoring other staff completely if they are stressed etc.

The manager is unopen for questions/feedback/mentoring, and does not check in with your work- or check if you need any help. The job is notoriously difficult and there is an air of 'you can't make any mistakes' even though the information is not readily available and feedback is not provided.

The sheer amount of work is staggering. There is no checking of your workflow before a new project is given to you- and you are anticipated to manage the project from end-to-end often having to work with other EMEA markets/offices in order to facilitate this.

I am managing projects that I am simply not experienced or capable of doing- and being made feel that no matter what I do, it's incorrect.

There is also a huge amount of blame-game culture, to the point that I have seen Junior Consultants getting ripped to pieces by Directors, for mistakes that they didn't have the training/experience/feedback not to complete.

I am actively applying for roles, but i'm at the point where I feel at my wits end. I just want to vent and see if anyone else has ever had a similar shared experience and what have you done? At this point I am honestly thinking I am better to just leave, as it's really taking a toll on me personally. Financially, my OH has quite a good job- and I think with the savings i've put aside i'd manage for 1-2 months. I think I would manage to get something even PT initially in this space, so I don't have much issue there thankfully.

Thanks for your help in advance.

Is the company going through unprecedented growth spurt, or is this environment the norm irrelevant of growth?
If growth, it may likely settle after a time. If the norm, get out.

Holly13

What is your position? Are you responsible for supervising or managing colleagues?
If not, I think you should wait until you have a new job before you leave.
I say this because if you are not in a supervisory/ management position you do not need to get caught up in the craziness. Analyse your job description and then ensure you do your job and that’s it.
If you have a good work ethic (and it sounds like you do) you can detach emotionally and egotistically from the bull management try to heap on you to cover up their mismanagement.
This is hard to do though.
If all else fails act dumb and apologise, put it back on them.
I’m coming from an old-fashioned view though, never leave a job until you have a job.

manonboard

Just leave OP.

I worked for C too.

If there is a toxic culture. You as one person is not going to fix that. There are AMAZING companies out there that are dying for good staff. Good teams. Helpful people. A little human issues of course, but a good culture is not difficult to find.
You will never look back and think "I am glad i stayed in that bad environment".. EVER.
If you are good at what you do, you will be welcomed and cherished in many places. Let the toxic work places keep the toxic people. You will be happier, healthier, and a better person in your life for it.

esposito

Ulysses Gaze wrote: »

Sounds like a lot of modern workplaces now - you are expected to perform miracles with too much work to do and little to no training.
.

You hit the nail on the head. Poor training provided and they expect you to hit the ground running.

Don’t know about other sectors but in finance the workload seems to be increasing and more overtime is being done. If only more people stood up to management but a lot of us seem to be too afraid to do it.

PictureFrame

Thanks guys for all of your replies.

Yes- it's an issue becoming more and more problematic across Ireland. No training provided and expected to hit the ground running, make no mistakes, accept every piece of work going and don't get any help with any of it.

I actually got word late today that I have an interview tomorrow for a job that I would adore, so i'm taking a half day and going for it so fingers crossed it all goes well

Spoke with my OH tonight, and have decided that i'm leaving- have decided on March 27th- so the end is in sight.

Great to have the ability to vent about these things, the mutual shared experience both makes me sad but also hopeful that there's a light at the end of the tunnel!

PictureFrame

kravmaga wrote: »

@op pictureframe

I would get the CV updated, move on, life is too short to work in a toxic work environment.

If its a FDI company , North American, the culture in these companies is to work you into the ground, non union workforce, blame culture , lets look for a head instead of proper de- brief, post mortem , learning curve on why something happened.

I worked on contract with such companies, could not wait to get out of there, dont stay, the culture in these companies is totally toxic , especially from middle management, no loyalty, no coaching, directing of employees, your just a number.

Look for something in the Public service arena

It's not an FDI company, but all our clients we provide services for would be- so we are really all eating out of the same pot/expectations.

Andrea B. wrote: »

Is the company going through unprecedented growth spurt, or is this environment the norm irrelevant of growth?
If growth, it may likely settle after a time. If the norm, get out.

It's like this all the time. Manager gets handed lots of opportunities from higher up and won't turn down any of them (even ones that are a complete waste) because they are afraid of their boss. This is then passed down.

Holly13 wrote: »

What is your position? Are you responsible for supervising or managing colleagues?
If not, I think you should wait until you have a new job before you leave.
I say this because if you are not in a supervisory/ management position you do not need to get caught up in the craziness. Analyse your job description and then ensure you do your job and that’s it.
If you have a good work ethic (and it sounds like you do) you can detach emotionally and egotistically from the bull management try to heap on you to cover up their mismanagement.
This is hard to do though.
If all else fails act dumb and apologise, put it back on them.
I’m coming from an old-fashioned view though, never leave a job until you have a job.

Not responsible for managing staff now, but have to manage colleagues work across Europe and bow to their deadlines. I've tried to detach from the craziness, but there's very little chance as you're constantly on edge.

893bet

Life is too short for that ****.

OMM 0000

PictureFrame wrote: »

Spoke with my OH tonight, and have decided that i'm leaving- have decided on March 27th- so the end is in sight.

Good for you.

Hey - here's an off field idea.

Have a look at online postgrads tonight. Maybe this can be where you do a new qualification and change your life for the better.

Strumms

PictureFrame wrote: »

Great to have the ability to vent about these things, the mutual shared experience both makes me sad but also hopeful that there's a light at the end of the tunnel!

Definitely, just got to walk into that light, best of luck, not that you’ll need it.

Mitzy

I'm so glad you made the decision to leave OP.
Your story sounds just like my old company. On the face of it it's fantastic. Everything a great employer can offer but the team I was on was so toxic. The bitching & nastiness made it impossible to do anything. I was very lucky in that I got a job fairly quickly so was able to hand in my notice. I haven't looked back since.
Nothing is worth allowing your mental health to suffer. Some of these large companies simply don't care about their staff's well being despite always pretending they do. You've got to do what's right for you.
I hope you find something else soon.

daheff

I'd suggest sticking with it until you find something else. If anybody you are interviewing with queries why you are leaving say it's only a contract.

If you just pull the plug you might find you don't get a job as soon as you think and then a 1 month gap drifts to 6 and it's not so easy to explain away

musicfan1ie

OP - if you feel strongly about it, dont feel bad about leaving a toxic environment. Life's too short!!

But some advice, get your timing right. Get CV updated, send out to recruiters. Drag out leave date, so you can maximise your pay before you leave - maybe be bit more frugal with your money for couple of months. Also try to hand in your notice at end of a pay month. So,, if you left at end of March, you have a full salary to play with after you leave. You may be able to stretch it for 6-8 weeks if out of work.

Using your annual leave can be useful too and use of.bank holidays. For example, if its bugging you alot now, plan a week off for mid March. Few weeks after might not be so bad and may extend your.money and role to say April / May

Otherwise, good luck with job search