Job Issues

Mrs_Optimist

This is an unusual post, and I don't anticipate much sympathy as I am aware that I am in a better situation than most, but I need to offload.

I have worked for the same employer for nearly 18 years. I am well paid for a part time worker (£17k), have good working hours which fit around my children's schooling and also generous holiday allowances. HOWEVER I am no longer happy working there. The situation has built slowly over a two year period but is now pretty unbearable. I have a lot of stress when at work as I am responsible for bringing the money in and have monthly targets to meet. I have generous holiday but NOTHING gets done whilst I am off as there is noone else that is either capabale or wants to caretake my role as it is pretty complicated and involves hard negotiation. I can come back from two weeks holiday to find two weeks backlog of work on my desk as well as my usual case load.

Over the years, because I am conscientious, I have slowly had more and more admin put on me as well as my original job. My colleagues are capable of doing it themselves but can't be bothered or inclined to do so. Another issue is sickness, colleagues routinely take time off sick and there are no repercussions, their work is done whilst they are off, they still get paid etc. I have had two days off this year with severe d&v, and although my bosses were concerned because I am rarely off ill, my work was still there when I got back.

I am in a quandry because I would dearly love to hand in my notice, but the spanner in the works is that my DH was made redundant a month ago and is struggling to find a replacement employed role. He is currently undertaking private jobs (he is a plumber) and is considering going self-employed but of course there is no guarantees that he will make regular money - or enough to support us anyway.

Our outgoings are covered by my wages and we have no debt apart from a mortgate so I fully understand why most people will read this and think I am self-pitying and am lucky to have job (I feel this myself). I feel physically sick at the thought of going into work, can't wait to leave when I am there, am having problems sleeping with the stress of it all, basically in a right mess.

I know if I speak to my bosses they will be sympathetic and promise change as they have told me in the past that they are worried I will leave. I have been under pressure from them for at least 12 months (with the current economic climate, my job is more important than ever). I also know that the changes promised willl either not materialise or will for a short period of time and then slip back to the usual.

There are no easy answers, I just feel the need to vent.

Thanks for reading

Emmzi

This will sound perverse, but bear with me.

Have you thought about upping your hours?

a) hubs is about to do school run
b) you need the income atm

I would look at the extra work, tot up how many hours it comes to, add in an extra 6 weeks time a year for holiday catch up, and put a proposal to your boss. That may take a lot of pressure out of the role; and if they refuse, well, you know it's more than careless management.

I think you do also need to apply elsewhere, but it is much easier to get a job when you have a job already.

Here's hoping your OH can get a good line of work going soon.

nlj1520

I really sympathise, having just gone through something similar.
It culminated in a row between me and my boss/main customer (I am free-lance by contract, but the working relationship has gone on so long I share all sorts of responsibility for the running of the office).
Long story short, I told her i am leaving. I have some other customers which bring in a little bit, but nothing big enough to even buy fags!
I would rather take the risk, work my butt off finding ANYTHING that will pay the bills than allow someone to treat me the way that person did.
This may all come back to haunt me......I may really regret it, but at the moment I feel excited at the challenge. Naive? Possibly. But at all kinds of stages in my life I have behaved like a doormat and after recent CBT this was one shoe too many!

Mrs_Optimist

WOW! I was expecting a whole load of abuse about being self-pitying and not being grateful to have a job etc so the replies I have had, have been great - thank you.

There is a development actually since I last posted, in that a company we regularly send work to, has contacted me at home this afternoon to see whether I would be interested in working for them - doing my actual job (the bit I love!) with them - but wihtout the added admin (which I Hate). I am meeting up with the Manager tomorrow for coffee to discuss terms & conditions. I have been dealing with this company for 5+ years so know all the staff, the office is local (5 mins from where I work now) and they will be flexible with my hours I am sure. I have also spoken with DH and kids this evening to see how they feel about spending an hour on their own after school every day as I am prepared to work extra hours on a daily basis to perhaps still have reduced days in the school hols. They have been very supportive. Will see how the meeting goes tomorrow and update.

Once again thanks, just writing it down is therapeutic.

chocsessential

Your employer should be training other people to cover for you while you are away, even if it is just the more straightforward stuff. At least then you won't have a ton of emails and filing to come back to. Is there a handbook or manual for what you do? Maybe you can compile a list of the duties you do and how you do them, and then speak to your manager about who can do these roles while you are not there. Whenever I start a new role I always ask lots of questions and then compile my own handbook to refer to if colleagues are not around to help me. Maybe you can do a handbook, then there's no excuse for people to say they don't know what to do. It is unfair to put the burden all on you. It is up to your manager to sort it out.

jc808

To be fair ive had this - v v frustrating and makes you feel unappreciated - my sympathies

Emmzi

why would anyone call you self pitying? You are in a bind, you haven't thrown in the towel, and you are trying to fix it.

posters only tend to get a hard time when they would rather complain than act. this is not you

Mrs_Optimist

Once again, thanks to you all for being so supportive - it is appreciated.

I suppose I feel self-pitying because I am luckier than most in that I have a job and a well paid one at that - I am well aware that a lot of other people don't have that luxury and so would have little sympathy, and I understand that.

As far as work goes, there is a lot of idleness that goes on in my workplace which makes it more frustrating when I am flogging my guts out, unfortunately my immediate manager is one of the idle ones - he has no real interest in the job and just takes his salary every month as he is waiting for retirement. He pays "lip service" when I approach him with a problem or moan about my workload - says all the right things but doesnt really want to do anything about it. I do a LOT of covering for him. He is a lovely guy but pretty lazy.

The meeting went well, they will meet my salary expectations and be as flexible as I want with hours and holidays as they understand that I have children to consider - I don't want to be working whilst they are off school - they are growing up fast and I want to cherish the remainder of the time that they want me around in the holidays!

I do understand the comment about rose tinted spectacles - I am well up for the challenge of a different working enviroment - it will do me good as I am somewhat institutionalised having worked for the same company for so long. However I expect to have my comfort zone stretched and am quite looking forward to that too! It feels right and I am excited as well as sh#t scared at the same time. I don't have any reservations about changing my job as I think it will make me a lot happier - I haven't been happy at work for a while but hey-ho thats life, we deal with the hand we are dealt. I am waiting for the job offer in writing first before I hand my notice in - I have to work 3 months notice so if I time it right I can finish this year and have a complete fresh start in January.

I am not looking forward to the ramifications of handing my notice in though - my bosses will be gutted and I am sure they will offer me more money to stay - but money really isn't everything is it? I also worry that they will take exception to the fact that I will now be working for someone that we send work to, that I have been poached (which is not the case) and that they may stop sending their work there - which won't make me that popoular with my new boss but I have warned him to expect that.

My hope is that they will continue sending the work to my new boss so that I can continue working on it (albeit on someone else's pay role) and not have all the admin and other cr#p that is currently dumped on me.

Also to have to think carefully about whether DH should set himself up as self-employed whilst the employment market is so bad mmmm.

Anyway sorry, waffling now and thinking aloud. Thanks to everyone who has supported me as it means a lot.

Emmzi

You can print flyers quite cheaply and letter box drop on a few weekends. He may find a market for small plumbing jobs that way; also registering as trusted with Age Concern if he has no convictions and would pass CRB check. He may as well try the cheap ways of finding work while he is signing on - he can do this while going to interviews and meeting JSA requirements, and he doesn't really need to worry about signing off until he has some work to make him think about it.

Does he have his own tools etc?

Mrs_Optimist

Hi Emmzi

Yes he has all his own tools, no convictions and would pass a CRB check as he needed one for his last job. He has signed on for contribution based JSA but has not received any money yet. I think he will need to sign off again though as I am pretty sure he can't claim JSA whilst working - albeit the work is sporadic. I am not sure how it works but don't want him to get prosecuted for unknowingly breaking some law somewhere for benefit fraud? He will need so speak to the Job Centre when he next goees in to sign on-he is still looking for paid employment (ie working for a company) but nothing doing at present. He only signed on to get his NI contributions paid, the private work has just built up slowly over the past few weeks - he wasn't expecting it at all.

Thinking about getting some business cards printed tomorrow to hand out to friends and family, as at present the jobs he is getting are through word of mouth. He is not charging a fortune ( £15 per hour which for a plumber is ridiculously cheap) but he does not want to make a mint - just a living. Hopefully by not being greedy he may get some more work from people put off by the price the other plumbers around here currently charge (£35 + per hour!) I wonder if the Job Centre can advise on him setting up on his own?

Slinky

Do you have any community or parish magazines in your area? I run a couple of these and have several plumbers who have been advertising with me for years so must get a decent amount of work from them. They aren't expensive to advertise in and tend to be the first place people look for when they need distress work doing.

Glad things have gone well with your customer recognising the value of your work even when your boss did not. What goes around comes around and your present employer will find out too late what it is not to look after employees they should value.