Is a bad job better than no job at all?

falko89

mildred1978 wrote: »

So whatif the welfare state disappeared overnight? What then?

You'd have a state of anarchy on your hands, there aren't even enough bad jobs for those prepared to do them let alone those who aren't.

But I think this "I did it so everyone must do it" attitude is just wrong, we all cope with things in life differently.

duchy

There's a world of difference between doing a job that is distasteful and one that is sheer hell.

I've had jobs where friends have asked why the heck I'm doing the job as I'm way over qualified for it and it's "beneath me" (in their opinion). Actually those jobs were a means to an end-I was nursing my dying Mum and raising my son (who has a disability)-and in all honesty weren't that bad a lot is to do with attitude -If you go in thinking it's beneath you and you'll hate it -then you will.

On the other hand I had a job most people would consider a better fit to my experience and qualifications -good pay-and it was the most miserable experience of my life and I stuck it out until I realized the stress caused by the Bi-polar manager was making me physically ill and battered my self esteem and I quit without having another job to go to-and it was tough financially (I didn't claim JSA I did all kinds of freelance bits and pieces and claimed CTC/WTC instead) but in those circumstances it was the right thing to do -but despite my own experiences I still believe that in most cases people give up to easilly or go in with a poor attitude and the not perfect job is worse for them because they refuse to see the good bits in it (most jobs have SOME) and concentrate on the negative.

And yes I too resent paying for lazy losers with an inflated sense of their own self-worth and importance.

tsimehC

falko89 wrote: »

You'd have a state of anarchy on your hands, there aren't even enough bad jobs for those prepared to do them let alone those who aren't.

But I think this "I did it so everyone must do it" attitude is just wrong, we all cope with things in life differently.

Indeed. When my father had a stroke, I stayed over every night in hospital when he was in a critical condition. I couldn't trust the shoddy night nurses, I saw plenty of other patients there getting no help with simple things like having a glass of water to drink in the middle of the night while the buzzer continuously rings. Where were their family? I didn't expect them to stay overnight like I did because they had different circumstances to myself.

Thanks for the Youtube link though, interesting take against the general concept of being unemployed. I can't relate to "bad" jobs because I apply for them and get rejected anyway although IMO being unemployed destroys the person's sense of self-worth much more than a hellish job especially if they were looking for any job but keep getting hit back with rejections. I can't imagine how someone can be happier unemployed unless they have other means of supporting themselves other than the meagre state handouts.

TrickyWicky

falko89 wrote: »

Basically the above video says those in poor jobs have the same level of depression as those unemployed, and those unemployed going in to poor jobs could have worse mental health issues.

Thats too true I have to say from personal experience.

I've worked in loads of !!!!py dead end jobs thanks to my family being so screwed up and doing everything they could to stand in my way. Every single job I've worked hard in. I've never been appreciated, only once or twice been thanked for my efforts or going the extra mile (or literally 51 in one job) etc. In several of them I've ben stitched up by colleagues who are lazy and saw my hard working and honesty as a threat etc.

It's !!!! it really is. I walk out, end up unemployed, then no-one will give you a chance because you're unemployed, you get so desperate that you end up in an even worse job than the last..

I've had multiple jobs in the car parking industry. They're all crap and I said I'd never do it again after the second job. Then I ended up in the 3rd one, walked from that after a contractual dispute and a boss who would not relent and ended up in a 4th

I'm out of work now. I'm happier as a person for it but I still get depressed that my life is standing still, I've got no opportunity to make something of myself etc.

The next job will be the same, unappreciative of my hard work, honesty, willing to go the extra mile etc and thats why I become so depressed about it all. The government are doing their best to ensure this only gets worse too by trying to force people into the worst jobs possible for as little as possible or free if they can get away with it.

People don't want to be treated like trash. Sure, everyone has their place in society but there is no reason to treat people like scum like so many employers do these days.

I was in one job for years with a boss who had a hatred for me. My life was a miserable existence and every few months he'd try to talk me out the door or set me up for a disciplinary. It was sheer utter hell. Unfortunately the rest have been pretty much the same thing. No-one should have to go to work, saying "Morning <bosses name>" and get the words "You f***ing c**t" for a reply.

fourthlinewing

It has to be a ruddy awful job to be worse than being unemployed. That said, the mind-numbing tedium of some jobs isn't fully compensated for by the money.

There are some jobs I wouldn't do-but that's because I'm either not physically/mentally capable (for example being an infantry soldier) or have done and now wouldn't (door-to-door sales, for example).

I do find it mildly amusing that all the "unemployed are lazy scroungers" brigade are saying this from the comfort of a job, though.

Being unemployed and existing on £65 a week state benefit isn't fun, it isn't "an easy option". It's merely surviving.
The stigma is one of the things that makes it so mentally hard to cope with, too...it's not fun walking around knowing that a LOT of people see you as some kind of lazy alcoholic waster on top of feeling the pressure to make ends meet.

falko89

TrickyWicky wrote: »

Thats too true I have to say from personal experience.

I've worked in loads of !!!!py dead end jobs thanks to my family being so screwed up and doing everything they could to stand in my way. Every single job I've worked hard in. I've never been appreciated, only once or twice been thanked for my efforts or going the extra mile (or literally 51 in one job) etc. In several of them I've ben stitched up by colleagues who are lazy and saw my hard working and honesty as a threat etc.

It's !!!! it really is. I walk out, end up unemployed, then no-one will give you a chance because you're unemployed, you get so desperate that you end up in an even worse job than the last..

I've had multiple jobs in the car parking industry. They're all crap and I said I'd never do it again after the second job. Then I ended up in the 3rd one, walked from that after a contractual dispute and a boss who would not relent and ended up in a 4th

I'm out of work now. I'm happier as a person for it but I still get depressed that my life is standing still, I've got no opportunity to make something of myself etc.

The next job will be the same, unappreciative of my hard work, honesty, willing to go the extra mile etc and thats why I become so depressed about it all. The government are doing their best to ensure this only gets worse too by trying to force people into the worst jobs possible for as little as possible or free if they can get away with it.

People don't want to be treated like trash. Sure, everyone has their place in society but there is no reason to treat people like scum like so many employers do these days.

That's a good point, a simple "Thank you" or "Good work" goes along way to improve morale, but I agree some employers do treat people like scum and I think that's most of the problem, its not the job itself more the way you are treated or certainly for me it was.

TrickyWicky

ILW wrote: »

I cannot help but have sympathy for someone who is doing a job they truly hate, but then having a proportion of their wages taken off them and given to someone else who prefers to live off the state rather than do a job they dislike.

Well try working for a company that not only make your life hell but then also start taking your hard earned pay off you, claiming they can because its contractual and not ever having even been given a contract. Then just to kick you in the teeth a bit more, they write to all your colleagues telling them they've cocked up with their pay and won't take a penny back from them.

No-one likes living off the state. It's depressing but there are some employers out there that are such wasters that its actually better for people to be on the dole. Before you say anything, no I'm not on the dole or any benefits even though I'm out of work.

TrickyWicky

falko89 wrote: »

That's a good point, a simple "Thank you" or "Good work" goes along way to improve morale, but I agree some employers do treat people like scum and I think that's most of the problem, its not the job itself more the way you are treated or certainly for me it was.

Indeed. If you feel appreciated at work it makes you feel a whole lot better.

In fairness most of my jobs have been ok work-wise but its the people I've worked with that have made my life a living hell. It's no secret on this forum I've been a CEO (Traffic Warden) and I had more **** from my colleagues than the public. The public were actually far more pleasant to deal with - I used to see regular faces, chat to people, speak to the visitors, etc. The boss and my colleagues made my life a living hell though and its been that way in every job.

What I've noticed these days is you're ok if the face fits. If it doesn't your life will be hell at work. I've had **** from colleagues in many jobs and those where the colleagues were easy going the boss was a **** instead. One company sacked me for not meeting targets - that they had never set and even admitted so in the disciplinary!

I cringe when I watch the apprentice on TV too. Alan Sugar must be a miserable old s*d to live with. I'd hate to work for him - you do something wrong he wants to shout at you and you do something right and you can see he's still not happy about it either. I remember the interview stage last year/ year before and one of the blokes saying "You won't get a pat on the back or a 'good job' from Lord Sugar" - and thats what is so wrong with this countrys employers - no respect for their staff and no people management skills.

I still have nightmares about several of my former jobs now - thats how ill they made me. Hard work, honesty and a willingness to go the extra mile only works if your face fits. If it doesn't and you do your best then you're in the **** for trying and using your initiative.

leamingtonspaceman

falko89 wrote: »

What do you think?

A job you can't stand is much worse than no job at all...everytime.

ILW

Worth bearing in mind that when working there is a chance it may lead to something else at some point in the future. Sitting at home will never do that.

It happened to me when I got a call from someone who I had worked with a few years before had set up his own company and offered me something out of the blue. From his point of view it was cheaper than recruiting or using an agency.