Just left my job due to unhappiness:(

auldblerk

TopQuark wrote: »

I tend to agree on your point about stress, but the reference to age I don't. I was born in the 80s and am not too far past the big 30, thus relatively young but not a kid. Like my friends and colleagues of similar ages, we all 'get on with it' because if we don't, we'll be out, being much easier and cheaper to get rid of than people who have been around for years. All of the people I've ever known who have been away from work with stress have been in their 50s.

These days, jobs are difficult to come by and keep, thus I think younger people will do anything to 'get on with it' and hang onto employment. My own parents told me that when they were young, you could leave one job in the morning if you didn't like it and practically start a new one in the afternoon. Those days are long gone, as are the days of jobs for life.

It is unfair to insinuate that the young are too weak-willed/sensitive/lazy to get on at work. Some will be, but it's not true of the majority.

And to the OP - you gave up way too easily; a month is nothing. Lucky you have the luxury to be kept by your husband- most don't. Still, I suppose you've freed up a job for someone who may really need it!

Maybe its like that for 50 year olds to go off with stress over in Switzerland but it certainly isn't like that here in the UK.
I'm in my 50's and worked since leaving school at 15 and the 'stress' thing didn't start coming in until 10 to 15 years ago and we were astounded by this; I would never dream of going on the sick with stress and neither would my workmates (and we endure a large dose of stress on a daily basis).
Thought Switzerland was a perfect Country, nobody suffers from stress there surely.

Cutzee

I'm currently going through similar, so you have my sympathies. The person I am being trained by has resigned but is making me feel like I am putting her out of a job! She doesn't want to train me properly which was the whole point of us working together at the same time so there could be a "smooth transition". She barely acknowledges me whilst overtly acknowledging everyone else, has made unpleasant comments on Facebook about me and tries to undermine me by giving me incorrect information and instruction which I then undertake. She also preaches what I should do but she does not do this herself. I get told off in front of other staff and if I ask a question out loud I get ignored or she says the answer very quickly and flippantly! When she makes a round of drinks I also get ignored. I do find it (the behaviour) all a bit petty and immature. Unfortunately, she has been there ten years so the rest of the staff think the sun shines out of her rear and she has a brown-nose relationship with everyone else. I am not at work to have a social life and I am a work hard/head down employee, however whilst I am at work, I would like to be treated with civility and courtesy. But from many posters here, it seems we are asking too much these days! I can and will put up with it as my main aim is paying the bills. But I don't see why we should have to. Like another poster has said, we can't choose who we work with and we spend so much of our lives at work. For those of us that are working to exist it doesn't have to mean misery, does it? Can't wait for her to leave in a few weeks!

TopQuark

auldblerk wrote: »

Maybe its like that for 50 year olds to go off with stress over in Switzerland but it certainly isn't like that here in the UK.
I'm in my 50's and worked since leaving school at 15 and the 'stress' thing didn't start coming in until 10 to 15 years ago and we were astounded by this; I would never dream of going on the sick with stress and neither would my workmates (and we endure a large dose of stress on a daily basis).
Thought Switzerland was a perfect Country, nobody suffers from stress there surely.

I'm British and I'm commenting on my experience in the UK (which is where I have spent most of my life). My point was just to illustrate to another poster that the only people *I* knew who went off with stress were older, not younger, as insinuated.

I can't comment on Switzerland per se as I work for a large international organisation in Geneva. However, salaries are high here and the standard of living is excellent, so I would guess that workplace stress is not a major problem.

loveabargain13

OP I am in a similar situation leaving shortly due to unhappiness, have been in my role for over 4 years.... I don't know what to do next may temp or may become an elf to help Santa, at least there should be extra jobs this time of year.... good luck!!

Caroline_a

I do think that very often people expect too much from their workplaces. I enjoy my work, however I would far prefer to be at home, or enjoying the many things I do outside work. Most of my friends come from outside work, and although I get on well with most of my colleagues, I would be unlikely to spend time with them outside work.

I certainly wouldn't leave a job without a job to go to for 'unhappiness'. Additionally it's a difficult one to explain at interview when you go for a new job! Personally I wouldn't employ anyone who said that was the reason they left their last position, and I don't know of anyone who would.

chris1973

Lady I was taking over (as she was taking reduction in days) was offhand to me, didn't seem to want to make conversation, and resented me).

Wow you are allowed to talk during working hours? to the extent of having actual conversations?. Can't have been that bad of a place then!!.

On our factory floor you sit in a line looking down at your work, there is a radio on, but you can't sit there yakking to your colleague, i'm not sure that most employers are happy paying people to sit talking about soap operas and have some kind of a coffee morning.

In our workplace, people don't get on either, its the same in every workplace. Last year I hurt my leg in a car accident and now have a permanent, severe limp and being one of a handful of males in a largely middle aged female dominated work place, when I walk through the canteen I have to run the gauntlet of comments like 'here comes house' or 'got piles again?'. I could feel sorry for myself, take it personally and sit teary in the office and quit my job or I could laugh it off and just get on with it. I really have more important things going on in my life and to worry about than banter and work place teasing.

Grow another layer of skin, its a JOB not brain surgery. If you don't get on with people (or vice versa) then get an ipod and earphones, and at lunch go out to a cafe or a chippy or sit in your car and find your own space. That's what other people do.

Believe me there are far WORSE places than you describe! just as there are far worse places than the one i've worked in for the last 20 years, lets hope your next job isn't one which makes you realise how tame your previous workplace actually was.

[Deleted User]

As I've got older work just reminds me of teachers (bosses) pet
Sorry to say

Nobody talks to me much although I have tried to fit in down to buying a few items of clothes to dress the fashion etc etc, offer to help, I have come to realise this is the same to others in our team but would far rather no talk then be sneared at anytime, I also come from a line of work where this was this huge interation outside work and living part of a job onetime the people I worked alongside were near enough like family, disfunctional but still, so can understand it being important

OP I really think when you go for your next interview it may pay to find out what the culture is like, get a feel for people already working at the company before committing if you can

I quit one of my job's same reasons albeit I had to content with a whole roomful of our "town's finest" even thats how the trainer mocked the existing staff oh wish I had known this at interview... as I get older I'm getting more aware of the culture to fit in sad really, anyhow ended up in a better position would never have thought it so some good can still come of this your thread is also a big reminder to me, so thanks

I also got thanked for not wasting anymore of the employer's time just to put another prospective on it (of course they knew what their staff were like and preferred it that way)

Poppy9

I worked in one office with 6 other women and one man (who was the boss). He was lovely, really funny but rarely switched on his hearing aid. They were nice people but 3 of them were so b!tchy. We had a lot of visitors during the day from colleagues as they had to bring work or get information from us. They would come in, exchange pleasantries/jokes/news etc. but as soon as they walked out these 3 women would talk about them!! Plus if one of the office was off on leave/sick they would b!tch about them!

I was only 20 at the time and the others were all age 30-60. I found it quite amusing and would make a joke about how two faced they were. They never took offence at me pointing it out and when I left the office I used to give them permission to talk about me- and I know they did:D

I moved jobs after 18 months and my knew colleagues knew which office I had moved from and they used to ask me if they talked about everyone when they left the room. I told them yes:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

I honestly don't think they thought they were being nasty they were just the 3 in the team with the most boring job and it helped the day along.

From my experience it's the manager of the office who can make somewhere unpleasant to work more than colleagues. A good manager makes sure that the office functions well inspite of a few odd balls!

Housework*Fairy

In my 20+ years of office work, it is my experience that you always get the same type of person wherever you work, and it is only the names that change.

In particular there is always some horrible woman who doesn't really like working there any more, but has been there too long but knows they're onto a good thing so won't look for another job but wants to make working there for other people as miserable as it is for her. Unfortunately this person also has a thick skin, and thinks they are more important than their job so nothing ever gets done about them, and in the event that someone does speak up - they get the 'bullying' card thrown at them, and then the complaint is quietly buried.

Does 'office politics' exist in other workplaces that aren't offices?

Cutzee

chris1973 wrote: »

On our factory floor you sit in a line looking down at your work, there is a radio on, but you can't sit there yakking to your colleague, i'm not sure that most employers are happy paying people to sit talking about soap operas and have some kind of a coffee morning.QUOTE]

No conversation and no radio would be a perfect work environment for me! :T I really enjoyed watching the "Make Me A German" programme where employees are 100% focused on their work when they are there. No constant playing/texting on mobile phones, no surfing, no joking around, no banal/pointless conversation, no eating etc. Just getting on with the job they are paid to do.

I have no interest in making friends at work and I don't need anyone to ask about my evening/weekend or to have any sort of personal conversation with me. Just two-way civility in a work context please!