What should I do? I need to quit my job ASAP ...
accidentalglixch
Forumite 114 Posts
I've been employed by this company since February this year and it's been the worst time of my life.
I'm honestly so close to quitting but I can't get another job. I've applied to 40+ in 2 months (I have to work remotely due to health and not a lot out there that is suitable for what I need) No luck with this job search and I'm heading for a mental breakdown I can't cope with it anymore.
I can't take SSP because it doesn't cover half of my bills on top of the other things I pay for.
My job is wrecking my marriage - because I finish 30 minutes after my shift.
My husband ignores me if I finish late and then has a go at me because of my work. Then we don't talk to each other. The same thing happens the next night.
He tells me to hang up mid-call or refuse to pick up since it doesn't state in my contract that I have to take these calls.
In my contract, it doesn't state anything about staying on the call after shift times.
However, we were told if a call came through at the same time as your shift ends, you have to take the call and you aren't allowed to transfer nor go into unavailable as you will get disciplinary on file and eventually will be fired.
I'm either halfway through a call or a call comes through at 6pm so I finish/take it as I am scared of being fired.
They aren't flexible with my Chronic pain, almost 3 months of them saying they are arranging occupational health.
Atrocious way of treating people who are asking for mental health or saying they are having a really mentally and physically tough day with them saying "Right, anyway...this issue" or "You'll be fine just push through it", not a slightest of care.
Sickline is rude when calling up when ill, saying "You work from home so there's no excuse for you not to be in"
Will need to work back time used for toilet breaks outside of scheduled breaks (never have I ever worked anywhere for this...I get bad bellies often where i spend 10+ mins on the loo and they know this...or should do)
Targets are unattainable, you tell them that you get misinformation and it is YOUR fault, not agent-support-advisors who have told you this. (They aren't Team Leaders but they are meant to help us with issues to do with customers)
They get funny with you for having low adherence because you don't get to take breaks on time as you are on a call with a customer. You tell your Team Leader that you are on calls at the time you are meant to be having breaks but they just tell you to stick to it.
Trying to create a bad work culture All of my training groups have raised the issue that we were not properly trained and are struggling. The person we raise it to tells another member of our team " I don't understand why you are struggling, none of your teammates have raised this issue with training so it's your fault for not paying attention" I told the girl that we did raise it 3 times to ensure she knew the truth.
Sales Agents won't take a call off of you unless customer wants to sign u so they can get a bonus and their work scores go higher. Also, will get hostile towards you if you ring the wrong department asking for help with a customer because it affects their work score and once an agent got hostile towards me for it - I was 3 days new on the job so was still learning.
I'm honestly so close to quitting but I can't get another job. I've applied to 40+ in 2 months (I have to work remotely due to health and not a lot out there that is suitable for what I need) No luck with this job search and I'm heading for a mental breakdown I can't cope with it anymore.
I can't take SSP because it doesn't cover half of my bills on top of the other things I pay for.
My job is wrecking my marriage - because I finish 30 minutes after my shift.
My husband ignores me if I finish late and then has a go at me because of my work. Then we don't talk to each other. The same thing happens the next night.
He tells me to hang up mid-call or refuse to pick up since it doesn't state in my contract that I have to take these calls.
In my contract, it doesn't state anything about staying on the call after shift times.
However, we were told if a call came through at the same time as your shift ends, you have to take the call and you aren't allowed to transfer nor go into unavailable as you will get disciplinary on file and eventually will be fired.
I'm either halfway through a call or a call comes through at 6pm so I finish/take it as I am scared of being fired.
They aren't flexible with my Chronic pain, almost 3 months of them saying they are arranging occupational health.
Atrocious way of treating people who are asking for mental health or saying they are having a really mentally and physically tough day with them saying "Right, anyway...this issue" or "You'll be fine just push through it", not a slightest of care.
Sickline is rude when calling up when ill, saying "You work from home so there's no excuse for you not to be in"
Will need to work back time used for toilet breaks outside of scheduled breaks (never have I ever worked anywhere for this...I get bad bellies often where i spend 10+ mins on the loo and they know this...or should do)
Targets are unattainable, you tell them that you get misinformation and it is YOUR fault, not agent-support-advisors who have told you this. (They aren't Team Leaders but they are meant to help us with issues to do with customers)
They get funny with you for having low adherence because you don't get to take breaks on time as you are on a call with a customer. You tell your Team Leader that you are on calls at the time you are meant to be having breaks but they just tell you to stick to it.
Trying to create a bad work culture All of my training groups have raised the issue that we were not properly trained and are struggling. The person we raise it to tells another member of our team " I don't understand why you are struggling, none of your teammates have raised this issue with training so it's your fault for not paying attention" I told the girl that we did raise it 3 times to ensure she knew the truth.
Sales Agents won't take a call off of you unless customer wants to sign u so they can get a bonus and their work scores go higher. Also, will get hostile towards you if you ring the wrong department asking for help with a customer because it affects their work score and once an agent got hostile towards me for it - I was 3 days new on the job so was still learning.
🗑️Mission Declutter & Clean 2022🧼 - 105 Items
Onto building a life I love x
Onto building a life I love x
0
Latest MSE News and Guides
Replies
As far as the job is concerned, I'm afraid it may not be fair, but it's typical of this sort of work. You either have to suck it up or leave. That probably doesn't sound helpful, but I doubt this role is suitable given what you describe as your circumstances.
If your husband thinks that he can blame you for your employer, he welcome to support you by paying all the bills. Otherwise, he should shut up, or, even better, at like a caring partner and not a bullying oaf.
It does sound like your employer is pretty dreadful. Really they should be paying you for any time you work after 6pm. (It's not clear whether they are or not.) This is especially true as they are expecting you to work back break time not taken at the scheduled break times. (You should be able to net off any time that you work after 6pm against time that you are working back for not taking your breaks at scheduled times.)
I would ignore what the Sickline call handlers say; their job is to record the fact, and the reasons why, you are not going to be at work.
I would say that you either need to find a way to be happy in the job, or you need to leave. Getting fired is the second best way to leave a job you hate. (Being made redundant is the best way!)
If you resign, your husband may blame you (when he should be supporting you!) and you may get sanctioned if your try to claim Universal Credit or Jobseekers Allowance. So let them sack you on the grounds of capability, but at least make it hard for them, or fun for you!
If it were me, I would ignore all the time recording/adherance monitoring/etc., and keep my own timesheet to prove that I have worked all the time that I am required to get paid. This might mean stopping taking calls before 6pm in some cases. If you are doing the work and getting the results that you know are acheivable, then it's a simple choice for the management; do they want you at work doing only what you are prepared to do for them, or would they rather sack you and have a go a bullying some other poor sap? I do wonder if your husband is a bit frustrated that you won't ignore your employer's bs and get tough with them? However, he should realise that you are not well and that this makes it hard to be firm with your employer.
I’m sorry for you that work from home jobs (that aren’t greatly complex) are drying up. My last contact centre was tickets and live chat only - in just weeks into the role they brought in new monitoring software which while meant the stoppage of actually working ‘over hours’ happened, it became a please do not work beyond finish any work after shift end or during lunch/breaks as does not record for Kpi’s to which to not meet these did mean eventually you would not expect to stay long in the job. Relief or not.
PS The grass honestly isn’t always greener outside the contact centre. The buddies I had when wfh would often have to resort to telling their other half’s to put a sock in it when bothering them during work time, if they were to earn their own money.
I don't know if that problem is fixable - he is bullying you, punishing you rather than supporting you in dealing with the issues caused by your job, and is being manipulative.At best, he's showing he has zero understanding of the realisties of call cerntre work in general and your job in particualr, and he appears to be making this all about him.
Regardless of what chpices you make about your job, I would take a long, hard look at his beahviour.
In terms of the job - you've mentioned various issues related to your health - have you looked into whether these amount to a disability as defined by the Equalities Act, and if so, have you mde a formal request forreasonable accommodations? You would need to identify what specifc accommodations you are asking for - for example, you say they are not flexible regarfing your chronic pain but it's not clear what specifcally you want in terms of flexibility - if you need more frewunt / longer breaks, for example.
It's no uncommon, particuarly for call centres, to be expected to complete a call which startss before your shoft ends - as long as this doesn't mean that you are being paid under minimum wage then it 's not unlawful. Simialrly, although legally you are entitled to one 20 minutes break if you work more than 6 hours, there's no legal requirement for more or for any break to be paid, so while expecting you to make up time spent away from your desk for toilet breaks if you take more than the amount of time allowed by you contract / employers policies is .. not great, it's not unlawful and again, is not uncommon in call cntre type roles. If your need for more or longer breaks is fue to a disability then it may be that you can request longer breaks as a reasonable accommodation for that disability.
I have a lot of sympathy for you - it sounds like an unpleasant work situaion made worse by your husband's attitude and actions, but on the face of it, it dosn't sound as though the employer is doing anything which is unlawful.
Other than looking into whether your conditions amount to a disability and asking for any specifc accommodations you need, I think your options (which are not great) are to hand your notice in even without a job to go to, which of course has finacial implications and will presumably also impact on your relationsip with your husband, or to carry on and in th mean time assess your relationship and consider whether your husband is willing to discuss this and change his attitude. You may find speaking with RELATE is helpful - they can talk to you alone if your husband is not willingto attend, and you may find it helpful .
Also, with less than two years tenure they can terminate your employment just by giving you a week's notice, unless your contract requires more.
So, I am afraid there is very little alternative but to find another more suitable job.
"Atrocious" their behaviour may be but nothing in your post suggests it is unlawful, let alone in a way that would be actionable in a remotely cost effective way.
You are currently being trampled on by your employer and your husband, so the ability to stick up for yourself (often very far from easy) might be no bad short term solution. Clearly the job isn't for you - and from what you've said, it's hard to see how your husband is, so possibly taking a cold hard look at both might serve you well.
I need to have a job to go to before I can leave here as I pay for most of the household bills, husband pays our huge mortgage amount and more expensive bills. So I am relied upon as much as I rely on my husband's income.
My husband means well but me finishing 30 mins after shift time puts him out as he does the evening meals and we need to do various things in the evenings which now can't get done. He doesn't quite get the job role as he is a software dev so has much more flexibility
If i do over my shift, it gets totaled up at the end of the week and I do get to leave early however leaving early friday doesn't help the Wednesdays or Tuesdays where we have other non-negotiable things on.
In terms of my health condition;
It's fibromyalgia which gets worse with stress but I can get IBS as part of this (well, not as part of but it's made worse by fibro as the body is constantly on overdrive meaning sometimes IBS flares up, especially in stressy situations such as work).
I need longer to get up the stairs as I have an awful lot of trouble with foot/leg pain or to go grab hot water bottles.
I'm also having to wean off the medication that once allowed me to have a stable life because apparently, they don't do anything. I'm worse without them and pain is horrendous but after 6 different doctors, I still have to wean off...
My memory can be bad because of Fibromyalgia fog
They know I get flare days and they know I may need extra time to process...
I sometimes can't hold my blader very well so sometimes I can't wait for the next break.
I hope that clears some stuff up for you all!
Onto building a life I love x