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Work/Life Balance *Vent*
I took a new job a couple months ago and can't decide if the job is something I should try to stick out or not...
I loved the previous company I worked for and the people I worked with, but I had become way overqualified for the position, the pay was mediocre and there was no promotional opportunity. I took my current job for not much more money, but on the basis that there would be plenty of opportunity for advancement.
The job itself is something I've always wanted to do, but everything else has been a disaster. My boss and coworkers are completely devoid of personality. We work in a small office and we all sit back to back typing on our computers all day, barely uttering a word. Maybe this is just me, but it's extremely uncomfortable and awkward. My attempts to try to get to know them and start conversations have fallen pretty flat. The company doesn't have a break room...what I thought was a break room on my initial tour of the building turned out to be a conference room. So most employees run out and grab a sandwich or fast food and eat/work at their desks through their "lunch." If I dare to take my full hour lunch my boss and coworkers give me the death stare when I return as if to say "she SO doesn't get how things work around here." Plus, I'm supposed to check my email on my personal phone (which is NOT reimbursed by the company) when I'm out and I have to respond within 15 minutes so even if I do go out I'm still electronically chained to my emails, which makes it hard to take a breather and clear my head. My coworkers also never take bathroom breaks (I mean never...which makes me feel inadequate/lazy whenever I dare get up to walk to the bathroom and pee.) For lunch, I've started driving my car to the nearest grocery store and eating my lunch in my car in the parking lot just to have a change of scenery, and I live for that one hour break of checking emails while I eat in my car. If that isn't a picture of depression I'm not sure what is. We also work anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour late each evening. Since I'm salaried I don't get paid extra for this time and I have a 40-50 minute drive home on top of the long hours. I was told in my interview that they "occasionally" work late. I don't mind pulling an occasional long day but everyday is not occasionally to me, especially if I'm taking short lunches.
My boss also doesn't explain anything to me...and then gets VERY upset if I dare make a mistake and very impatient with me when I try to ask questions. Trying to unravel what proper procedure is and how to do the job has been an extreme headache, and I always feel like I'm on pins and needles just waiting for the next chastising to occur. Although when I do understand what I'm supposed to be doing I enjoy it. The environment is horribly tense and I'm not trusted to do anything. All of my emails are screened for compliance with the company's expectations before I send them, which is almost as belittling as being forced to clock in and out, bearing in mind that I'm salaried. The computer notes if you are more than 4 minutes late clocking in for the day/after lunch/anything. I don't mean to sound lazy as I am rarely (if ever) late to work, as I usually arrive 15 minutes early to account for traffic and never late coming back after lunch but given the amount of extra time I put in each week, it's completely unnecessary. The company is getting more than their fair share out of me each pay period. This isn't my first job and I really resent being treated like a middle-schooler. I keep hoping once I am established in the job and have a really good grasp on everything things will change...but based on the few comments I've managed to elicit about my boss' personal life, I seriously doubt it.
I have a quarterly evaluation coming up next week and it will be the first time getting any feedback. I could be doing great, or I could be about to be fired, as I have never been given ANY inclination on how I'm doing. People in different departments have told me I'm doing really well, but within my own department they are like robots. On one hand I try to suck it up and deal since I do have a job within the industry I studied in college and I know there are other people out there who would kill to have a job doing what they trained for, but on the other I'm wondering how long I can take this all-work-and-no-life balance. Guess now I know why the position was vacant...
Re: Work/Life Balance *Vent*
This sounds like my old company. I worked there for 4 years, and i consider it the "lost years" of my life. I was just out of college and while my friends were working entry level jobs that were full of other recent grads and having fun after work events etc and leaving at 5 pm i was working until 7 or 8 at night. There were times I had to go into work at midnight, and I was making pennies, like literally 35k or something. It was horrible and i was completely depressed.
We never ever took a lunch and we worked late every single day. If you left so much to go walk up the street to get a coffee when you came back in you got dirty looks and stares, even if you were gone 10 minutes. And if you went to the bathroom or to heat up your lunch andwere gone for more than 5 or 10 minutes my boss would page us over the intercom system and state there was an emergency and we had to return to our desk (I am not kidding)
I used to hide out sometimes in other departemtns and walk from desk to desk pretending to talk to people to get a
"moment" sometimes I'd go outside and cry for 5 minutes and come back in. it was literally hell.
I'll never get that time i spent there back, and actually, it didn't do anything to help my career...even though I was in my industry I wasn't ever allowed to speak directly with people above me and my jail sentence meant i never really met anyone outside my department to make contacts.
I have to say in defense of your company, I have never worked anywhere that employees actually take an hour long lunch. I think that is a thing of the past. We have a 1/2 hr lunch here and typically I work through it at my desk, almost everyday. But, if i wanted to leave for a half hour i could, its just my choice to stay here rather than walk across the parking lot to my car to drive to the grocery store or someplace to spend money. Sometimes in the spring i go for a 15 or 20 minute walk.
If you are really unhappy and can't stand the position start looking for another. Don't quit, but line up some interviews and see how it goes...
My company use to be like that! But it changed- I know not likely and it took years for it to happen (And a lot of people coming and going) that being said- I usually recommend people try to stick it out for a year so that they can learn from the job at least, and so that they look like they are able to make a commitment on their resume. That being said- keep your eyes open!
Thanks everyone, I'm trying to stick it out for the moment just for the sake of needing an income. My boss is on vacation in a couple weeks so I'm curious to see how the job will feel with him gone. The culture I dislike is definitely company-wide, but he is especially demanding. Within the last week I've overheard a couple comments from people in other departments about him, which I have to say raised my spirits a lot. It proved a) some people at the company do have personalities and b) I'm not crazy for thinking this job, and my department are a little intense. I'm hoping if I can handle things satisfactorily while he is away it might give him a little faith in me and improve my day-to-day. (Overly optimistic, given what I have seen so far but I'm trying.) There aren't a ton of companies in the area where I live that I could transfer to, which is why I'm trying my best to make it work, but even so as everyone suggested my eyes are definitely open for new opportunities. So I would like to see if the job is something I can deal with for a little bit, as miserable as I have been I'm hesitant to walk after only a few months.
Just so you know... its been over two years since I took a lunch break. There are many weeks that I work late because I need to or weekends. I don't have vacation time or sick time. I get paid a lot of money to put up with this. There are times that I wish I had a regular job. I have a blackberry that my company gave me but I have to pay for the data plan. Some weeks I work 60+ hrs and others I work 30 hrs.
I have considered looking at other jobs but this one still pays more than others -- even with all the bs.
full time stepmom to SS1 and SS2 since 2010
married since 2011
TTC since 7/2011 (no planned bc since 2008)
HSG 11/2011: one blocked tube
S/A 2/2012 and retest S/A 3/2012: normal
Bloodwork: normal
2nd HSG 5/2012: clear
Femara cycle 5mg #1 7/14/12 + IUI #1 7/23/12 = bfn
New RE appt 8/14/12
IVF #1 meds 8/30/12. ER 9/14/2012: 7 retrieved, 6 fertilized. ET 9/19/12: 1 perfect embryo 5dt.
Beta #1 BFP! 97
Beta #2 234
Beta #3 4937
ultrasound #1 heart beat 127
10/20/12 graduated!!!
EDD 6/7/12
Team PINK!!