Im introverted too which is why I thought I would love it 
I just don’t in practice…
I just don’t in practice…
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If you’re a team worker and *genuinely* thrive in that environment the WFH is not a great environment. Hybrid can work, but if your role requires team work you and your team need to be more proactive in collaboration when hybrid working, WFH sounds better than it is if you need to be collaborative. If you are a sole worker then WFH is a no brainer!
I had been working from home for a part of the day or some days even before the pandemic and have been wfh fully since February 2022. It suits me well, the office is often loud and I feel on edge because of that. The job I've applied for now would be full wfh, there's no office near me that I could go to, but the company actively pursues this working style.
If you're okay in potentially not talking to anybody for a whole day and don't put value on office gossip, it can work well for you. Some people feel isolated fast and if there are people working from an office, be prepared that they get more recognition for their work, even if you do the same, simply because they are often more visible.
If you're okay in potentially not talking to anybody for a whole day and don't put value on office gossip, it can work well for you. Some people feel isolated fast and if there are people working from an office, be prepared that they get more recognition for their work, even if you do the same, simply because they are often more visible.
I worked from home through the pandemic in a previous job and I really didn’t enjoy it. It was great at first because like others have said there’s no commute, you can make yourself proper meals, no shared bathrooms, didn’t have to spend time getting ready etc. I definitely saved a lot of money working from home.
What made me start to hate it was that I live in a flat and have no garden or outside space so had nowhere to ‘escape’ to on breaks to get fresh air. I was so jealous of my colleagues that were able to sit in their garden with their Surface Pro and work from there! I have AWFUL neighbours who blare their music at all hours of the day and night, have violent fights and arguments that meant constant slamming of doors and dishes being smashed. Not only did it make it difficult to concentrate on my work but it would’ve been heard by anyone I was on a call with. I worked for the civil service in a fairly sensitive role so would need to have difficult conversations with people and having them hear Oasis blaring in the background isn’t exactly professional.
I found it difficult to get in touch with management too, calls would go unanswered or messages wouldn’t be read properly. It was so much easier being in the same office and just going up to them to get an answer about something. I didn’t have a proper set up/office either so was working from my dressing table and as I’d only recently moved into my place there was moving boxes and tit everywhere so was in a ‘messy’ environment which I found very distracting.
All of the above eventually took it’s toll and I found myself becoming depressed and falling into bad habits. I started at 9am and would roll out of bed at 08:50, not even making an effort to get changed out of pyjamas. Sometimes I wouldn’t get dressed for days on end and a week could go by before I left the house. I had no one to talk to about it because I live alone and obviously my colleagues had no idea because we weren’t seeing each other. I eventually quit, unsurprisingly.
However… I would work from home again but only if the following circumstances applied.
- I lived elsewhere with no direct neighbours/not in a flat and had a garden or balcony
- I had a dedicated office space
- A hybrid role where I could attend an office if needed
Your environment is THE most important thing to consider when looking at working from home. I am an introverted person and enjoy my own company so WFH should be ideal for me, but because my environment wasn’t right it ended up being a disaster.
Sorry for the unnecessary novel btw
I don’t hate my job however, I do hate how I feel I am the only one who does everything. The work imbalance is actually a bit of a nightmare to a point where I’m edging towards burnout.
I have worked in several places, I always get a 3-4 year itch. Despite joining good teams it always gets boring, or people start to get on my nerves or team dynamics ruined by new bosses. Been at my current place 4 years. When I joined it was the green grass on the other side of my old job, now, the great boss has left and the past year the team has been miserable and has resorted to tattle tales and backstabbing, and new boss seems miserable. Ugh.
Recruiting lady let me know that "it looks good" and that I should expect to hear the final outcome in a day or two. Getting giddy 
The company thus far has really impressed me with their approach to hiring - fast responses and very kind people and genuinely nice chats with them. I really really want this to work out, even though I'd earn a little bit less than at my current role.
The company thus far has really impressed me with their approach to hiring - fast responses and very kind people and genuinely nice chats with them. I really really want this to work out, even though I'd earn a little bit less than at my current role.
I get a nine month itch so consider yourself lucky, @emmer_moans !
I have a meeting coming up where I am going to lay out a number of concerns about my job. I’ve been there for about a year and a half and most of that time has been pretty miserable. I’ve kept a lot locked up inside but it’s become too much. I plan on leaving at the end of the calendar year but need to clear the air – party for my own sanity and partly to try and make the next few months bearable. I can’t leave until I’m in a slightly better financial position and this should be the case by the end of the year.
Knowing the place, I don’t think any of this is going to go down very well so please keep me in your thoughts.
I have a meeting coming up where I am going to lay out a number of concerns about my job. I’ve been there for about a year and a half and most of that time has been pretty miserable. I’ve kept a lot locked up inside but it’s become too much. I plan on leaving at the end of the calendar year but need to clear the air – party for my own sanity and partly to try and make the next few months bearable. I can’t leave until I’m in a slightly better financial position and this should be the case by the end of the year.
Knowing the place, I don’t think any of this is going to go down very well so please keep me in your thoughts.
I've been in your position and also had people in the team i'm in now feeling like you. Can you elaborate on the work imbalance?
It’s a work imbalance because we’re two team members down and they haven’t been replaced by management. So really, upon reflection, it’s more about being understaffed than anything.
I’m also tired of lazy people being in positions of power.
Our manager seems to be working on the same five projects since he started and hasn’t touched anything else since. He doesn’t really pull his weight in terms of the day to day but expects people like me to be able to juggle both project based work and the day to day without falling behind.
We have one girl in our team who doesn’t reply to requests asked of her, she just flags them with other people even though she has the capability to action as she has access the same systems. She quite frankly lazy and how she has the cheek to say she’s busy but caught herself in a lie of how she’d been sat in the garden all morning in a meeting between just the two of us.
Our new starter has only been with us nine weeks and the head of our team expects her to be able to do more when I think that’s unreasonable given that she’s still figuring out key staff within the organisation and in my opinion doesn’t have the background knowledge to be first point of contact for the team without a bit of guidance from those around her and use phasing out our input into the day to day to build her confidence and get her to the point where she’s doing it entirely by herself.
I had a week off work and came back to over 150 emails and to be told they “really felt it” when I was away yet I’m paid the least out of all of the more senior members in the team. I’m at the point where I feel like requesting more money based off their sheer reliance on my work ethic but I’m not entirely sure how to approach this (if anyone has any tips, I would be extremely grateful) and/or if this is enough to grant me additional pay given I’ve already been moved up in my banding.
It’s making me want to look elsewhere but I don’t hate my job, or the people I work with, I just hate how we are understaffed and the unnecessary stress this is causing because people just pay you lip service about “not burning out” but then chase your tail when you’ve fallen behind.
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Would a bump in salary make a significant difference to the feelings of burnout? Those lazy people will still be running the ship there. To get more money/a better title you can get an offer elsewhere and see if they counter, but workplaces like this will usually brush you off if you present a “here’s my value” case. They would rather let a staff member with the only key to the building leave than pay them fairly. Then they’ll worry about how to get in to the building when they’ve gone
not literally, but hopefully you get my drift. Understaffing and failing to promptly replace staff is a red flag for me now. It’s very poor leadership.Yeah, I completely understand. It would only cushion the blow, I suppose. I just don’t believe my salary is reflective at all in terms of the effort I put in, maybe I just need to stop caring so much and let it fail around me. It’s not my team to prop up, is it?Would a bump in salary make a significant difference to the feelings of burnout? Those lazy people will still be running the ship there. To get more money/a better title you can get an offer elsewhere and see if they counter, but workplaces like this will usually brush you off if you present a “here’s my value” case. They would rather let a staff member with the only key to the building leave than pay them fairly. Then they’ll worry about how to get in to the building when they’ve gone
I do feel our head of the team is trying. She has requested the posts get replaced and has been knocked back, with the request for more detail in proposal for post uplifts to be strengthened. We have gone out to recruit but no one has been sufficient but it’s because the posts are only going on an interim. Rinse and repeat.
I really do need to give some thought to position over the next couple of weeks.
Looking for some perspective - Is 33 too…old to leave current career path and go back to previous one before? I retrained & qualified in the field I’m in now 5 years ago & I now realise how I just can’t cope anymore. It’s public sector which comes with chronic lack of staffing, fall out of covid, escalating needs/demands of patients, and feeling personally responsible for other people’s happiness & lives. I think I realise I was searching to heal myself when I retrained to help others. I’ve burnt out multiple times hoping that a new job will ignite a love for the job to keep me going, been discriminated against & put in dangerous situations. I’m unable to do basic tasks because I feel so burnt out and stressed constantly.
I’m thinking of using some of my savings to get a qualification in the field I used to work in before (marketing) to boost my chances at getting back into it but I feel…guilty for it? Also scared about the pay decrease & what others might think about me leaving?
I’m thinking of using some of my savings to get a qualification in the field I used to work in before (marketing) to boost my chances at getting back into it but I feel…guilty for it? Also scared about the pay decrease & what others might think about me leaving?
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33 is still so young. I think if you can afford the pay decrease etc go for it.
the longer you stay in the public sector the harder it is to leave.
I had a chance to jump ship years ago and wish I took it now. I would have made less money but I think your mental health is far more important.
you will have learnt a lot in the last 5 years that can only help with anything you do in the future. Don’t think of it as a waste.
abyway good luck
Yes, and that’s hard to do when you’re a conscientious worker
I would definitely try and take a step back (push back on work others should be doing but keep the receipts as there’ll likely be resistance) and weigh up the pros and cons of the role. It does help put things in to perspective to keep an eye on the job market.
I loathe my newish job. I started off as a contact centre agent; now I'm a team leader (although I still take calls in the afternoons).
In theory, it sounds like a great job - I get to work from home (sometimes at a serviced office if my internet connection is dodgy), the people are mostly wonderful, it pays fine and the work is interesting. But ... well, I don't like being the big bad wolf who has to pull people up on every little thing. It's really not me and actually wears me down. I have been reminded a couple of times that you can't be friends with your staff, which I do get, but that doesn't mean I can't (and don't) care about them.
I still dabble in freelancing and I am going back to do some work for someone who I really enjoyed working with previously, doing something I love, soon; so that is something to look forward to. There's no chance of it going full-time though as there just isn't enough work on.
I'm considered 'ancient' to prospective employers (I'm late 40s) so feel lucky to have work ... I just wish I'd done things differently when I was younger.
Oh well, too late now.
If you're not sure, then perhaps consider a hybrid style of working - in the office some days; working from home others.
In theory, it sounds like a great job - I get to work from home (sometimes at a serviced office if my internet connection is dodgy), the people are mostly wonderful, it pays fine and the work is interesting. But ... well, I don't like being the big bad wolf who has to pull people up on every little thing. It's really not me and actually wears me down. I have been reminded a couple of times that you can't be friends with your staff, which I do get, but that doesn't mean I can't (and don't) care about them.
I still dabble in freelancing and I am going back to do some work for someone who I really enjoyed working with previously, doing something I love, soon; so that is something to look forward to. There's no chance of it going full-time though as there just isn't enough work on.
I'm considered 'ancient' to prospective employers (I'm late 40s) so feel lucky to have work ... I just wish I'd done things differently when I was younger.
Oh well, too late now.
If you're self-managing and like to be left to get on with what you have to do, then it's great. If you enjoy bouncing ideas of others and general office banter, then I think you'd struggle. If you're reliant on a stable internet connection and yours is not the best, then it will prove very stressful if you don't have a backup plan (I have this issue and go to work from a serviced office when it's a problem). It's key to have a dedicated room where you can work - if you're working somewhere that you have to clear away every so often (such as the dining table) then it'll just prove to be problematic.
If you're not sure, then perhaps consider a hybrid style of working - in the office some days; working from home others.
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I'm going to lose my mind with these people.
We work on a mandatory project + continuous monitoring + ad hoc project basis. In the last year alone, I had 4 small to large mandatory projects + my continuous monitoring tasks + 4 ad hoc projects. Some people in my team have had only continuous monitoring for the past year or two - meaning a light workload.
Meanwhile, I was swamped with back to back and simultaneous projects as stated above. The management always said they make sure no one has back to back projects because they're very heavy, but of course, they never applied that rule for me.
Anyways - someone who has not had a project in two years has decided to take their summer holidays off exactly during the most critical part of their project and has reached out to myself and another person to ask if we could absorb in their absence! Are you joking? I just finished a cycle of back to back projects while the rest of the team was doing routine work and the day a project comes this person's way, they decide to go on leave an offload this on me?
I lost my dad less than 4 months ago and I'm still grieving, yet this company has offered me zero support and they're expect me to on top of this spread myself thin when they allow someone to take time off during their first project in two years? Eff off.
We work on a mandatory project + continuous monitoring + ad hoc project basis. In the last year alone, I had 4 small to large mandatory projects + my continuous monitoring tasks + 4 ad hoc projects. Some people in my team have had only continuous monitoring for the past year or two - meaning a light workload.
Meanwhile, I was swamped with back to back and simultaneous projects as stated above. The management always said they make sure no one has back to back projects because they're very heavy, but of course, they never applied that rule for me.
Anyways - someone who has not had a project in two years has decided to take their summer holidays off exactly during the most critical part of their project and has reached out to myself and another person to ask if we could absorb in their absence! Are you joking? I just finished a cycle of back to back projects while the rest of the team was doing routine work and the day a project comes this person's way, they decide to go on leave an offload this on me?
I lost my dad less than 4 months ago and I'm still grieving, yet this company has offered me zero support and they're expect me to on top of this spread myself thin when they allow someone to take time off during their first project in two years? Eff off.
I got the job offer today it is really really good. I'll take the weekend to consider it, but I'm 95% sure I'll accept. I'm very sorry for my team, they are lovely people and I hate to think that they'll be impacted with even more work, but really, I applied somewhere else. Making the decision to apply for something is pretty much the road to handing in your notice.
it is really really good. I'll take the weekend to consider it, but I'm 95% sure I'll accept. I'm very sorry for my team, they are lovely people and I hate to think that they'll be impacted with even more work, but really, I applied somewhere else. Making the decision to apply for something is pretty much the road to handing in your notice.
I’ve had some interesting developments kick off in the last few weeks, but I need to get my ducks in a row and make things happen before I share on here. Wish me luck!
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