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Work issues

Work issues

shabbagaz

shabbagaz

I'm not the Messiah!
Joined
Apr 9, 2004
Messages
18,498
Location
Preston
Apologies if this is in the wrong section (feel free to move) but some of it is related to mental health.

For the past few years (just before Covid started) I (as well as my boss and close colleagues) have had to put up with a huge number of issues at work - new system implementation which has gone very badly, our department being ignored and treated with contempt, no training, having to put up with general incompetence from others and all our concerns being ignored. There's a lot more to it but that's the general gist of it.

It has massively affected our mental health - my boss was signed off for a while last year whilst one of my colleagues has been signed off for the past few months.

I feel I'm heading the same way and recent events are pushing me towards the edge where I am seriously considering resigning.
The only things that have kept me in my current employment are my close colleagues within my department and my boss who in all honesty, I couldn't ever ask for a better one.

I mentioned in another thread how our department was moved into a different room recently and an issue cropped up which I was unhappy with (I accept the issue may appear petty but my thoughts go way deeper than that). Wind got round with the other department we now share the room with about my 'complaint' - I felt my complaint was justified as they were just doing what they wanted rather than consulting with us and coming to a diplomatic solution.
Then this morning all I heard from three people was some snidey bitching which I fully knew was about me (and it was no surprise as these people are snidey in the extreme).

I just thought after this situation and all the other issues compounded that I just can't be arsed with it anymore. I don't want to go the same way as my colleague who sadly seems in a bad way mentally.

I very nearly typed up a resignation letter this morning but thought I'd better off seeking advice first.
I recently had my annual review but think I need another face-to-face meeting.

Just wondering if anyone can offer any advice on how to voice my concerns and what I can do with regards to job-hunting going forward? My boss is well aware I've been looking around at jobs albeit not seriously looking in-depth (although I feel that may have to change).

I appreciate some of what I have mentioned may appear petty, but thisnos a result of a huge culmination of issues.
 
I'd say seeking a new role sounds for the best purely based on the culture you mention. It sounds like it won't be an easy fix and will likely deteriorate before any improvements could be made as you'd need multiple people to either leave or change their attitude/communication which is never going to be easy. But, it's often said that it's easier to get a job whilst you are in a role, I know it's hard but if you do leave and then add the additional financial stress into the mix you could then jump into something unsuitable as a way to make ends meet.

Is the role/job conducive to working from home/flexible working and spending more days out of the office in the short term would be more beneficial to you?

In the meantime get your CV up to date and start looking at what options you may have elsewhere, what companies may be suitable, what/where they advertise roles or which agencies suit the roles you are looking for. If/when you do get to interviews you've got a reasonable story that you are looking for new challenges in a different company etc. and have been there x years so it's not like you jump roles regularly if something isn't right. Focus on the positives not the negatives ultimately as that's also important for your mental well being, what parts of a job interest, excite, motivate you vs just the things that demotivate or make you dislike a role.

In terms of the "issue" if you've already raised it with your manager then maybe it's worth escalating to their manager and also HR. The behaviour you say is now happening isn't going to be the sort of thing HR want spreading (unless it's the HR department you share an office with then you are a bit screwed admittedly). If people feel emboldened to carry on they will, if they get called out on it it may create a frosty atmosphere but that's what their behaviour was doing anyway. If no one says anything then nothing can ever change. Is there any form of compromise that could be possible for the issue in question, so you offer those as options rather than just a "this is broke, someone needs to fix it"

Good luck with it all and I think this is very much the right steps by just talking about it, hopefully others may have experiences that may offer some other options too
 
Sorry to hear about your work struggles Gaz, i can't really add too much more to what Jake has said, other than to mention that if you have a Staff Handbook, then it should contain details of their Grievance Procedure . It will give you a chance to put all your issues in writing to the Company and hopefully something positive will emerge. Also, you could ask your close colleagues to be co signatories of the Grievance or perhaps persuade then to put in their own Grievance.

Best of luck with it all
 
That's some great advice - cheers Jake.

Working from home is an option which I tend to use as and when needed. I've normally preferred working in the office as working from home can be quite lonely and I have a brilliant rapport with my close colleagues.
However, now we don't have our own room and there's an obvious clash with the other dept (the 'call centre') I think it may be an option I have to use more often.

My CV could do with an update but that's something I always tend to struggle with as there is some conflicting advice out there on what to put on it and I'm not exactly great at 'bigging' myself up.
 
If you want to send it through a PM(anonymise it if you want and just send the sections about the jobs /experience if need be) or something am happy to look at it if you want, not perfect at them but have looked at too many recently from sorting out my own children who have almost zero experiences vs some utterly horrendous waffly ones from a bunch of people who have had too much experience but can't condense what is actually important whilst trying to recruit someone for a job
 
or cut and paste sections here if preferred, sure there are plenty of wordsmiths here who could offer a take on it
 
shabbagaz said:
That's some great advice - cheers Jake.

Working from home is an option which I tend to use as and when needed. I've normally preferred working in the office as working from home can be quite lonely and I have a brilliant rapport with my close colleagues.
However, now we don't have our own room and there's an obvious clash with the other dept (the 'call centre') I think it may be an option I have to use more often.

My CV could do with an update but that's something I always tend to struggle with as there is some conflicting advice out there on what to put on it and I'm not exactly great at 'bigging' myself up.
Click to expand...
I'm working with people (mostly 16-21 but age isn't really reverent) on getting jobs which includes writing CVs doing application forms etc. I'm happy to help if you want me to.
 
PNE Plungy said:
It's threads like this that make this forum great. A big well done to those who have offered their help to Shabbagaz. Bravo!!
Click to expand...
Indeed. It's why I get so defensive when people slag the forum off.

I've had huge amounts of help from people on here over the years whether it's situations like this or just simply recommendations for a product, holiday etc. 🙂
 
PNE Plungy said:
It's threads like this that make this forum great. A big well done to those who have offered their help to Shabbagaz. Bravo!!
Click to expand...
Indeed it's a great form for not just PNE stuff or matchday threads.

Important stuff and issues which people can relate to or chat about all the best Gaz 😊
 
Hello @shabbagaz

I hope you're well and I agree with @jakehake fully. It doesn't sound like a good environment at all and its not one you should be putting yourself through.

In my role, I deal with claims that have arisen from work complaints, prison complaints, police complaints etc etc. What you have written above, mirrors literally every work based claim we receive. Company makes silly changes, company doesn't think about employees, company causes an issue for employee that they then take home and struggle with.

I have a case currently, which is similar to the above and unfortunately, the person who made the claim is no longer with us (which just shows how much the busy bodies at the top of the food chain do not care about those below).

I am not saying that this will happen if you stay in the role, anything but, it was more to the point that you really aren't alone when managers/directors make major changes that seriously harm employees.

Some companies are brilliant and make sure they do everything to allow their employees to thrive, some not so much.

My advice would be to get out. If you can of course. I know you have financial stability with your current role, but if it is at a point where you are willing to write up your CV when in work in the morning, then it is not a place you should even think about staying at. It is quite clear that not only the culture is poor, the management, and those making the decisions are too.

It's daunting to move roles, but your mental health is far more important. We don't have an unlimited time on this planet, so if you can, you should spend as much of that time in a job you are happy with and you enjoy.

There are people better placed than me to look at your CV, but if you want to make a complaint to your company or anything of the sort, give me a shout.

Cheers and good luck!
 
shabbagaz said:
Apologies if this is in the wrong section (feel free to move) but some of it is related to mental health.

For the past few years (just before Covid started) I (as well as my boss and close colleagues) have had to put up with a huge number of issues at work - new system implementation which has gone very badly, our department being ignored and treated with contempt, no training, having to put up with general incompetence from others and all our concerns being ignored. There's a lot more to it but that's the general gist of it.

It has massively affected our mental health - my boss was signed off for a while last year whilst one of my colleagues has been signed off for the past few months.

I feel I'm heading the same way and recent events are pushing me towards the edge where I am seriously considering resigning.
The only things that have kept me in my current employment are my close colleagues within my department and my boss who in all honesty, I couldn't ever ask for a better one.

I mentioned in another thread how our department was moved into a different room recently and an issue cropped up which I was unhappy with (I accept the issue may appear petty but my thoughts go way deeper than that). Wind got round with the other department we now share the room with about my 'complaint' - I felt my complaint was justified as they were just doing what they wanted rather than consulting with us and coming to a diplomatic solution.
Then this morning all I heard from three people was some snidey bitching which I fully knew was about me (and it was no surprise as these people are snidey in the extreme).

I just thought after this situation and all the other issues compounded that I just can't be arsed with it anymore. I don't want to go the same way as my colleague who sadly seems in a bad way mentally.

I very nearly typed up a resignation letter this morning but thought I'd better off seeking advice first.
I recently had my annual review but think I need another face-to-face meeting.

Just wondering if anyone can offer any advice on how to voice my concerns and what I can do with regards to job-hunting going forward? My boss is well aware I've been looking around at jobs albeit not seriously looking in-depth (although I feel that may have to change).

I appreciate some of what I have mentioned may appear petty, but thisnos a result of a huge culmination of issues.
Click to expand...

What's the industry Gaz?....
 
Liberation said:
What's the industry Gaz?....
Click to expand...
Protective clothing. There's a lot more to it than that but don't want to give too much away on an open forum given the issues I've mentioned.

There's a couple of people on here who know exactly who I am and who I work for - I could've posted anonymously but I didn't really want to 'hide away'.

What I'll also add is what I've mentioned is just skimming the surface but a lot of what @Warton PNE has mentioned hits the nail squarely on the head.
 
shabbagaz said:
Protective clothing. There's a lot more to it than that but don't want to give too much away on an open forum given the issues I've mentioned.

There's a couple of people on here who know exactly who I am and who I work for - I could've posted anonymously but I didn't really want to 'hide away'.

What I'll also add is what I've mentioned is just skimming the surface but a lot of what @Warton PNE has mentioned hits the nail squarely on the head.
Click to expand...

Understand and I wasn't trying to be intrusive. Is it sales or contract hire?

Reason I'm asking:

Spent most of my working life in customer service ( both internal and external ) and there was a great deal of job satisfaction to be gained by helping to solve peoples issues and loved every minute of it. These days customer service is a dirty word with many companies once they have your business applying very little resource into it and if you can even get them to answer a phone then you're doing well. It's all "do it yourself " on the internet now with no personal touch which is a massive own goal in my book.

Sales however wasn't my bag because I never took to conning people into buying something that they never really wanted to begin with. These are a different breed that I've no time for.

If you are just ( no offence meant ) in a general, clerical environment with no customer focus/interaction then there are loads out there and I'd recommend that you get out if you aren't happy going to work in a morning and hopefully drop into something with a crew that are more suited to your personality.

PS... CV's are a load of bollocks in my view unless serious qualifications need to be stipulated... A good, honest (sometimes cheeky) covering letter is more likely to be read and appreciated by those that are on the same page as you and therefore you're more likely to fit in and be welcomed.

I'm sure many won't agree with this but it usually worked for me. 🙂
 
Liberation said:
Understand and I wasn't trying to be intrusive. Is it sales or contract hire?

Reason I'm asking:

Spent most of my working life in customer service ( both internal and external ) and there was a great deal of job satisfaction to be gained by helping to solve peoples issues and loved every minute of it. These days customer service is a dirty word with many companies once they have your business applying very little resource into it and if you can even get them to answer a phone then you're doing well. It's all "do it yourself " on the internet now with no personal touch which is a massive own goal in my book.

Sales however wasn't my bag because I never took to conning people into buying something that they never really wanted to begin with. These are a different breed that I've no time for.

If you are just ( no offence meant ) in a general, clerical environment with no customer focus/interaction then there are loads out there and I'd recommend that you get out if you aren't happy going to work in a morning and hopefully drop into something with a crew that are more suited to your personality.

PS... CV's are a load of bollocks in my view unless serious qualifications need to be stipulated... A good, honest (sometimes cheeky) covering letter is more likely to be read and appreciated by those that are on the same page as you and therefore you're more likely to fit in and be welcomed.

I'm sure many won't agree with this but it usually worked for me. 🙂
Click to expand...
Contract hire. No worries - didn't think you were being intrusive, just wanted to avoid this being flagged up with my work, although I've probably contradicted myself anyway!

I know what you mean about customer service - I always pride myself on doing a job well done and get satisfaction from helping customers. It also means I get somewhat wound up when someone at one of our sites who I have to liaise with does a bad one! 🤣
 
shabbagaz said:
Apologies if this is in the wrong section (feel free to move) but some of it is related to mental health.

For the past few years (just before Covid started) I (as well as my boss and close colleagues) have had to put up with a huge number of issues at work - new system implementation which has gone very badly, our department being ignored and treated with contempt, no training, having to put up with general incompetence from others and all our concerns being ignored. There's a lot more to it but that's the general gist of it.

It has massively affected our mental health - my boss was signed off for a while last year whilst one of my colleagues has been signed off for the past few months.

I feel I'm heading the same way and recent events are pushing me towards the edge where I am seriously considering resigning.
The only things that have kept me in my current employment are my close colleagues within my department and my boss who in all honesty, I couldn't ever ask for a better one.

I mentioned in another thread how our department was moved into a different room recently and an issue cropped up which I was unhappy with (I accept the issue may appear petty but my thoughts go way deeper than that). Wind got round with the other department we now share the room with about my 'complaint' - I felt my complaint was justified as they were just doing what they wanted rather than consulting with us and coming to a diplomatic solution.
Then this morning all I heard from three people was some snidey bitching which I fully knew was about me (and it was no surprise as these people are snidey in the extreme).

I just thought after this situation and all the other issues compounded that I just can't be arsed with it anymore. I don't want to go the same way as my colleague who sadly seems in a bad way mentally.

I very nearly typed up a resignation letter this morning but thought I'd better off seeking advice first.
I recently had my annual review but think I need another face-to-face meeting.

Just wondering if anyone can offer any advice on how to voice my concerns and what I can do with regards to job-hunting going forward? My boss is well aware I've been looking around at jobs albeit not seriously looking in-depth (although I feel that may have to change).

I appreciate some of what I have mentioned may appear petty, but thisnos a result of a huge culmination of issues.
Click to expand...
I don't know who you work for so I don't know what size company it is or what policies you have in place (I'm not asking you to reveal on here) but the first thing I picked up reading your post was its not just your own mental health that's being affected, in my role I'd tend to address the wider issue within the company than advise individuals to just leave the business, also when you mention the snidey comments from a group of people that's a breach of bullying and harassment in the workplace so your management or HR dept need to be aware of it. The problem of individuals just leaving still leaves the problem in that workplace, that will quickly then become an issue for someone else.

This week I've had to attend a meeting within a department where similar issues to yourself have been going on, after their manager had said his piece I added that everything we've just spoken about is off record but I've recorded the dates in my diary, I told them if we're back here having this discussion again then next time it'll be formal and HR will be involved, that kind of meeting is usually enough to calm a situation down but I don't know if you have the capability within your workplace to have a meeting like that.

It's obvious that a culmination of problems with new system implementation along with other issues being ignored point towards a root cause that could be addressed, this in turn would improve the mental health and well-being of yourself and your colleagues and more than likely the moral within the company, the manager must be aware that the high sickness record is a result of the mismanagement of the business.

If you have a TU rep, they can always get help from local officers if they're not strong enough to tackle it themselves, if you don't have a TU rep you can get ACAS to offer help and advice, but ultimately everything needs to be addressed otherwise it'll fester and you'll suffer along with more and more colleagues.

like i initially said I'm struggling because I don't know if you're in a one manager company or in a corporate style company, feel free to pm me with some info and I'll help as much as I can.
 
Just a couple of points to expand on just to make things a little clearer. It is a 'multi-site' company I work for and in addition to the issues that went on today, my main issues lie largely at senior management (i.e directors).

Luckily, I and my colleagues have a fantastic relationship with our boss - we couldn't have asked for a more supportive boss and she is very much aware of my opinions/feelings as we've collectively experienced the same issues (this latest one I will need to site down and discuss with her on Monday).
 
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