you be the judge: the extra, unpaid hours most people willingly do setting the expectation you do that too, some people coming in 30 minutes before the shift starts and proud of it (what for? Are you going to be paid more?), obsession with presenting a good image to both coworkers and clients, the fake interest in getting to know you, conversations that feel scripted, forcing you to share about you, controlling the way you speak, yelling at the foreign coworkers when they don’t speak English among themselves, taking your breaks together with the whole group, ostracizing you if you want to take your break alone, getting snippy if you state boundaries (“I don’t talk about that with coworkers”), some people ranting openly and loudly in a room full of people about a coworker they don’t like for whatever perceived sling, your manager expecting you to enjoy her stories (no, I don’t really care about you, Andrea), then expecting you to be the one doing the most demanding tasks nobody wants to do.
I even have coworkers complaining I waste too much paper and that’s bad for the company. Who gives a flying fuck about that Karen? I really don’t understand why some people are like this.
Holy shit, I was so naive. I don’t know if every workplace is like this, but I just didn’t question it and went along with it because 2 years ago the workplace seemed good enough and pays better than everyone around afaik. I don’t know if I should look elsewhere.
If I start applying elsewhere, do I even mention this? Because I don’t want this to happen to me again.
There is a chance this also happens elsewhere. Do I stick with the devil I know?
If I start applying elsewhere, do I even mention this?
When applying to jobs, it’s usually not a good idea to badmouth your former employer. No matter how true your statements are it can come across as you being whiny and having a bad attitude. It sucks that we have to lie like this but it’s not like employers are totally honest with us so turnabout is fair play.
Anyway come up with something ambitious-sounding like you wanted to contribute more/in different ways, you wanted a new challenge, etc. Make it sound like you’re excited for the new job, not fleeing the old one. Save telling the truth for anonymous online forums and friends.
It’s probably worth looking into leaving if it’s bothering you that much, but I would caution you that what you are describing is more common than you realize, especially if you’re in a sales or commission oriented profession.
Just make sure you’re going into things with open eyes. Also developing more of a “don’t give a shit” attitude will help your stress level as long as you understand it will most likely limit any career growth at that company (which also is fine if you’re prepared)
Some of it does have something to do with the type of work too. If you work for the customer facing portion of a company then you have to expect that they are hiring people that are energetic, charismatic, etc. it sounds like what you want is something like accounting or data processing.
Sounds like you’re not enjoying your work too much, so applying elsewhere, even if it’s just to test the market is not a bad idea. Should always be doing this anyway, every couple of years to know where you are compared to rest of your peers.
You naturally do not say or mention this to your current colleagues. You leave your notice only after you’ve signed the new contract. You should always leave gracefully, without burning your bridges (no matter how tempting that might be), because you never know. Might need to use them for reference one day.
Play the game.
Obviously don’t mention it. If you can get away with it use company time and resources to help you do the work of getting a new job. Don’t say a thing until you have a signed contract.
Some people are just worker-bees that also are asleep. They never stop a second to ponder and reflect. If there’s a free minute, something else has to be done. And if there’s still a minute, get a kid. So they grow up in those idiotic workplaces, adapt and that’s it.
You’ll probably find those everywhere. Chances are you’re ending up samey. But still worth trying before you slowly die inside and give up.
I tried jobs like 25yrs ago and it sucked big sweaty hairy monkey balls and quit some months later each. Then I never tried a job again and am the happiest. Wifey too.
It does not hurt to apply elsewhere. Ask about the work culture in the interviews, ask about how overtime is handled.
Workplaces are usually not that bad (at least in Europe, I don’t know about other places)
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