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I am 6 months into a "dream" job at prestigious company and I hate it.
My boss is over-critical, demanding, and regularly rude. The attitude is don't sleep until the work is done, no matter how much there is.
I don't mind the work itself but if I do something for the first time and don't get it perfect, I get threatened with redundancy, being fired, poor bonus, bad reputation etc.
I'm so stressed out all the time I cry in the toilets sometimes. All my past jobs I've not minded.
I have my appraisal objectives setting meeting coming up and I know they'll be ambitious. I feel like I can't cope with a year of worrying about not meeting all my targets.
I don't know if I should just not care and leave in a year, or just work all hours to make the boss happy.
No job is worth risking your health for - esp. your mental health.
Can you try to transfer to another department? If not, look for another job right away. If your current company is "prestigious", you should be able to get at least some interviews.
What line of work are you in? e.g., consulting, technology, banking, etc.
I am 6 months into a "dream" job at prestigious company and I hate it.
My boss is over-critical, demanding, and regularly rude. The attitude is don't sleep until the work is done, no matter how much there is.
I don't mind the work itself but if I do something for the first time and don't get it perfect, I get threatened with redundancy, being fired, poor bonus, bad reputation etc.
I'm so stressed out all the time I cry in the toilets sometimes. All my past jobs I've not minded.
I have my appraisal objectives setting meeting coming up and I know they'll be ambitious. I feel like I can't cope with a year of worrying about not meeting all my targets.
I don't know if I should just not care and leave in a year, or just work all hours to make the boss happy.
Need some advice please!
Walk...
Or
Do the best you can, even above the call...
Look around; is there someone else doing the job as well as you are or better? Find out how/why and top them.
Are there people dying to get your job?
After you have become good. If your boss gives you crap again, tell him in no uncertain way to "Back off, I am doing this job as well as anyone else you can find." If he doesn't, be prepared to walk.
How much of your life is your job? If it is the most important thing in your life then I would keep this one just until you find another one. As others have said, no job is worth your mental health.
However, it you have other areas of your life at least as important, and you can put your job in perspective ("It's just a job") and know that more than likely you will get another boss or can be transferred to another division in a year, OR if you really want to (and think you can) succeed in the company eventually, then I would stick with it.
My only other suggestion is that if you are over 25 and have a history of leaving jobs after just a short time (less than a year or so), you might need to develop better "coping" skills and the ability to persevere despite obstacles.
A dream job fails to be a dream job when your manager is a nightmare.
I would start looking for another job and in the meantime, try not to get upset with what he's saying. If he says you're going to lose your job, remind yourself you plan on leaving him high and dry first. Nothing he says should affect you - if you have no respect for him or people who do this.
And whatever you do, do NOT tell him to back off at any point unless you want to make things worse or lose your job before you're ready to move on. That's insubordination, and he's not going to put up with that.
What line of work are you in? e.g., consulting, technology, banking, etc.
controller in a bank. I was so proud to get the job and now feel like a failure and reality has set in. they lied in the interview about my hours and didn't mention the team being short staffed
another colleague consistently stays to past midnight everyday, works weekends. volunteers for more work, and never complains. the boss likes him. I'm not sure I can live like that.
Work has always been important to me (not as important as family and boyfriend) but this period has left me completely devoid of any ambition
my past jobs I've had each for 3+ years, but I know it will still look bad to leave after 6 months so I'm telling myself a year minimum
Sounds like you may have a combination of three factors going against you here:
1) Took a job that was a significant stretch for your abilities; nothing wrong with that as long as it wasn't too far of a stretch
2) Jerk for a boss that isn't willing to give you time to figure out your new role
3) Co-worker who works so much that he sets the bar way too high for everyone else. There's no reason to stay past midnight and work weekends for a job in a bank; at least not regularly.
Do you have any other co-workers in a similar role to your position who work more normal hours that the boss is happy with? If yes, what are they doing that you aren't?
If the only colleague you have that's on a comparable level to you is the one working til midnight and you aren't willing to match his hours and level of volunteerism and if the bank isn't actively hiring to bring up the staffing level, then you need to start looking for another job. Your boss is a jerk and that isn't going to improve. If they're short staffed now and not hiring, then your workload is not going to improve. Your colleague is probably going to continue to work stupid hours and make everyone else look bad. (BTW, I hope your colleague is making some big dollars for those hours, like $150k-200k a year or better; if not he's an idiot. Plus take it from one who's been there personally, he's going to burn himself out in a big way eventually and it won't be pretty. Not to mention he will never have a life outside work or will destroy any life he currently does have.)
This is the same situation I just experienced in a new job, 6 months in and no relief from the short-staffed, overworked culture/expectations. I saw other new employees come in after me, and they went through the same thing.
Hiring manager never mentioned overtime or availability to work late. That it might be needed from time to time (or regularly as it turns out). Not everyone can put in O/T hours. However, if they don't, it's not possible to complete the work load in a standard work day. People resign all the time. And those who stay, from stories I hear, get poor performance reviews, no matter how hard they try to keep up with an unreasonable amount of work.
Unfortunately this is part of what's really going on with the "increased worker productivity" touted in economic reports. One person does the job of two people, and the company only pays one salary.
Last edited by Davincicode; 03-12-2015 at 08:33 PM..
A dream job fails to be a dream job when your manager is a nightmare.
I would start looking for another job and in the meantime, try not to get upset with what he's saying. If he says you're going to lose your job, remind yourself you plan on leaving him high and dry first. Nothing he says should affect you - if you have no respect for him or people who do this.
And whatever you do, do NOT tell him to back off at any point unless you want to make things worse or lose your job before you're ready to move on. That's insubordination, and he's not going to put up with that.
I agree with MPow. A more acceptable phrasing is "can you please help me to understand your standard for this task, specifically?" It's a legit question, and he/she IS your manager. That's what he/she is paid to do. Keep emotions under wraps, and speak respectfully when asking.
Good luck.
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