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I left my low-paying, busy office job that was far away for a bigger corporate job that actually pays an okay wage a few months ago.
I originally applied for a different job, but they wanted me for a different, higher level position after the first interview. Second interview I asked them questions about it especially about how they would train me since this job has a high case load and doesn't require a degree or experience.
I told them kindly I really dislike sink or swim training where employees are just thrown in with little guidance and a huge workload. I like being busy, but I don't like being busy and completely clueless. I asked if I would receive more formal training than that, and they assured me yes. But since the first week, the training is what I wanted to avoid. The main things stressing me out are:
The turnover that I noticed before, during and after the interview. I didn't think this was a big deal since my last job where I did well had a high turnover and caseload too.
No formal training. Managers are nice but their policy is for new employees just come to them with questions which is I what I clearly said I didn't want in the interview. It's understandable that they're busy, but I can't get ahold of them in person or over the phone half the time. They're in meetings within the office or outside. My main manager still thinks I've only been here a month. I keep reminding her that I've been here three months and she only has five people including me that report to her.
Clients calling me and emailing me a lot, asking questions. There's typically 20 -30 emails a day and up to five calls. There's a variety of questions they ask. I have to respond within 24 hours or I violate the agreement that our company made with them. Since my managers are so busy, I try to hurry up and look for the answer myself by digging around or asking coworkers. Sometimes I think I answer well, but then my managers told me that I shouldn't have said this or that, to ask them first when I don't know the answer for sure and to respond faster.
The filing that I have to do is complicated, so for each different type, one manager finds time to sit down with me, which I am grateful for. But these take a while to learn as everyone says and they have hard deadlines. It's hard juggling these and communication with clients. I'm really behind on my work and clients are starting to complain.
My managers are so busy, they didn't take my concerns seriously at first. I approached them a few times and asked for guidance and they told me to take it easy at first, now I can tell they are worried after increasing my workload. They're noticing that I'm struggling, telling me to work faster and to calm down. I've asked to work overtime including Saturdays which I can tell annoys them.
Constant issues with our programs so I have to reach out to IT department often, but I think this is fairly common in office jobs.
I'm not a sitting duck, I've been taking initiative and trying work it out on my own. I make my own study material and take it home and I work later than most people. My managers are telling me to be patient but I'm already noticing employees being warned and also leaving. People remind me of the learning curve but I can't even meet the expectations that my manager keeps lowering.
This job is similar to my old job on paper, but management was better. I'm not asking for my hand to be held, just not sure how to adjust here. I like being busy but I'm stressed out and losing sleep over this place and it's not supposed to get "crazy" for the office until later this year.
I apologize for ranting, but I would like some advice. Should I start looking again? Suck it up? Honestly, I've never been fired, but if I was I would be relieved. Thanks.
Last edited by Milkywaian; 06-06-2018 at 08:01 PM..
Sounds very similar to my company. My guess is there is no formal training program available and managers don't have the tools to train you any other way then jumping in. If you don't like it, look for another job. It isn't going to get better.
They're treating you like garbage. No training, no support yet they're expecting you to do your job? That's setting you up to fail. That is not a good employer.
Immediately start a stealth job search (i.e. don't tell anyone at work you're looking) and make sure you tell the recruiters that the job search is confidential and don't tell your current employer.
I don't think there's any harm in starting to look, but I don't think you should totally write this job off while doing so.
It does sound like a difficult situation and the company/management hasn't handled it well, but it's also possible that it could work out in the long term if you can make it through these tough times at the beginning.
That said, the status quo is not acceptable - this may be a 'squeaky wheel gets the grease' type of situation. I would try to be more aggressive about demanding the resources (management help, and whatever else) you need to get up to speed. Put it on them to do their jobs and support you. Of course, if things aren't getting better and you find something more promising in the meantime, don't hesitate to jump ship.
I think you should definitely start looking for another job.
New jobs can be really stressful for the first few months to the first year because you're learning a lot about both the work itself and how to work with the people on your team. It can feel like you're struggling and terrible at the job for a while. So what you're going through could be normal.
BUT you're so stressed out that you're thinking being fired would be a relief. New jobs are hard, but you shouldn't be dreading one to that degree. And they did a bait and switch (told you there would be a lot of formal training when there isn't) and you say there's a lot of turnover. Those are red flags. In the worst case scenario this is a shady and crappy employer, and in the best case scenario it's a bad fit for you since you can't get the training or support you need.
I like to ask what kind of training I'll get when interviewing too. A new IT hire at my last job didn't get any training at all and her supervisor and teammates didn't have time to help her. She was constantly IMing me (a non-IT employee) questions about how things were supposed to work and coming to me to vent about how stressed out she was. She either quit or was fired a month in (she just stopped showing up, so I'm not sure which). I really want to avoid being in that situation myself.
They're treating you like garbage. No training, no support yet they're expecting you to do your job? That's setting you up to fail. That is not a good employer.
Immediately start a stealth job search (i.e. don't tell anyone at work you're looking) and make sure you tell the recruiters that the job search is confidential and don't tell your current employer.
The more I'm reading about this issue, the more common I realize it is. So it shouldn't be surprising anymore. It's not that there's no support at all, it's just not anywhere near enough to keep up with the demands of the job. It's an uphill battle and I feel like I'm running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Sometimes, I approach random coworkers and managers who aren't on my team for help which is awkward.
Last edited by Milkywaian; 06-07-2018 at 06:52 PM..
What kind of formal training were you anticipating? You can create your own training if needed.
I'm doing that, printing material, taking notes and studying it at home. We do have a few "trainers" but, they're actually spread out across the world.
I think you should definitely start looking for another job.
New jobs can be really stressful for the first few months to the first year because you're learning a lot about both the work itself and how to work with the people on your team. It can feel like you're struggling and terrible at the job for a while. So what you're going through could be normal.
BUT you're so stressed out that you're thinking being fired would be a relief. New jobs are hard, but you shouldn't be dreading one to that degree. And they did a bait and switch (told you there would be a lot of formal training when there isn't) and you say there's a lot of turnover. Those are red flags. In the worst case scenario this is a shady and crappy employer, and in the best case scenario it's a bad fit for you since you can't get the training or support you need.
I like to ask what kind of training I'll get when interviewing too. A new IT hire at my last job didn't get any training at all and her supervisor and teammates didn't have time to help her. She was constantly IMing me (a non-IT employee) questions about how things were supposed to work and coming to me to vent about how stressed out she was. She either quit or was fired a month in (she just stopped showing up, so I'm not sure which). I really want to avoid being in that situation myself.
I think it's because I told them I did well at a previous job with this kind of crappy training so they got excited. Evidently, it's not really working out for this job. Since this kind of job training is common now, I'll stick it out until I get fired or find a new job. I'm not slacking off but the low office morale has started to eat away at me as much as my coworkers. It's works for some people, I wish I was one of them. Those people went on to managerial roles while lower level employees are leaving pretty often. Oddly, one of the interviewing managers told me that an employee stormed out on her which isn't the best thing to tell an interviewee?
You should ask specific questions about training, they could still feed you bs as I've learned the hard way, but it's better to ask. Even hardworking, capable employees can be set up to fail.
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