Damn, I didn’t realise mouth would be involved.
Oh well, best keep looking.
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I find much to love in what Bletch writes. At my stage of my career, I don’t find work particularly challenging, or at least the technical side of it. It can be fairly boring. Design project, write project, test project, launch project. Rinse and repeat forever.
Work has given me the financial freedom to do things for my family, and most importantly, has provided a path where I get to be me at almost all times, without worrying about the effects of that. No-one gives a fuck that I have long hair, can be a bit of a twat, don’t often listen and frequently goes off at the deep end. The ultimate question they ask is can you do your job? You get respect on that basis, and other factors, the main generality that people look for being “giving a fuck”.
I don’t have to travel much anymore, which means I genuinely get to work an 8 or 9 hour day, whereas I know that most people have to contend with some kind of commute. The arrangement has really put work in its proper context. It’s about a third of my day for four days of the week, a quarter on a Friday and almost fuck all at the weekends.
I would also like to give a special mention to contracting in terms of the freedom it offers you, whether you change contracts much or not. It really is not the same relationship you have in a permanent contract. You rarely go anywhere in terms of job role, but my experience has been that it doesn’t matter. I get to deal with everybody, from CIOs to line supervisors on the shop floor. The other fundamental change is that you don’t have to play by HRs rules. Yes, they may impose onerous terms and conditions on their own staff, but I’m like, “ha. I work for myself. My company has better conditions”
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Oi Lou! My grandad was a bin man, and I’ll have you know he was very choosy over who he pulled!
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I left working in News at BBC Wales when I had to “doorstep”, that is cold call a family in Bridgend and film the parents of a girl who attempted suicide with a reporter who described the area as “probably council house scum”. And was critical of the parents smoking in their own house.
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Penny Marshall
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Thank fuck. I was hoping someone would pull me up on that!
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I like TedMaul. A lot.
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Seeing as you have very bravely opened up your thoughts on your employment and career on this forum, can you post, say, weekly updates? Maybe in summary form? Scores out of 5 for:
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new avenues opened
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telling boss you feel lost / need a new challenge
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sneaking off for interviews
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avenues closed
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telling boss to do one / violent incidents
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disciplinary actions started against you
That would be most helpful.
Really interesting thread and a subject that’s made a huge difference to my life this year. Granted, my circumstances combined to be reasonably unique but I’ll tell the tale in case of scant signs of wisdom or worthwhile advice.
I wasn’t very well at the start of this year. I think it had been such a gradual process that I didn’t notice - somewhat similar to the ‘boiling frog’ anecdote. Things came to a head right on the turn of 2015: New Year’s Day in fact, when my partner of 9 years and I split. We had bought a house together 2 years previously and though things had looked decidedly rocky for some time we had still been planning a life together.
All of this seemingly irrelevant blurb is actually context. I was in ruins but it gave me the kick up the bum to take stock and sort out the things that were broken. I was off work for a week and (years later than I should’ve done) decided to see a doctor about what I’d been struggling with. I was referred for CBT and (some weeks after returning to work) diagnosed with anxiety. Suddenly a lot of things made sense.
It became starkly apparent how much of a contributory factor work had become to my poor health. Seemingly every member of staff was undervalued and the pressure was incredible; no matter how many hours we put in, they wanted more; there was zero chance of progression or personal development; virtually all benefits promised at the beginning of our employment had been swiped from beneath our feet; the bosses had created a culture of internal surveillance, back-stabbing and blame-shifting…
I wanted to rid myself of all controllable factors that were making me miserable and work certainly wasn’t helping. People had always preached to me that you don’t leave a job without another to move to, so I persisted for another couple of months. I voiced my concerns to my line manager and the business owner and proactively suggested changes that could make for a fairer, more tolerable working environment. None of it was taken on board.
One particular incident broke me. I’m lucky in that my particular skillset (web design) is reasonably in demand and also saleable as a freelancer. Having weighed up the risk, I decided to hand my notice in, several days after said incident. It was an odd feeling - I’d both set myself free and placed a ticking clock above my future.
What I would say is that it’s important to have that ‘plan B’ i.e. if I can’t find the job I’m looking for within 4 to 8 weeks, what will I do then? My CV, template cover letter and portfolio were also all up to date by the time I handed the notice in. I personally think that level of preparation is key with such a bold move.
The most eye-opening aspect was that I was almost instantly in demand. When you’ve been put down and belittled for a while it’s easy to forget your value. Also despite being a nervous, awkward little creature by nature I’ve had to learn how to engage and to present myself, so tend to interview reasonably well. Within three weeks I had two firm offers and another application at the final interview stage.
I went with my gut in terms of choosing the role that I thought was the best fit (I seemingly prefer internal web teams to agency work) and would provide the best environment. So important when you’re spending 40+ hours of your week there! Several months in - and fingers crossed it’ll continue as such - my decision has been vindicated. The weirdest thing is receiving praise for day-to-day tasks. Still can’t get my head around it.
Which is all a long-winded, self-indulgent way to say that whilst it’s a huge decision to jump without having somewhere to jump to, never lose track of what’s actually important. Don’t let it get so bad that it takes a breakdown to force your hand. In the long term you can’t let such an important aspect of your life chip away at your confidence or your health or your happiness.
The very best of luck with whatever you decide to do next, Lou - and in fact all of you that are seeking to begin a new chapter.
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Thanks very much for telling your story, Ant. Very inspiring!
In many ways my situation is the opposite to yours - I don’t have a bad work situation. I’ve just been in one place too long and feel a gauze of apathy/pointlessness as a result. And that’s really not me!
I had a chat with my sister last night who is much more sensible/conservative than me. Even her response was - just do it, what too you so long?
So I think I am going to do it! Not tomorrow - though I might chat to my boss about it - but probably the following Monday once I’ve sorted CV and spoken to a few headhunters. I actually feel quite excited about it! (And bloody scared)
And I am very mindful of Bucks’ advice and experience, but I think I need to trust my gut feeling on this. Plus worse case scenario, I’ve got GB’s drinks offer as back up.
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Yep once you get your CV out to recruiters they do all the work Lou. If you’re not on LinkedIn get yourself on there and put the headline as “looking for a new oppertunity” (or something along those lines!).
When I gave my notice recently I changed my LinkedIn profile straight away as it takes seconds. Due to lack of time my intention was to start looking for roles once I’d worked my noticed and finished. In the end I had two interviews lined up through calls from recruiters before I’d even started to make any effort to look myself, one of which I ended up getting an offer and taking.
It’s not always that quick and easy, but you never know. Also you’ll get lots of calls where you’re told you’re perfect for a role but when you read the details you’re probably not. Plus sometimes things seem positive and you don’t hear anything back. But amongst the recruiter bullshit are real roles that come to you as their job is ultimately to match people with jobs, that’s how they earn their commission.
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Thanks Spudders, good advice! Though I’ll make sure I fix the spelling - that might not look too good 
I once had a office job that I found boring and unfulfilling. I spent a long time pondering the same question posed on this thread…do I hand in my notice without any job to go to or not? I was single at the time and renting and these things need to be taken into consideration. Anyway, one day, in November, I woke up and I had a feeling that I needed a change and that something or someone was pushing me for a change. I came close to handing my notice in but got cold feet. I could tell I was unhappy at work, I was putting on weight and not taking pride in my personal appearance. I had an unkempt beard, not one of those hipster ones. A few weeks went on and I was still unhappy, putting on weight and feeling that I should be doing something else. I finally had enough, almost was almost compelled to hand my notice in. So I did, a week before Christmas. I remember going home feeling happy and sad at the same time, excited about the future but worried about life. That night I slept well and the very next day I was headhunted and have been very happy where I am ever since. They have me my own company car, more of a sleigh than a car and a suit to wear, nice and red. They seemed to like the fact that I had put on a lot of weight and encouraged me to keep growing the beard. It was refreshing to come across a company who looked beyond appearances. I have never been so happy and laugh more now than ever before. And the best thing of all is that I only work one day a year and if people are cunts then I get to fuck their year up.
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Originally posted by @ant
The weirdest thing is receiving praise for day-to-day tasks. Still can’t get my head around it.
PS. On this (and you’re not the first person I’ve heard say it) some managers are such complete fuckwits. Giving a shit about your team is a necessity for any half decent manager.
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FFS I hate this new phone! Yeah good point Lou, employers do tend to frown upon those kind of schoolboy errors!
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I have left two jobs without having another to go to and wouldnt recommend it. It is easier to get a job when you have a job.
You suggesting bear grows his hair and gets his own burger van?
I’ve only just seen this thread, and I have to admit I haven’t read more than the first page, but given my current situation I think I have something to add. I find myself, through no fault of my own, in a postiion where I am seriously considering leaving a perfectly good call centre job because of a vile campaign of harrassment by the management. Here’s how it’s happened…
I’ve been working for the same employer for a few years now, and I’ve been more than happy. A couple of months ago, though, I was moved from my old work booth to a new one. This in itself didn’t bother me - after all, my work remained the same - but I soon realised that I had a major problem with a young woman in a booth quite close to mine. Put simply (and there’s no nice way of saying this, I’m afraid) she oculdn’t keep her tits to herself. Every time I looked up there they’d be, wobbling away. If she’d walked over and shoved them into my face she really couldn’t have been more provocative. I tried my best to keep looking the other way, but with the arrangement of our booths my eyes couldn’t help but move in that direction.
A couple of weeks ago, she got even more flagrant, leaving a button on her blouse undone (the third button, if memory serves, though obviously I wasn’t looking her way any more that I actually had to do, owing to the aforementioned arrangement of the booths). A day or two after this, I was called into a meeting with the HR department. I must admit I was puzzled at first, but all seemed to become clear when they told me there was a serious case of sexual harrassment that they needed to talk to me about. Well, I was on the point of saying “About time too! Why’s it taken you so long to notice it?” when I realised that they were accusing ME of sexual harrassment. ME. Now, I don’t mind telling you I was totally gobsmacked. I mean, here’s this bird practically rubbing her tits up against me, and all of a sudden she’s the victim. I should have known of course, it’s just how things are these days.
Anyway, the upshot is that I now have a written warning. Fucking disgusting, if you’ll pardon my language. But what should I do? I can sit tight and hope that this fucking harridan moves on somewhere else - somebody told me she’d been here eleven years and is talking about moving on - but when it comes down to it I don’t know if I can do that. So I may just walk out and take my chances. I really do feel very strongly about this, and I can’t see how I can stay. And, if I do leave, I may well take them to an industrial tribunal - I’m well justified.
They’ll soon see that nobody - and I do mean nobody - treats Thaddaeus Godley like this. Nobody.
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Very good Fowllyd. Very good. (Though you didn’t need the name at the end).
I’m just here to be mocked…one day I’ll get my own back on you and Bearsy! You’ll see!!
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Be careful that you don’t use a stunning photo of yourself on LinkedIn though…