To feel so stupid ? New job problems

[nereef]

I started a new job last Wednesday.
12 of us started and I hate it.
I'm quite a shy person.
All I wanted to do was come in,learn the job and crack on.
First day we had to stand up and talk about ourselves for 5 mins (fair enough ) then they did a presentation on the company.
They got everyone to read a paragraph each out loud to the rest of the group(seriously felt as if I was back in school,I was stuttering my words and didn't take in any info as I was concentrating so hard not to get my paragraph wrong)
Now the beginning of each day and end of the day ..they do a quiz.
We have to get in teams of 4 and when we know the answer (we have to mooo like a cow and say the answer)
Now tomorrow it's a dance off.
This is a contact centre for a well known mobile phone company.
I feel so stupid doing all this.
They are wasting the day with all this rubbish instead of learning the company products.
I would have learnt more if they had gave me a manual.
Aibu here or is this ridiculous?

[Howdoin]

YANBU.
My idea of hell. You have my sympathy op. Have they said how long this team building malarkey will go on for?
I hope you get to do some actual work soon and can put this behind you.

[LawnFever]

God this sounds horrific, I would hate this

[OverweightPidgeon]

They make you Moo like a cow ??!! Bloody humiliating- who the fuck thinks these things up ?

[garlictwist]

Is this a call centre? I used to work in one and it was full of "whacky" shit like this. I hated it.

[Bunnybigears]

Some call centres are like this, it usually calms down after you get out of training but then you may still have to take part in some sort of enforced fun every now and then. At the end of the day it depends how much you need the money.

[nereef]

They've said 7 weeks.
I'm not sure I can do it.
It's giving me bad anxiety.
I'm not sleeping on a night.
I know I could do the job but i honestly can't stand this.

[HennyLenry]

Is it EE?

[nereef]

It is EE (I've name changed so hopefully no one will read it )

[user88899]

I'm an extrovert but Christ that sounds horrendous! What type of sector is it?!

[nereef]

As I'm quite quiet she's deliberately choosing me to do things more.
I don't know how il get through the dance off.
This is my first job since being off work two years with anxiety too.

[Thoughtcontagion]

I’d leave instantly I would not dance off or moo

I’d rather been unemployed my anxiety would just kick in and I’d collapse on the floor in the foetal position until hometime

[HennyLenry]

@nereef

It is EE (I've name changed so hopefully no one will read it )

I knew it was! I had an interview in October. I didn't get the job but I remember watching the contact centre video with the stupid penguin in it thinking hmm seems a bit "wAcKy!!" For me x

[iloverock]

Fuck me. That sounds like my idea of hell

[nereef]

I haven't answered one question in the quiz.
Well until she asked what my favourite band was ? So I told her
Then she played 5 songs and obviously I had to then answer ..so had to moo.
It's a bit degrading

[nereef]

It's going to sound silly but when my anxiety is creeping in..I get this weird feeling like I can't swallow.
Tonight I feel like I'm having to concentrate when drinking incase I can't swallow.
I know it's all this crap setting me off

[KatieB55]

I worked in a call-centre for a company that didn't allow two people to have the same name, so I had to choose a different name. My friend was made to change her name from Ranvir to Julie to be more user-friendly. It was ridiculous. I didn't stay there long.

[Pinkfreesias]

I don't think I could stay. What a humiliating way to treat grown adults. Do you really need the job? Can you wait for something else to come along? Call centre jobsxseem to come up a lot; hopefully a different employer will be better.

If its causing a relapse of your anxiety, is it worth it?

[TheVelvetiser]

Sincere sympathies OP. Many years ago I worked briefly in a financial services contact centre which was part of a certain bearded entrepreneur's empire and our training involved learning to line dance, improvising the faces one might make when defecating and competing on a ski machine. I wanted to die.

[majesticallyawkward]

Oh OP that sounds awful. I've worked for them
Previously and have some ties still, and have worked in a few other call centres in the past and all of the training seems to be like this- cringey 'look how fun we are' bollocks. It's hell.

I do think it all dies off once you're into the job more, as the training goes on you'll do less of it and then when you're out there it'll be almost non-existent. I know EE have a focus on 'well being' but, like any call centre, it's all down to your stats so they'd rather keep you on the phone than pissing around dancing (I know someone reasonably senior involved in that stuff, they don't decide the quizzes or dance offs and would cringe at it too!)

How much do you need the job? Are you willing to power through or is walking away an option?

[Ivy455]

OP I would aproach your manager and tell her exactly how you feel and that you aren't doing it. What are they going to to, fire you because you won't moo like a cow? Forcing you to take part in a dance off when you work in a fucking call centre is is absolutely ridiculous and a complete waste of time.

[PatchworkElmer]

Good grief I would HATE this, I’m feeling anxious just thinking about it!!

[LarryWasAHappyChap]

This sounds like my idea of hell.
No advice, but sympathy.

[mnahmnah]

It sounds like a misguided attempt at building staff morale and teamwork. But actually it has the opposite effect. I hate organised fun.

[TokyoSushi]

Oh that sounds horiffic, do you really need the job?

[Coolerthanapolarbearstoenails]

@nereef

I have nothing to suggest but you have my complete and utter sympathy.

I get the swallowing thing with my social anxiety. Try using a straw, I find it helps.