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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think this kind of work can make you very anxious?

16 replies

Bzzzzzz · 15/09/2026 20:41

Call centre-type role where your metrics are sent out to you every single week by your team leader in a list, alongside the rest of your team's.
It shows how many calls you made per hour, each call duration, exactly what 'status' you were in between calls, how long it took to write your after-call notes, how long you spent on lunch etc.
I was often the 'top performer' and got paid a bonus for it but I found that seeing everyone else's stats caused issues. Some other team members felt their phones weren't ringing as much as the higher performers' lines and therefore they weren't able to meet their KPIs.

I found that I'd end up beating myself up if my weekly stats hadn't been as good as the previous ones, and I was determined to keep my stats high. In training we were told 'don't worry about targets as long as you resolve customer issues', which turned out to be a lie.

I quit in the end as I found it an unhealthy environment, you were only allowed a certain number of minutes per day for toilet breaks too, and you couldn't book an appointment or an event straight after work, because we had to answer calls until the exact minute and if the call ran over, tough.

This was Civil Service btw, aibu to think this was a toxic environnement? Has anyone else worked in similar?

OP posts:
Bzzzzzz · 15/09/2026 20:44

People think the Civil Service is the golden standard because of the pension, but aside from the pension it wildly varies based on which department you're in, which grade, some roles like the above had 0 flexibility, are heavily micromanaged, holiday entitlement and other benefits are not dissimilar to private sector, and you can still be fired for poor performance.

OP posts:
MiceSpiders · 15/09/2026 20:44

I've worked in call centres similar, it didn't really bother me, I also performed well but did find the management very irritating. The job I do now people die or come to serious harm if I get it wrong, so it's comparitive

Lanternlit · 15/09/2026 20:44

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Bzzzzzz · 15/09/2026 20:46

Pay was around 27k, so a little more than min wage. I've realised I don't like being part of a team structure, like 'Right team 1, this is what we're going to do today', and all that nonsense, it feels like being back in school.

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Evaka · 15/09/2026 20:48

That's dreadful pay and sounds very boring. But calling out that you could still be fired for poor performance is ridiculous. Of course you should be fired for poor performance in any role or sector.

Fidgety31 · 15/09/2026 20:49

I think you’re either cut out for that type of work or you’re not .

you found out though experience that you’re in the latter category .
but plenty of people do thrive in those environments.
so each to their own

Bzzzzzz · 15/09/2026 20:52

Evaka · 15/09/2026 20:48

That's dreadful pay and sounds very boring. But calling out that you could still be fired for poor performance is ridiculous. Of course you should be fired for poor performance in any role or sector.

You can, but a lot of people seem to think it's impossible to be fired in the Civil Service, and it isn't the case at all.

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Lanternlit · 15/09/2026 20:56

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SnipSnipMrBurgess · 15/09/2026 20:58

I work in a call centre and it is considered a breach of data in ours to share metrics with anyone other than the person they apply to.

I am a manager so I get the breakdown, I share individually and then I take an aggregate of things for comparison- volume of calls taken v last week, repeat contacts v last week, quality issues etc and these are shared as a group coaching opportunity.

I would be furious if my stats were shared with anyone besides those who need to know and I would be raising with HR.

In fact im pretty sure any bottom performers metrics cannot be shared there needs to be a business need to share them.

I am glad you quit there are better opportunities. I work for an online retailer and they pay way more than what you describe there so there are def better opportunities.

PotatoSalami · 15/09/2026 20:58

As an employee of the Civil Service, I cannot fathom how this is the case. I’m so sorry you’re experiencing this. What department is this?

SevenYellowHammers · 15/09/2026 21:00

I’d actually rather clean bogs than work like that.

tillyandmilly · 15/09/2026 21:01

Sounds awful! I would last 5 minutes in this job!

Middletoleft · 15/09/2026 21:04

I worked in a similar environment for a while. The targets weren't that onerous although someone obviously thought so and complained (don't know the story) and the team stats were pulled.

Quality checks are common in a lot of sectors though for good reason. The job needs to be done properly. And let's face it when the public sector makes mistakes ( eg HMRC looking at you) people complain bitterly.

seahorsessky · 15/09/2026 21:09

Agree, but all jobs can be anxiety inducing if things are managed badly. I feel sorry for those in health, education and social work, because (so articles say) the way it's managed, KPIs etc, make jobs that are difficult and stressful anyway even worse.

Ilovecheeseyah · 15/09/2026 22:21

One of our clients (big ) IT consultancy had a client for whom we set up a call centre. My job was training and we had to set up a meditation room to help to dissipate the agent’s stress. It is sadly a thing.

Luvaplan · 16/09/2026 12:02

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