I’m so shit at my job - help!

[PGtipsplease]

I’ve name changed out of sheer embarrassment.

I started work two months ago at a relatives business after being at home with the kids for a long time. I had zero experience. It was just me and another employee at this time. I was told employee would ‘train me up’ but he was so socially awkward and he was already planning on leaving so he couldn’t be arsed and it got to the point where I didn’t want to disturb him - if though I did ask multiple times.

He left.

Two new people started. Both supposed to be shit hot. The one supposed to be training me isn’t. He seems distracted and really busy doing nothing.

The other one is very good at what she does but works at a slightly different stage than me and has been intervening and trying to show me stuff even though it isn’t her remit.

But I’m so fucking slow and stupid. Because we’re now behind because of distracted guy the tiny bit of work I could do, I’m making stupid mistakes in because I’m rushing.

I think I’ve exasperated her today as she when I was trying to explain something to her I used the wrong terminology and she said I was ‘fucking useless’ albeit in a jokey way

I fucked a document up today that I should have sent to distracted guy first to check over but sent it straight to my head of department because distracted guy didn’t come in till lunch. Head of department reviewed it, scanned it back with notes in saying ‘this is fun’ - by my mistake he’s actually a really patient bloke and I think he is just getting fed up with how shit I am.

Room was a bit tense this afternoon as I think the new woman is pissed off at us both.

I think my brain has died whilst at home with kids and I need some advice on how to claw back some self respect. And how to switch my bloody brain on.

I’m actually the oldest one in the office

I was also going to suggest YouTube, you can look up how to do pretty much anything, including in software and technical expertise areas.

Definitely think you need to go to HoD and get ahead of this. Explain that you are conscious that you are not getting the training that you need

Whilst it’s fine to raise this with your HoD, the challenge back would be what have you done to help yourself? You said the previous man that left the business was socially awkward and you didn’t want to disturb him but that means you’ve got not the training you need, to your own detriment. Sometimes you need to be more bullish and proactive in the workplace not sit and wait for things to happen.

It’s not clear if you need the training from the new man or woman (or both) but why don’t you make a plan of the training you think you need or to revisit, and proactively book time with them over the next few weeks in hour slots to get it.

If they decline your requests by all means escalate the issue but I wouldn’t go to a more senior person unless I could show I had tried to resolve the issue myself. I would also document all my notes as process documents for future reference and store centrally so all the team have visibility of what you are following. There are many businesses that don’t have documented processes so this activity helps solve that problem as well.

In terms of Microsoft office skills, you need to make sure you can use word, excel and outlook proficiently. Possibly work on this outside work if you really didn’t know how to use them before this role.