What little (or big!) things can I do at work to make it more pleasant/ bearable?

[Htttyu]

Long story short. I work for an LA in a lovely team.
A situation of nepotism has affected team morale and put a dampener on what was a lovely atmosphere. I see my manager in a completely different light now and how she played us all, withholding training, ignoring requests etc.

I know I can't do anything about it but it's affected my enjoyment of work. It all feels a bit shit. I can't be bothered being super helpful and taking on extra work as I feel like a mug now really..

I don't want to leave my job as my colleagues are nice and it fits around my life really well. I just want ways on how to pick up my morale. Just little things or even big things I guess that would make my day more pleasant and I can look forward to work again!

You definitely need to luxury up your day to day.
Are you a coffee drinker? Go and buy the nicest instant coffee you can find.
The perfect cup whatever that is to you.
I battled on with the rubbish versions of the below because I brought a cup and didn't want to waste it even though it was rubbish I upgraded and instantly felt better!
Do you need a nicer pen? A couple of pounds picking the nice one off the shelf and you could feel better.
I brought myself a really nice office cardigan because I do early mornings and it's cold at times so I brought one that is professional looking but also snuggly for the earlies.
All very simple things but one public sector worker to another it definitely helped my day.

They have given a relative or friend a job, promotion or other benefits then, despite others in the team performing better?

Also sorry I think I read this wrong as you wanting little pick me ups rather than actual professional advice. Sorry.

I know I can't do anything about it

You could go to a grievance procedure?

How certain are you that the reasons are nepotism?

No not at all. Up until this point we haven't had any major issues. Shes generally been okay. But her ruthlessness and blatant favouritism is obvious, even to others outside our team.

Sadly nepotism, favouritism and bias are all still well in existence in UK workplaces. It used to really get me down but now I've learned to just accept it and play the system to your advantage and appreciate the times when you are the 'known candidate' whose face fits.

Managers so often hire in their own image so look for jobs in teams where you are a cultural fit and you're probably more likely to progress.
It shouldn't be like this but it is sadly, and women need to play the game.

Could a group of you go for a short walk in your lunch break, or even go by yourself? It can be nice just to escape the environment for 10 minutes.

Can you set your own screen saver or desktop background? A nice view from a holiday or pictures of pets or family can give you a small boost. I worked at one place where the management decided we all had to have corporate backgrounds and there was such uproar that they put it back to us being able to choose our own.

Are you able to get out for a walk at lunchtime? A break from the office and a breath of fresh air really helps me to re-set . I get a proper break now rather than the desk dining I was doing previously

Thanks everyone. I've made a list of things.

• nice pens which I will have to keep in cupboard otherwise they just get nicked!
• I've bought a new mug especially for work
• I'm going to clean and reorganise my desk drawers
• definitely going to get some nice tea and coffee and my own spoon as the kitchen is disgusting! Lol
• plant for my desk but it's a dark space with very little natural sunlight. If anyone has any ideas of what plants can thrive in little sunlight, that would be appreciated.
• nice snacks in drawers
• I'm going to bring in bits of my baking from home and share with my lovely colleagues more often
• Im going to make more of an effort with other teams. Network, get to know others.

That's what I have so far and I'm already feeling a bit more excited just listing it! I figure that I need to learn to accept it and really make the most of what I have at work and focus on the positives.