To think that this isn't normal? Work related

[Pyjamaramadrama]

I say normal, should say this isn't the norm.

I've worked in the public sector my entire working life. Things were great for years but for the past 6-7 years it's been one upheaval after another.

We are constantly under threat of redundancy. My job role has been changed completely several times and I've had to move location 5 times in 4 years. We're talking miles too not 5 minutes away. The management are constantly changing their minds and shifting us around, putting people into entirely different job roles, moving your work location and changing you hours around to suit.

Obviously like most people you plan your life a lot around you job, but one day you're working 30 minutes from home, then we're told we're moving one hour from home, there's no parking available and no public transport routes. Circumstances aren't considered and it's that or nothing.

I've stuck with it because I believe in what I do but I've had enough. It's like clinging onto a sinking ship.

It isn't like this everywhere, is it?

No it's not. I stuck it out for 4 years, then jumped ship.
I'm so much happier now!

Did you manage to find something else?

It is in the public sector!

It sort of is and it isn't. I've had multiple changes to my job role because of successive internal re-structuring (read job-cutting, read fewer people doing the same amount of work, but in roles they didn't necessarily apply for or want to do because they didn't have the skills/experience/training/aptitude for them). We haven't had massive relocations, though. There have been internal office moves, but nothing on the scale you've described, OP.

I think the public sector is in dire straits at the moment, so it's not easy wherever you are. That said, I think some authorities and services are coping better than others.

Public sector work is very difficult at the moment; and it will get worse.

Out of curiosity I was searching for the information on how subsidies have been cut, and I came across this:

labourlist.org/2014/03/where-the-cuts-fall/

Happened to me - in the private sector! Got moved to another office 'temporarily' at 2 weeks' notice while our office was refurbished. The new office more than doubled my daily travel to another town, an hour from home. I had a hard job managing nursery drop-offs and pickups even though both DH and I worked flexitime. They moved other staff into the refurbished office! The move was beneficial for everyone else in the team except me. I eventually resigned over this and other detrimental changes. They wouldn't accept my resignation (they 'couldn't manage without me') but allowed me to work 4 days a week in the old place, squashed into another team's office. (Cue complaints about 'favouritism', but that's another story!) Eventually the team were reunited in the original office.

Later, I got moved at 1 week's notice to yet another town, 45 minutes in a different direction. That lasted 6 months. Thankfully DCs were no longer at nursery, as that would have been impossible.

My final move with this lot was to yet another office, for 6 months. All the above took place over about 3-4 years. How did I get out? They rewarded my flexibility by making me redundant.

It sucks. Have you looked around to see what else is out there? Maybe the time to look is before you really have to.

Oh gosh nice, that sounds horrible and very similar to my situation. I've also had a number of 'temporary' moves. That turned out to be long term.

The problem is I'm 6 months pregnant so no hope of getting a new job right now, I don't know how I'm going to manage the latest move as it is without a baby.