To leave my new job after a day?

[badgersinthewillow]

I feel awful.

I hate it because it's just dull and the day drags. There isn't enough work to fill the day

The people I'm working with are lovely and I don't want to leave them in the lurch.

AIBU?

"You need to give it 6 months"

No. I don't agree with that. If you don't like it at 4 months, it's unlikely to be great by 6 months. I'd give it about 3 weeks, enough for you to see what the job is like for someone not brand new.

AnotherPrick

Eveeyone else

Thanks for your thoughts. I still feel confused and unsure of what the best thing to do is.

But why cant you ask for more work/challenge? You say 'its not as simple as that' what is the issue with this?

Some questions for you OP:

• how do you feel about your old job? What are your relationships like with people at that company (incl management)?

• without saying what exactly this new job is, can you give us a bit more of an idea what it is that's making you uneasy? Is it the people, the nature of the work, the volume of the work, the working environment ...? Please give us some idea even if it's along the lines of 'he asked me to do X but my training says in this situation I should do Y'.

• what are your financial circumstances? Can you afford to walk out? How much leeway do you have in terms of the type of job you could take on as a stopgap?

• ditto childcare and other time constraints - do you have specific requirements that might be restrictive in the eyes of an employer?

All of these things will affect what we advise you to do ....

Oh my goodness! You know nothing about the job after a day, or even a week or month! You need to give it 6 months (unless you are being treated badly and it is affecting your health negatively) before you will have any idea what the job is actually like.

That's just not always true. Sometimes you just do know. that something isn't right.

The trouble with going back to your old job is that they will always be aware that you wanted to leave and are liable to assume that it's just a matter of time before you disappear again - so you may be out of the running when it comes to promotions.

Thing, because in terms of the tasks that need completing I have all day to do what I can easily do in an hour.

Anything else in the company that needs doing requires a qualification I don't have.

Jenny I'd be better off going back to my old line of work. I sacrificed money for stability, put it that way :)

If it is a junior level or temp role in which candidates generally only have to give one month's notice or less, then I don't think it would put the employer out too much to quit now. Like another poster said, the employer might be able to draw on the same pool of candidates for the replacement.

However, if it is a senior role where you had a long notice period and negotiated the terms substantially, then you are likely to cause your new employer substantial disruption to quit now. You are also not likely to know what a senior role entails after a few days. You will also need to think about your reputation in the market. If you got the job through a recruitment agent, you will definitely be blacklisted by them.

It is up to you. It is not a contract of slavery. I personally would not do it. The job I knew I hated from quite early on I still stayed on for 2.5 years and learnt as much as I could during that time. Then again, it was a responsible position.

It's not really an area of work with 'promotions' :)

It totally depends on the sort of job. If you are doing data entry or making sandwiches or interviewing for surveys or cleaning a hotel I completely buy that you could get the measure of it in 4 days' training and get a sense of the job itself in a day.

If you're an advertising account manager or a legal clerk or personal assistant or managing a bioscience lab or a journalist on a local paper... that could be the sort of job where things develop and the longer term responsibilities and areas of achievement will take time to come through.

Can you give us at least a sense of what style of job it is - and what you're looking for out of your job - why you wanted to move? Was it just the loss of confidence thing, which is a move away from rather than a move towards? Was there anything positive about the new company that drew you?

You must have left your old job for a reason, though? If the old job was great, you wouldn't have searched for this one, applied for and gone through the whole recruitment process. And if they really really wanted you to stay, they probably would have made you an offer you couldn't refuse...?

Lol, not really! It's not world banking or similar put it that way

The main thing is I don't want people to think badly of me or to make life difficult for others so it's hard knowing what to do.

If you don't need the job then leave. It really is that simple.

I once walked out of a job after an hour. I considered it immoral and told them that I wouldn't do it. I was in a fortunate position that I could afford to be picky. Decide if you can afford to be picky or not, then act accordingly.

Stop it! You are being ridiculous and smug!! Your head is with your old job...get over it and do right by your new employers!!

Approach your manager and say you don't find the work challenging enough and is there anything else that can be incorporated into your work.
Call your old boss and tell him why you are dissatisfied with your job and ask if you can come back.
Make sure you aren't left without anything.
If you feel it would be a relief to return to the old job then that's the right decision for you.
Nothing worse that not having enough work to occupy you.
Other option is to enrol for a course of study such as OU to increase your qualifications and do that after you've completed your work

Go back to your old job.

From what you've said nothing will change in this role. You won't suddenly get more work.

I find it a bit hard to believe that you can do a full days job in one hour.

I'm a HR professional and many times people say they're bored or there's nothing to do, they actually could get more work. I would have thought you had induction and familiarisation on your first day, but maybe this isn't required in your job.

It's hard to give constructive advice, given that I don't know the nature of your work and the opportunities for development.

I think you would be absolutely crazy to leave a job after a day, or a week or even a month.
How long were you in your last job? And why did you leave it?

Smug?

This is why I was reluctant to start explaining why I was unhappy with the role - because people doubt you are telling the truth and call you names

The job involves reading and ticking boxes, and I am a very fast reader.

I was in my old job for two and a half years and I left it because I thought this was more stable.

I have been in your shoes. A week of training that all went well. On my first day on the job I knew that I hated it. Actually I knew by mid-morning. Perservered for 6 months (whilst hating every second) out of a sense of not wanting to fail and let them down. It made me ill.

I eventually left and got a much better suited role that has allowed me to progress considerably.

I think you should give it a week, and if you still feel this way, go back to your old job. You never know what a job's really going to be like until you start, but you can usually tell pretty damn quickly. I don't think there's any shame in acknowledging that it's not what you expected and it's not working out. I think it's better for you and them if you cut your losses. They will want someone who's motivated and a good fit.

Check your contract for the notice period during your probation - it won't be more than a week and might be even less. You could offer to work longer if you don't want to leave them in the lurch. But don't drag it out for too long.

Sometimes you know a job just isn't for you, and if you have a negative view at this point its going to be difficult to get to a more positive position, especially if its difficult to socialise with the others on the team.

Is your line manager aware you've done the days work in a few hours?

I don't have a line manager as such.

Are you sure that they didn't give you the company policies to read and tick off?

Yes thank you I am