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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To hate my new job after three days?

42 replies

TheEvilCoin · 09/02/2017 07:20

Started new job on Monday. Had a meeting with my line manager, explained how I was looking forward to a new and challenging position. He then went on to say I was not going to find it a 'challenge' ...

Three days later I agree. I don't have a proper role, no tasks or duties, and my colleagues are very much the same. They openly admit there isn't enough work to go around, and they're often bored, looking at phones, internet, etc. I've asked for things to do in the past few days, and I'm just met with blank stares! I've exhausted colleagues by asking about their role, shadowing them, etc. And I just don't see that I'm going to between now and Friday.

DH thinks I'm bring dramatic, and it's only the first few days, and as soon as I have stuff to be getting on with I'll be happy. But I'm miserable, bored and fed up already!

Any advice?

OP posts:
DaphneDeLaFontaine · 09/02/2017 07:23

What did you get told about the role at interview ?

TheoriginalLEM · 09/02/2017 07:23

Whqt is the job? i think it is common to feel like this at the beginning. Better than chucked in at the deep end i guess

Lilaclily · 09/02/2017 07:26

Oh its horrid starting a new job and having nothing to do

3 days is really not long enough though

They say it takes 6 months to settle into a new job Shock

Lilaclily · 09/02/2017 07:27

I would mumsnet all day and calculate your wages hour by hour !

Original poster
TheEvilCoin · 09/02/2017 07:28

It's a bit of a weird one - it was done along the lines of bulk recruitment. It's within a section of the civil service. They recruited 7 people, and distributed them across the company. So no actual job description was given.

It's just irritating. They way it was sold to me as fast paced and challenging just seems to be a complete lie from what I can see.

OP posts:
BrownEyedLady · 09/02/2017 07:33

There might be loads of mandatory e-learning to do, so check that out. It will help kill a few hours. Look at training in general and see if you can get enrolled on a few courses that can help your career. Are there opportunities to generate work/ideas for projects for your team? You could make this role your own. If not, get back to job hunting. You can explain the short stay as you have here and a recruiting manager would understand your reason for a job hop. If you ind a new job quickly, you can leave this one off your CV. Hope it gets better xxxx

Hellmouth · 09/02/2017 07:39

I don't agree that it takes 6 months to settle into a new role. I took a job I was really excited about and within the first week I knew it wasn't for me. I was bored out of my head, the people were too quiet, and I didn't like the software I was working on (I do first line software support). I managed to last 4 months before I quit, but by then I was actually feeling anxious and sick about going to work every day. I was then in another job for 4 months. I then found another software support job I love and I've been with the company for two years. I didn't have any problems getting another job; I have no employment gaps.

Recruiters do not mind job hopping as long as you have good reasons for it and your CV is good.

BrownEyedLady · 09/02/2017 07:44

Hellmouth agree with you. Sometimes we're just not the right cultural fit. I've stayed in two such places way longer than I should. Looking back, I should have just focussed on job hunting rather than pouring my energy into fitting in.

Original poster
TheEvilCoin · 09/02/2017 07:53

All my mandatory e-learning is completed, done a new non mandatory modules too. Applied for some classroom based courses too.

I just don't know. Maybe it is just that I'm not a good fit for this team. I just feel so bad looking at internal transfers/promotions already!

OP posts:
Original poster
TheEvilCoin · 09/02/2017 07:53

FEW not new Grin

OP posts:
DurhamDurham · 09/02/2017 07:55

I've hated all jobs I've had during the first few weeks, feeling like a spare part and not being able to just get on with my own workload is an awful feeling. It does pass and I'm sure you'll have plenty to do soon enough.

Or if not you'll have to Mumsnet all day as mentioned above Grin

icy121 · 09/02/2017 08:52

God it's all so typical of the public sector 🙄 I suppose you will need to hang in there for pension and other benefits and just wait for another job/transfer to come up.

LadyOfTheCanyon · 09/02/2017 08:57

I have friends in the civil service. Don't worry, give it a couple of weeks and you'll have shitty wall to wall meetings about "Policy" to be getting on with. And then emails to send to everyone in a never ending chain to make sure that they are up to date with said "Policy". And then meetings with your line manager to check that you got the email about "Policy"
And on and on until you die.
Grin

greenworm · 09/02/2017 09:03

I've been in two jobs where I felt like there wasn't enough to do in the first few weeks, and that I wanted to leave.

In one of them it turned out to be true, and I left within a year. In another it turned out to be totally the opposite, I stayed for 5 years, totally redefined the role, made great friends among my colleagues and it was one of the best jobs I ever had in my life.

I honestly think 3 days isnt long enough, you have to give it a bit more time. I know how awful this bit is though, you have my sympathies!

irie · 09/02/2017 09:13

I'm in the same boat except I thought it would get better and now 6 months later there are some busy periods but it's mostly so boring and the stuff I have to do is so menial I have no motivation! But it's good hours and benefits etc so I'm sticking it out for now. Hope it gets better for you but don't think twice about looking for other things if that's what you want to do

Original poster
TheEvilCoin · 09/02/2017 12:23

To be fair I am maybe a little bit pregnant and finding everything incredibly upsetting for some strange reason Blush

Which is probably contributing to these feelings.

Thank you everyone though. I'm glad my feelings are 'normal' at this stage. I think it's just coming from high pressure from the first day kind of jobs to this is maybe a bit of a shock!

OP posts:
WashBasketsAreUs · 09/02/2017 13:40

I started a civil service job on the Monday, by Tuesday I was climbing the walls, wondering what I was supposed to be doing (no-one there knew what I was supposed to be doing; they made stuff up as they went along, I think!) I stayed there 12 years in the end.

TeddingtonHeights · 09/02/2017 14:33

Did you come from the private sector and move into the public sector? The culture can be very different between the two, but many teams can have quiet periods so things may pick up. I am interested to know why you are only looking at 'internal transfers/promotions' rather than external jobs, surely if you don't like it you would want to leave the organisation or is it just the team you don't get on with?

PavlovianLunge · 09/02/2017 14:39

I think that generally, jobs with insufficient work to fill the day are more tiring than ones where you're occupied all day (assuming tut don't hate the work or have unreasonable levels of work to try and cope with). So I think YANBU, but I'd give it a couple of months to see what you can make of the job.

user1486613612 · 09/02/2017 14:44

Maybe the job load comes in batches. If you were a fire-fighter you wouldn't have a lot to do if there were no fires that day. Use your free time to go online and check out courses and information about things you could use in your job role (or a future job role with the same company, once you've been promoted).

bakingaddict · 09/02/2017 14:56

If the rest of the team has little to do then it doesn't bode well. If they were busy it would just be a case of you getting up to speed. I'm not very busy in my job but it pays well but some days I really struggle to find things to do all day and it is very tiring to constantly think how to fill your day. Unless you've massively increased your salary which was the case for me then if you can go back to your old job or find something else I would do that

PoisonousSmurf · 09/02/2017 15:03

If you're being paid to 'twiddle your thumbs' stick with it! At least you're not being worked like a dog in a zero contract job!

PoisonousSmurf · 09/02/2017 15:04

'Zero hour'

BinRaidingRaccoon · 09/02/2017 15:08

I've recently left the civil service. This was very much my experience. Each day as dreary and unproductive as the last
...

UpsyDaisy123 · 09/02/2017 15:17

I really feel for you. I once left a job after just one day. I knew instantly that it wasn't the right fit and was fortunate enough to be in a position to do so. It was definitely to right decision and did me no long-term harm.

In retrospect I never should have taken it in the first place. I stupidly allowed a recruiter to oversell it to me.

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