Is a toxic and high pressure work environment the norm now?

[Wormysquirmy]

Is this the new norm? What are your experiences?

I have worked in different roles, as a professional, in one company for around 15 years. Usually busy, nice colleagues, and I have always been well thought of although am now part time. I am, I think, relatively desirable as an employee in as much as I'm flexible, a good team worker, efficient and get on with people. Perhaps not as ambitious as I could be but I have kids. I have made part time working work well so far.

In the last year or so, the place has become utterly, utterly toxic. We have a new manager who is not really a leader. Overall head is implicitly anti- part time working mothers, long hours and stress culture.lots of people off with stress. People not replaced. The message is "suck it up". I was given a workload that was not do-able and the chap who helped me went off in stress so I struggled. Rather than help make it work, I have been shunned and made to do work for a very junior member of staff.

We are going through a merger and redundancies are looming and I'm convinced they are trying to manoeuvre me out before then (to avoid paying redundancy pay).

Workload is simply unmanageable for the entire team given we are short staffed and have people off. Team head ignores me and cancels one:ones. Most colleagues are very stressed and struggling. I was humiliated publicly in a recent department meeting by ignoring manager who I felt should have raised grievances directly.

Is this the new normal in modern Britain?

My instinct is to leave but I feel like I should receive redundancy pay rather than be forced to go through miserable conditions. I feel if I raise a grievance through HR or similar I will struggle to get another job when a reference is required.

I am feeling very anxious and work now and my confidence is plummeting and I have been in tears since I left today. This is all new for me.

Any tips? Thanks so much. I feel a bit lost.

Blue, let us know if you resign.

Agree re wages, starting salary same in my work as when I started 20 years ago.

I hate the rage we see everywhere but I understand it. What bugs me is so many people accept terrible conditions and when I suggest joining a union/professional body - my colleagues won't do that. It's not something we have to tell our work but it's been quite useful for people negotiating settlements etc.

Private sector here, medium-size firm (c.350 employees) and working conditions have deteriorated in every possible way since I started with them in 2002. Back then, things weren't exactly easy, and we were always busy, but the environment felt pleasant, employees were supported and valued, and there was generally a good team spirit, with time for fun between the hard work. When asked, I always said I loved my job.

Three re-structurings later there's more work to do and fewer people to do it. Systems have become endlessly complicated because when anything doesn't work, a new system is invented which gives people more work but introduces a whole new set of pressure points to go wrong. If things get too bad, an extra manager will be appointed who knows nothing but is under pressure to make a shed-load of changes to justify their existence. Pay has flatlined/gone down since 2008, depending on where in the organisation you are - but people don't want to make a fuss about it in case they're next to go in whatever re-structuring is about to happen. The constant anxiety about the future, made worse by low pay for substantial numbers of employees, mean that the lovely team feeling we used to have is disappearing because people feel the need to stand out as a 'good' employee, ie one who is seen to contribute more than others - which is statistically impossible, and distorts behaviour.

There are still positives. The job itself, which brings me into contact with a lot of people from different walks of life and in different places, and I work with a lot of nice people, despite what I've said above. But with each passing year it feels more stressful and less enjoyable, and I no longer love my job. I don't hate it, and I know loads of people have it worse, but it seems we've lost so much, and for no good reason.

My last job was nice. Very big company, 9-5 working, nice social team and lots of little perks. Not great wages, but good pension and discounts. There were redundancies but packages were very generous and they were over staffed anyway. Would have stayed much longer but moved away.

One before that was a small company and just a textbook example of how not to operate. I was ‘self employed’ for over a year, long hours with zero flexibility, crap pay, lots of bullshit about how they were going to hire me properly soon with fabulous salary. I was promoted but then undermined at every turn. Eventually I just walked out. I wasn’t an ‘employee’ anyway. My boss then posted a Facebook message about scumbags who should die and bad karma etc.

Sadly, I think most jobs lately are far more like the latter. But there are still nice places!

Read a thread not so long ago about 'anxiety as an excuse' and a lot of people commented that it is more prevalent now and more accepted and treatable, hence the sharp increase. I'm wondering if the increase in mental illness is contributed to by this? Anyone in the situation so many of you describe know the effect that sort of environment has on your mental health.
I also think it contributes towards the 'I'm alright Jack' attitude in society in general - everyone is being squeezed tighter and tighter all the time, low wages, high expenditure on essential things like homes and food, and we're told to be grateful for it too. No wonder some people just think screw anyone else. I get sick of being made to work harder and harder in return for less and less. But I'm far to much of a wimp to pay it forward - even if I feel like it!

It would be interesting to hear the pov of all those managers described on pp! The ones that set the tone and have no idea how to get the best out of capable people.

I didn't resign today, although the letter was in my bag all day. Just don't know what to do, and a whole load of other stuff seems to have risen to the surface so I'm questioning my abilities.

Anyway, will be cheerful and happy for the holidays, keep the salary in mind and review my options in January.

Didn't get toxic boss a Christmas card. This feels quite spiteful but I just couldn't bring myself to wish her anything positive.

Blue don't lots of people resign in the New Year? So there'll be a bunch of new jobs arriving on the market.

In my experience more pressure / less money yes but toxic no. I work in IT in the private sector. We have had offshoring of roles, rate cuts for contractors / pay freezes for permanent staff and most people work more than contracted hours but the atmosphere is good. We can work from home for all or part ot the day (we are all set up to work from home) and there's no issue either coming in late or leaving early as long as the work gets done.

In my line of work, any tiny mistake is treated as if Armageddon has happened. As a result nobody will do anything different from how it has always been done. It is a pretty moribund and depressing place to work.

What a depressing load of stories .

This really is a shit state of affairs isn't it and I agree that the level of anxiety that people suffer nowadays is probably contributed to by a crap working environment. I just think that bosses expect far too much from their staff these days. The bar is set far too high and they really do expect their pound of flesh for little or nothing in return.

I'm sure there must be some people happy in their work.

Anyway Merry Christmas 🎄😆