I do nothing all day at work and it’s draining the life and soul out of me

[ZombieWorker]

Hi all. Posting here for traffic. This will be long so I apologise. The TLDR is the title.

I graduated 7 years ago and this is my third job since then.

My first job I did nothing. I didn’t mind because I was a young graduate on a big team of people my age, and spent the day talking on the instant messager and having long lunches. When I left I said to my boyfriend (now DH) ‘finally, the real work begins’.

My second job I did a little more, but still vast amounts of nothing- think 1-2 days of work a week max. I was in a corner with my PC facing the wall behind me, and wasn’t being overlooked, so I used my downtime to write a book and do some online courses- learnt a bit of coding, French and some advanced Excel. This suited me very well, but I was still chomping at the bit to leave by the end, as the monotomy of doing nothing for 5 years was really starting to build up.

My third job I started 18 months ago. I was over the moon to get it, and AGAIN said to DH ‘it will be nice to finally start doing real work’. The first 8 weeks were a whirlwind of being taught things, but after that I was told ‘we work responsively’ and ‘you’ll be trained ad hoc as and when things show up’. Clearly, they don’t show up much- I am less busy than I was at job 2.

I’ve mentioned this before in other mumsnet chats before and the answers are always ‘talk to your boss, create your own work, get a new job, fill your day with other things’. So to address those points;

I have talked to my boss many times, always asking for things to do, and about two weeks ago it came to a head as I was nearly in tears telling her that I feel useless, that I don’t know anything more than when I started. He seems to be trying to address it and has mentioned more training, but nothing has materialised yet. I suppose it might over the next few weeks, but I can’t be confident, and it doesn’t help where I am now.

I’ve created so much work at this stage that I keep getting commended for my efforts- why nobody can see this is happening because I have NOTHING ELSE TO DO I have no idea. I’ve gone back through old folders and tidied them up, created new projects to work on, created filing systems, procedural documents- it all gets me through a few days then it’s done and I have nothing to do. I am at the point where I can’t think of a single thing to do myself. I spend a lot of time filing my emails, of which I came in this morning to a grand total of zero, triggering this post.

I could of course get a new job, this seems the logical solution, but this one is very close to my home, with a walking commute. It’s also a good wage, and I have a mortgage to pay. I like my boss, even if nobody is overly friendly here. I don’t know how I could find anything on this wage nearby. Plus, this is my third job that has been like this, so I have no faith jumping ship would leave me in a different spot.

Filling my day with other things is how I have spent my entire career to this point. This worked brilliantly at previous jobs, but I am very overlooked here and don’t feel it’s possible. We are all sat very close together in an open plan. I can listen to podcasts, and get through hours of them a day, but that still leaves me the issue of what to do with my hands. Yesterday I genuinely stared at a blank excel page for about an hour. It’s soul destroying.

My DH tries to help but what can he do. He gets upset with seeing how drained I am on coming home, and how miserable I am getting ready in the morning. He has been looking for jobs for me and sends me links but it doesn’t help that he has no idea what I do, what I’m qualified for- all the links he sends me are either not enough money or vastly past my knowledge grade. I work in a very niche area of planning regulation which I kind of stumbled into, and have no idea what my transferable skills are.

I feel stuck and it’s affecting my quality of life. I’ve gained two stone as I buy large quantities of food on my lunch to eat all afternoon. I know this is boredom but I can’t stop myself- I’m working on this now as I know a bad diet will be effecting my mental health too. I feel like a zombie trudging through the same routine every day, eating to give myself comfort, and it’s shameful. I’m at breaking point here and am really hoping somebody can magic up the answer. Thanks for reading this far.

What sort of job are you in?

What kind of company/industry is this? Are you just super efficient compared to your colleagues? I would hate this and leave.

Planning regulation. I do hate it. I hear people talk about loving their jobs and it’s so alien to me- I’ve only ever been twiddling my thumbs.

I have a pointless meeting to attend but will be back in an hour.

You have to change your job or change your job.

And you have tried one of those already

There ARE jobs which are a happy medium between all out non stop nonsense and yours. Why not at least start looking round, polish up your cv (start it as a plain text doc and work on the words, not the formatting so it looks "normal" to anyone glancing over.

Get a job as a nurse in Intensive Care in London - I guarantee you will never be bored.

Alternatively as a nurse in the dialysis unit in Manchester - again - you will never be bored.

Life is not always about earning money.

What does your job description say you’re supposed to be doing?

My early career was quite like this OP. A few things- firstly if you’re not doing anything nor is anyone else. This DOES mean work isn’t being done. Depending on what your role actually is, you need to find this work. So for example, if you’re a finance junior there will be reconciliations not done, if you’re admin there will be archiving not done etc.

What worked for me was a professional qualification and being fussy in jobs i subsequently took- searching out the dynamic companies where employing someone to do nothing was unacceptable (nb: the jobs where I had nothing to do we’re public sector so I got out) and where my role was clearly defined with clear objectives to achieve

Jeeze - planning regulation?? Just the name of that makes me feel bored!! [not helpful - sorry]

What industry are you in?

Oh. It sounds like you are public sector. Some roles in the public sector are like this- job creation really. Lots of politics around making efficiencies and deleting roles.

I think you need to try and move. Maybe into consultancy?

It sounds as if you’re working for a local authority if you’re dealing with planning regulation. Is it so niche that the requirement to use it only comes up infrequently? If so, could you request a transfer to an area which is constantly in demand? You have my sympathy, I had an eight month contract with no work and it was soul destroying.

I can’t work out on what capacity you’re employed, government?
Can you become self-employed? Do you like your work when you can do it? Can you network with others in your field and get them to mentor you into developing your role?
I’d go back to my boss and be very frank and tell them you need to be stretched, I can’t understand how they can be happy with a team member not doing much!

Maybe office work is not for you and you would be better with some thing practical and people facing? Nursing is a great suggestion, or another healthcare option.

Hi, I am in a similar position, hence reading MN at 10 to 10 on a Thursday morning.

I am a bit older than you with a degree and 25ish years of experience in highway design, but am stuck in job where I occasionally get really interesting projects but most of the time am doing the same work as the apprentices and graduates which is so mind numbingly dull. Plus there isn't enough of it. Management are aware that lots of us are sitting waiting for work a lot of the time but are forever banging on about how we need to recruit more engineers.

The reasons I stay are - a 7 minute commute, I earn enough working part time and I can arrive early 7am and leave at 3:30pm so avoid traffic and do other things in the afternoons. Its mainly the 7 minute commute that's keeping me here though. I could find another job but travelling time would be 30 minutes minimum plus I'd probably have to work 9 to 5.

i don't know what the answer is other than to keep bugging management. Keep sending emails asking for work to them and cc in any team leaders . Can you cc in higher up management? Does everyone else have plenty to do or are they twiddling their thumbs too?

Could you see an careers consultant type person? They might be able to help you work out what your transferable skills are but its hard if you don't want to move to a different type of career. I have fantasies of being a post woman....

If you can't find another job soon, would you consider something like being a special constable in your spare time to make you feel fulfilled?

She’ll have to pay for a whole other degree for nursing though, it’s a bit of a random suggestion

Sounds awful OP. If this is typical of your sector I do think you need to consider other career fields. Your skills will be more transferable than you think! I would speak to a recruiter - it might at least open up avenues you didn’t know about.

For the sake of your mental health please consider retraining and switching career. I was in a similar situation to you a few years ago and the feeling that I could not get out of bed and it wouldn't make a difference led to me becoming quite depressed and eventually having a breakdown. I was eventually made redundant which was the best thing that ever happened to me because I was forced to consider completely different options and ended up in a job I love. It can be frustrating to feel like you have wasted the time you spent training in your field but better that than being miserable for the rest of your working life. That might sound a bit melodramatic but I so wish I had made the change before things got as bad as they did.

is it government?

I have to be honest, I really want one of these jobs but don't know how to get one or what I should be looking for.

Every job I've had has been rushed, foot to the floor, tons to do.

if you don't like it, then definitely change - there are 1000s of jobs with lots to do!

I'd ask if anyone senior is overloaded and offer your 'spare capacity' as unofficial assistant. They may realise your worth, teach you stuff to add to your CV & be a contact for finding you a more senior & demanding role. Otherwise, apply for more senior roles elsewhere that are slightly more out of your current skillset but with things you can still learn.

I have mainly worked in finance in the private sector. Years ago I moved from one job to work in a Finance Directorate of a university and could not believe how little work the staff did. I was so used to working to tight deadlines and prioritising my workload to meet those deadlines and, within one week at the uni, I was bored out of my brains. I stuck it out for a while as I didn't want a short role to be listed on my CV but left after 5 months. The social life was great but I couldn't bear the utter tediom of doing virtually nothing.

Back into the private sector where I was stretched and challenged and never had down time. It was brilliant.

You will never feel a sense of achievement if you stay in your role. Even if the money is good, it will have a detrimental effect on your mental health.

Nursing isn't something just anybody can do. We have no idea if OP would be remotely suited to it.

OP do you have any interests, hobbies, passions outside of your current job? Anything you could turn into a business or gain qualifications in during your spare time via distance learning? You say you sort of drifted into planning regulation, so what did you want to do? It sounds as though things are so slow in your current job you could probably get away with studying in work time if you did want to retrain! But even something like an evening class that helps you work towards a different career would help stave off the boredom and hopefully make you feel more fulfilled.

You definitely need to change jobs. A short commute is no consolation when you have so much of your working life ahead of you.
I would invest some time and possibly money in investigating what careers would be suitable for you and which transferrable skills you have to get you into that industry.
If you fancy a busy job, accountancy might suit you and you have excel skills.

If you're in a niche and all the jobs in that niche are boring, you probably need to look at a different direction.

I've had jobs like this and they're miserable. It's soul destroying and also ridiculous to know you're being paid for it.

The best job I had was admin in a small business where I got to do a bit of everything, finance, hr, PA, admissions (was a private preschool), etc.