To wonder how everyone is staying afloat at work right now?

[Rae34]

I've done many things, been self employed, been a teacher and now work in a team again. I was fairly happy until lockdown. I have two managers who have very different styles and therefore make totally opposite demands on the same projects. It is maddening and the first boss is a real bully who will throw anyone under a bus.

I'm 28 and live alone, having split up with my ex and moved home from another country last year. Still working from home after 7 months can feel so isolating and I really feel myself having to work hard at keep my mental health stable lately. Everyone else at work has a partner, fiancee or family they live with as a support network. I think it makes a difference.

I made a minor error 3 weeks ago (spent £250 on something rather than £150, after my first boss reduced me to tears on a call). I've worked there over a year without a single mistake but ever since this I am being raked over the coals and micro managed intensively by both managers. Now my assistant is receiving the same treatment and she asked me today how long we can be expected to be treated like this. I honestly dont know.

I had an alright relationship with my manager in the office. But now I feel like nothing more than a cog, little hamster in a wheel whose mental well being means nothing at all. AIBU to wonder how you are all staying afloat at work if you are in a similar situation?

The last two weeks have been very difficult. You are not alone.

I’m so sorry you’re going through such a shitty time. Some employers are arseholes.

What I am struggling with is that the expectations of us now are double what they were before lockdown - even though our mental health is depleted.

And for what? Is life really worth living like this? I feel like I am just existing. Other people go a walk with a partner or make a meal together when the work day is over. I don't have that. All of my previous hobbies have stopped, apart from one I do alone anyway.

I have tried to make the situation more tolerable but my conflict avoiding boss doesnt want to confront the other boss about her bullying behaviour.

Nah i feel the same. Long history of issues at work, I'm job seeking but nothing yet. My role used to be very technical, i had a lot of responsibility in a lot of areas, i was consistently one of the top performers in the company. Since i had children and went part time, i seem to have become general dogsbody. I'm relegated to admin. My role bears no resemblance at all to what it was before. I can't do it anymore. Ive gone off sick with stress.

Teacher so finding things quite full on. Roll on half term! So opposite problem in that I have no time on my own at home and work is quite hectic.
However your situation is I think worse. I don't think this wfh is the ideal that some think it is.
You boss sounds awful. Obvious thing is to look for a new job, but there's not exactly loads out there. Can you maybe work from somewhere else other than home every day? Is there anyone above your boss you can chat to?
There might be some local things you can get involved in to get you out - maybe walking group?

I can empathise. My boss at the school I work at is a power crazy oddball who doesn't understand how humans work, although she is excellent at process management.
I'm on a very low wage indeed taking into account my skillset and have just had my hours reduced to save on costs - with the workload remaining the same. She doesn't grasp how this might be stressful and is "disappointed" in my colleague and I if we can't finish the work in the allocated time.
In my head, when she preaches at us and orders us around, I sing the Thunder song from Ted, substituting her name in. Childish, but it helps to keep anything from coming out of my mouth!
Zero point saying anything, a colleague was told by her she should be grateful to keep her job 'in these current times' and of course there's more to do that should be done for free

There is nowhere else I can work from but at home. All the libraries are still closed and I have to be available at a moment's notice to take calls. Don't fancy hanging out in cafes with the rise of Covid.

I spoke to a colleague last week who asked how I was doing and when I asked her the same she said she was 'loving' WFH. To be honest the company directors are a bit hopeless and the useless boss is a teacher's pet to them.

I think I might at least need to try looking for another job. Of course when you are worn down you barely have the energy for it.

I had joined a walking and kayaking club but they have finished now until the next season. I see friends every couple of weeks but it isnt much overall. It is hard because there is no end in sight.

I'm in retail and it feels like we're all walking on eggshells. There will likely be cuts and no one feels safe. We can't do right for doing wrong.

So no, you aren't alone.

The things which I use to manage work stress: exercise classes, evening classes, Pottering in shops, spontaneous days and evenings out, looking forward to seasonal events such Christmas activities have all been curtailed by Covid and I don’t enjoy it in the same way due to increased rules and restrictions. I would say I’m fairy mentally robust normally but but I’m being now worn down by it all. Work just expects us to carry on and also take on increased loads as more people go off sick

Yes it's hard to look for something when you're feeling down. I would consider trying a cafe - I think as long as they're not packed full you'd be fine. I see literally hundreds of kids all day every day and there's little social distancing. We have move round the bubbles too. Not one case in my school in 6 weeks, so I do think a cafe where you can sit at your own table & sanitise table etc would be safe.
Could you do a gym class to meet same people every week?
I think a winter lockdown for people who are living alone and expected to wfh too is tough.

I’m not really - I have a job I like and that I thought I was fairly good at. I’ve got a nit picking boss who has destroyed my confidence, nothing is good enough. Changes she makes to my work are stylistic and subjective. I work really hard but cannot won.

I’m looking elsewhere, but obviously there’s nothing around. There’s really good benefits at my current work place (rare) and I don’t want to leave, but am trying to jump before I get pushed.

My confidence is at rock bottom and it’s really upsetting. Also worrying as we wanted to try and get a mortgage this year. Can’t see that happening now.

*win

Feel very fatigued. My productivity has gone right down but I’m doing enough that it’s not noticeable - it’s just things like before I would’ve done a non urgent task as soon as I could, get it ticked off and move on, but now I’ll just keep it on my to do list for as long as possible and only do it when I really need to. Everything just feels like more of an effort.

Really struggling. I’m a lecturer and hate teaching online. My manager never replies to emails, no team meetings, so I feel really isolated. My workload is probably double what it was this time last year, and I have permanently sore eyes from staring at a laptop all day.

I am lucky that I do have a partner at home though, and a job at all.