I earn £50k and barely do any work - AIBU?

[lexjoey]

I competed my MSc in 2020, managed to get onto a very good grad scheme and landed a role where my current line manager and his "right hand" woman barely have time to share work with me. TBF I would not have accepted this scenario if it had not been for Covid, I was just grateful to have a job but honestly I do about 15 hours worth of work per week and just waste time for the rest. I will say I complete one ouptut which the team hates.

It makes me feel like a great big lump of useless space and I plan to move jobs in the near-ish future. I've witnessed my sister go from being a wet blanket to the ultimate professional which has only highlighted the fact I have reached a dead end with this corp/team.

I'm really not gloating, just curious if anyone has found themselves in this position. On the one hand, I am lucky but it's only a ST solution and I really DO want to develop and I'm just stagnating.

The 2 people above me are very possessive with their work and don't have the time to upskill me.

AIBU?

The irony....the fact is that you lack perspective - I think once you have been in this position you realise what a problem it is...

I'm in a similar position, on a higher Salary and definitely don't feel like a useless lump

I love it, means I can spend more time with the kids, enjoy my current pregnancy a bit more, sit in the sun (when it's not 37 degrees ofc)

My work is flexible, very much am if the work is done we don't care if you're online for 2 hours a day kind of thing.

I am very productive so my outputs mirror what they should, no complaints here

Enjoy it, fill your time with things you enjoy

I can relate to you! Amazing to hear similar stories. Where I am it is much more up/down. Sometimes extremely busy and you cant breathe (also cant stand my job, mouse wiggling sounds about right, ) ... but some of the time there really isnt a lot to do but you have to be available at all times on the off chance someone may need you. Not like glued to your screen, we arent monitored but there is that sense that you need to react should a request come in immediately. I hate this 24/7 online stuff too(MN aside a bit of a lifeline during the calmer times) I actually am a fan of WFH, get a lot done round the house and can look after DS/be there for him far more than pre-COVID. And to be fair there are a ton of pros to the job. Colleagues are all great, supportive manager, flexibility, pay plus holidays to fit around DS school holidays are usually always possible. But i just dont feel i am actually doing anything or achieving anything. I managed to get very very into a hobby during the pandemic. This is something i could turn into a career but it would be far less pay and no WFH/flexibility, shift work... so my friends/family tell me i am a looney toon to even think about doing this, but i feel eventually the boredom will get too much. I am on the fence about applying for the role i want 1) because i may get offered a job then the choice becomes a reality and a lifestyle change would be on the cards i[m 34 & a single parent with no father involvement financially or at all, or 2) i get rejected and staying in my current job is the only option. Its a first-world problem i do get that, count myself one of the very fortunate ones for sure.

I am in the same position @lexjoey

I moved from a busy role where I was respected and doing well into what should have been the same role in a different organisation. But instead I am now basically my boss's glorified assistant as she is a workaholic and bit of a control freak so I only get to do the basic stuff. I spend most of the week just sitting by my laptop, refreshing Teams so it doesn't look like I'm offline.

To top it off, I am now pregnant so I feel stuck. Just really hoping once I come back after maternity I can make a move to something more fulfilling, but I am conscious that my current set-up is much more baby-friendly so I'm worried I'll end up festering here.

I understand OP I'm sure I'm going to be in a similar position soon. I started a new job 2 months ago and while I'm enjoying it I can already see that on six months time it won't be a full time job. Its a new role which is needed but once the initial setting up of contracts and systems is in place it could easily be done in 3 days.
I'm already thinking about my next move which isn't ideal but the days drag if you aren't busy.

I'm a commercial contracts lawyer, in-house with a tech company.

Sorry but I think in the current financial crisis you're lucky to have such a well paid job.

I earn half that and don't stop all week. It's depressing to hear so many highly paid people do so little. Just be grateful you're not racing about all day & you earn enough not to worry too much about cost of living hikes.

I can't imagine doing data though - sounds really boring.

I'm very good at finding jobs where you do nothing. I don't do it on purpose but I've had about 5 jobs now where I did very little, sometimes as little as 10min a day followed by 7 hours of twiddling my thumbs. It's soul destroying. People need purpose. I never made your kind of money OP, but I don't blame you for feeling miserable.

Hi OP,

I posted a thread about my nearly-identical problem a while back:
www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4542584-aibu-about-my-golden-handcuffs

I think I worded mine a bit worse than yours since the advice was mostly very different! Lots of people saying to use the time to upskill, get a hobby, get DIY done, chill, etc. It lit a fire under me for about 3 days, when I did indeed get a lot done around the house. Then I went back to being totally demotivated.

I think the reasons for this are thus: Like you, I'm still pretty early in my career, and up until now have been on a clear path of increasing responsibility, pay, and expertise in relation to one specific subject area. My work was a big part of my self-image and my self worth.

My last job made me feel so useless that it undid all of that in my head. In the longer-term I hope that this will lead to a healthier and more balanced approach to work, but in the shorter-term I felt/feel just...pointless.

FWIW, I finally quit and am starting my new job on Wednesday!! It's in a very different subject area but funnily enough with my old (one before last) employer. I still feel very bleurgh but also get the occasional flicker of something that feels like...excitement? I'm intrigued by what the future holds, which is more than I thought was possible anyway.

I also think that aceing the interview was a confidence boost in itself, even if I don't recognise the "me" that I talked about in the interview competences - my plan is to think, "what would old me do?", and essentially fake it until I make it.
It sounds like you were also a proactive upstart in your early weeks (like me!), so try and take that and channel it in an environment which actually values it.

Best of luck - you're not alone and you have the power to change your situation!!

Is this your first job or had you worked before doing your Masters?

First professional job, masters directly followed undergrad

I really struggled with not having enough work to do at work in my previous job. It was hell watching the clock until 5.

Honestly, one good thing to come from the pandemic is working from home. Different job now, so rarely nothing to do but at least I can watch a film or read a book during the quiet spells.

50k for fuck all sounds like my dream job!

Leypt1 Congrats on the new job, hope it's everything you are looking for

I honestly think this is very common especially in IT roles with everyone working from home. Out of my team of 15 I'd say 5 are genuinely busy (but wouldn't be if they learned to delegate), 5 do a bit and 5 are doing bugger all squared. One of the 5 who do nothing recently got promoted too! No idea what for. From December 2019 to about July 2021 i worked really hard to fit my hours around childcare. Since then well not so much. Regularly finish an hour early or take a long lunch. I don't feel bad about it.

There are two ways out of this. The first is to kick up a stink and complain regularly in your 1-1s with your manager. If you get nowhere with that then go to HR. The second is to look for another job, put it down to experience and move on. If you really can't afford to be out of work the second option is the way to go.

At first I thought OP must be a member of the Royal Family and they'd left a couple of noughts off the figure! 😂

I put in 1:1s with my LM and he told me it was unnecessary!

Could you use the time to study for a certification - Eg PMP, Agile (you mentioned Kanban Boards, ITIL, etc?

I totally disagree. It’s the most demoralising thing to go to work and be ignored and bored. You train and prepare to be functioning and useful. The character of someone like that hates to be treated like and feel like a waste of space. Being busy doesn’t equal stress. I’m at my happiest when very busy but confident and creating good output that is recognised. I’ve been paid £70k in the past to do fuck all too and it made me depressed and stressed in a whole other way. This is an exact case of money doesn’t equal happiness. I now have a very busy demanding job, fast paced and hard, working in an area that people would snort and yawn at but actually I adore it. It’s complex and stretches me.

OP you are so not being unreasonable. Try find the same or more pay somewhere that doesn’t chip away at your self worth.

Hi OP

Like a lot of others, I totally get this. I am currently earning low six figures in a job in which I have almost nothing to do, and I was being driven mad. I have an excellent CV and a lot of skills, but am currently being asked to order computer hardware and sort out people's lockers. I desperately needed to move jobs but nothing in my current field was inspiring and I found it hard to even get interviews, at least in part I suspect because I was so ground down.

Not for much longer though. I went to see a career coach and we worked out together what my transferable skills were, and where my interests lie. I am soon to start a new job, with quite a big pay cut (but still a very good salary) and potential to progress quickly if I can demonstrate that I'm good. The company was really impressed with my CV and the interviews were great. I am desperate to be challenged and feel like I matter again, and that I'm valued in some way. I want to be busy and energised and respected, none of which I feel right now.

I hope you find the way ahead. I know too that data analysts should be able to name their price right now; my current employer can't find them for anything.

I think the amount of work DH actually does is more noticeable now he is wfh. In an office some if his time would be taken up chatting with colleagues, making cups of tea etc. So now when he is working, all of his effort is on the task in hand and without distractions. He is doing the same amount of work, just in less time!

@lexjoey I've been here. I'm retraining as an education professional with a view to moving into educational/child psychology. It means a massive dive in income initially but I couldn't face another day with an open laptop and literally nothing to do after I'd done my core tasks. I took some time off after I quit my job to rebuild my mental health though as it is self esteem wrecking. There are too many "bullshit jobs" around for bright graduates. A core profession (eg medical training, health, education etc) is an excellent fallback and can help shape future career options (you can always work in policy or think tanks in your area of expertise as a consultant.)

Then honestly your manager is shit. I am a manager too and hate 1-1s but they are a necessary evil. If someone asks for one I don't cancel unless I really can't be bothered 😉

Data science is a really hot area so get on to other people on your course (if you are still in touch) and pick their brains as to what they are doing. Spend the time unskilling on the latest buzzword technologies.

Bloody hell. What do you do? How do I find this job?

I was in this exact situation and it was the most depressing time of my life. The payment absolutely did not make it worthless. It felt like I was selling my very soul.

Friend of mine worked on a six month contract being funded by tax payers money and did nothing at all for 6 months, earning £50k for the 6m period. Wasteful in the extreme.