AIBU to look for a new job? I do nothing at work..

[Vanillalattee]

I work in HR but I seem to cover a very quiet area where not much is happening compared to my coworkers. I have days where I have nothing to do but send an email or 2 and then another week where I’m jam packed. But it is mainly very quiet!

I hate to complain as it gives me time to get stuff done at home. But I’d rather be busy and not just waiting for my day to end.

I get paid well but my weeks and days are just dragged out.

AIBU to start looking? Or am I mad? DH seems to think I should be grateful I’m not busy all the time.

If you're unhappy I'd start looking for a new job

I think is so common. Most of my public sector/ third sector jobs have been like this. Recently started a new job I was excited about and again, little to do! Told my boss and asked for more to do and she just replied, ‘well this is the job’. So at least I don’t feel guilty about getting on with my own stuff at home in the working day now!

but yeah, move if you can. It won’t get better. Your manager likes the status of having as many staff as she can, and doesn’t care if you are not busy. Now that it’s home working she doesn’t even have the discomfort of seeing you at your desk with fuck all to do. If want a career and to progress you need to move.

It is soul destroying to have so little to do and the longer you let it slide the harder it will be to move as you will have nothing to sell at your interview.

This sounds like heaven 🤣 move into education or health HR you won't have a seconds peace.

I used to have a job like this. I would move. As you say, the days just drag on and you get so little satisfaction from it it’s mind-numbing!

That was my experience of HR, I was so bored I quit and trained as a midwife. Now I’d kill for a boring day 😆

Start a university online course or similar flexible training that's at least vaugely related to your work? Use your otherwise wasted paid time to upskill?

I’m in healthcare HR 😭 the teams I seem to cover are a good bunch of people not much sickness or any disciplinary’s. My other coworkers though are swamped.

I've had times when my jobs were like this, some people love it but personally I find it a bit soul destroying and I've moved on to jobs where at least there's enough work to fill the day.

If there are swamped people it sounds like they're not very organised as the workloads are uneven. You could offer to take on some other work?

But really I'd just move on.

I find it more stressful being not busy than rushed off my feet.

I'm exactly the same position as you and I'm looking for new job.

Thanks I think I just needed some reassurance from others. I can’t speak to DH he just sees the money side of things.

If your co-workers are swamped, can't you help them out, be seconded to their team etc?

Either take advantage of the space to further qualifications to make the next step a step up or get a new job I reckon

@BarbaraofSeville I have offered but I only had one response it can get a bit confusing as well once you take on another teams case. so I am helping out this week. But after that very quiet again I have the odd sickness meetings booked in where I have to travel for but that’s it.

Are your co workers really swamped though or inefficient? Rather than leave, can you find yourself some interesting, absorbing projects to take on? Make the job worth doing? Get spotted, get promoted or headhunted on the back of them?

I never understand this in a role that isn't directly and only driven by customer inbound contacts. Fair enough if your job is to answer calls and there are no calls then there's limited to do but you work in HR and have colleagues on the team who are inundated.

You could be helping one of them, working on company HR policies to make sure they are up to date and relevant, looking at engagement activities within your business - Wellness/DEI programmes etc..

Have you spoken with your manager and asked for additional work, offered up your time and support?

In your position I’d definitely be looking for some ways to fill the time without giving up the salary! You don’t have any long cherished plans to write a novel, do a masters degree or open an etsy shop? Or I’d be looking for work you can do by the minute in the downtime like proofreading or putting any skills to freelance use. I suppose it depends on if work is a career for you, in which case maybe you should find something more challenging and busy to grow in. But if you just work to have money to live then I’d find a way to take advantage of a nice situation rather than rush to join the rest of the world in burnout!

Thank you so much for this comment! I am on my first day of unemployment having quit an HR job with nothing to go to. It was for all the reasons you mention! Despite temporary unemployment, quitting is better for my prospects long term. It was crushing me that I could spend half a day printing and posting things. I was so bored. So my mental state is better too from leaving.

I didn’t even apply for jobs until I left because I was really depleted from feeling so bored and worthless all the time. In my opinion, getting out is the best option; it won’t change. You will stagnate if you stay and then you’ll never be able to leave.

It depends what you want out of life, now and in the future.

I am in a similar position (as proved by typing this whilst sat in my lounge during the working day). Some weeks are reasonably busy, most are pretty empty. A mixture of my own efficiency and being able to be selectively invisible in a big organisation.

But I am fine with it. I get all the non-work life stuff done, am here for the kids when they get home from school, can exercise, write, do the meal preps and chores, watch a bit of TV, read etc.

I bring in enough money so don’t really hanker after promotion. I get mental stimulation elsewhere.

But if I was genuinely bored or valued my career more, I’d look elsewhere. Sometimes I do toy with the idea but the thought of working harder for the same money makes no sense to me, especially given what I’d lose.

I can’t believe I ever managed going in 5 days a week, to be honest. The thought now makes me feel anxious!

I don’t really have anything I want to do I wish I had a hobbie or a skill I wanted to learn but I don’t in all honesty. I just miss having a job to do I dread it every Sunday because I know I’m about to be stuck in front of a computer screen for majority of the day trying to find myself some work.

Do you wfh? I'd just bring the laptop from room to room as you get stuff done, put Teams and Email on your phone and go for long walks etc.

Going into a job like this every day where the hours drag must be so disheartening for you and I found fear that my relevant skills would decline the longer I was in a job like this. Also how does this reflect in your annual appraisals or salary reviews? 🌹

why are you waiting for your days to end

in your boat, I would be on coursera upskilling all day. Learning a language. Using the time effectively whilst waiting for email to come in.

take advantage of this situation and THEN jump ship.

What not use the time to do am online course in something you're interested in or start an online business?

You could be doing a coding boot camp or similar…retraining for an entirely new career, whilst being paid

honestly don’t understand the angst

you are in a dream position if you are bored. Time to level up and move towards something else whilst being paid for it!!!

The thing is I don’t know what I want to do? I don’t particularly enjoy working on computers all day. I’m still trying to find out what I actually love doing.