AIBU to think 48 WhatsApp groups for a part-time job is a circus?

[motheronthedancefloor]

Hi everyone, I’m after some advice and maybe just some shared experiences from anyone who’s survived a workplace like this.

I’m in my mid-40s and I’m about three months into a part-time role for a small grassroots advocacy organisation. The people are okay as individuals, but the setup is a total nightmare. It’s essentially run by a working group of volunteers in their 70s and 80s who are very new to having employees, and it really shows. It’s a classic case of "Founder’s Syndrome"—they’ve hired me for my expertise, but they can’t seem to let go and I often feel like I'm being treated like a child.

The main thing is the digital noise. There is no work laptop, no work phone, and not even a work email address. Everything is done via personal emails and WhatsApp. I am currently in 48 different WhatsApp groups and work chats. Forty-eight! I'm expected to check them regularly for tasks/suggestions/ideas, including scrolling back which, as you can imagine, is quite a volume.

It’s all on my personal phone, and even when I mute the chats on days off, I’m constantly being @tagged, so the notifications cut through anyway. Because it’s my personal mobile, I can’t ever actually switch off. It feels like a full-time mental load for part-time hours. I have told them I have had big family events this month and even marked it in the shared calendar - only to get pinged on the day.

I don't have a single manager, so they all give me conflicting instructions and it drives me totally barmy. I’ll spend an entire day on a task, Person X will tell me it’s fine, then Person Y will come along the next day and tell me to change the whole thing. I can go through multiple edits for the same piece of work just to satisfy different personal preferences. It’s constant micromanagement—I have to get approval for the tiniest things, and then they often just redo it anyway because it’s not exactly how they would have phrased it.

I’ve voiced my concerns, but nothing changes. I just get apologies and then the same patterns repeat. There are also massive red flags regarding GDPR. Because I'm using my own kit, I have the personal numbers and emails of very senior politicians, journalists, lawyers, and celebrities on my own phone, along with passwords for all their systems. I’d never share them, obviously, but I feel incredibly uncomfortable with the lack of security. I’ve highlighted this to them, but it’s fallen on deaf ears.

There’s one other employee who is just as frustrated as me, but she’s full-time, better paid, and has been in politics much longer. This is my first political/advocacy role, so I wasn't sure if this was "normal"—but it feels incredibly dysfunctional.

Even getting the job was weird. They weren't happy with standard professional references and insisted on five or six different people, including personal ones. It felt totally over the top and very intrusive. To top it off, I have a disability and have a pre-disclosed block of leave coming up. They’re now stalling on how to record it and suggesting I "make up the hours" on evenings and weekends, which is making me incredibly anxious.

I’m already looking for other jobs, but the market is a total bin fire at the moment. There are so few jobs out there and hundreds of people going for the samae jobs. I can't afford to just walk away with nothing. AIBU to feel this way? Has anyone else experienced something like this?

I’m sorry you feel so down OP. Can we help you see the nonsense in these people? For example, did you say that you all share the same gmail account? How on earth does that work?!

We can help you roll your eyes and laugh at their batshittery whilst hopefully finding the odd tactic you can deploy to ease the burden in the meantime.

I’m up for being here to listen and help you try and draw some boundaries or offer lines to take, and cheer you on.

I appreciate that. Yes we all share the same email account which means I can see emails asking my previous employers for references (which were good thankfully), finance related stuff, legal related stuff, the email addresses of VIPs in the politican sphere etc. We share an email such as abccompany @ ...

I raised the lack of probation updates and they will have a meeting with me, date/time tbc, so I don't know whether to say anything or leave it be to avoid an uncomfortable few months til I find something else / if I find something else.

Today's issue is reimbursement of expenses! Too high apparently, even though I informed them of the exact travel costs.

That’s completely unreasonable ! Not to mention dangerous regarding the GDPR and passwords/phone numbers ! I would be looking for ANYTHING to bring in some cash and leaving them to it before it all goes wrong and you are implicated !
Be very careful OP !

What a nightmare! and very difficult for you to deal with.
In situations like this I'd be inclined to throw the ball back metaphorically speaking. So if one person says or does one thing and another objects or raises issues over something that you have done - then you refer that person back to the originator and say let me know when you have come to an agreement. Then wait for a united response - when it comes just ask them to reiterate that it has been agreed before you amend or change anything. It's a problem when so many have their fingers in the pie - I understand what you mean about the 'Founders Syndrome' having worked with a charitable foodbank and the fact that it was someones' personal 'baby' - they terminated me after two months of my probation as I didn't fit in because I questioned their point of view or actions from an administrative angle. It was their 'project' and they were running it their way!!

Good luck with the job hunt op. I hope you find something soon. A friend of mine found herself in a very similar situation, and despite trying her damndest to change things, it was like banging her head against a brick wall. She left after six months because she couldn’t take the nonsense any more. She was so sad about it - she’d thought it was going to be her dream job and had taken a pay cut in order to do it. She had to live on savings for a while until she found something else.

Thank you

If it helps you, please keep posting here. We can support you virtually.

yet another day of not having everything done 'perfectly' when everyone else literally said it was and I even got them to tick yes to say they were happy. Even when pushing back I can't win.

posted too soon - I think I need to be more honest and direct but equally scared as to the consequences of doing so. I am in a union although they haven't always been helpful in previous jobs.

Does GDPR and data security not apply then???

it should.

What did they say when you pointed out that they had already signed off on it?

That's so frustrating when it happens.

It sounds like you're scared of being assertive. Just think of it as being clear and factual so everyone has the same understanding. It's your job to make factual statements.
"Please confirm who should sign-off these reports in future "
"I'm concerned about xxx, who should I raise this with?"

that proofreading and sign off are two different things and the author is responsible for proof reading, not the other people (who go in and make numerous edits without always tracking such edits to show it was them!)

Family members not interested in my complaints - it pays the bills until something else comes up they say.

In that case turn on share point versioning! If people cannot do it themselves with track changes there needs to be a version control system. I'm always shocked these things are standard but I work in software so version control is standard.

Its all google basic accounts (I prefer Microsoft personally)

Sending sympathies and a large gin OP. What a frustrating bunch they are. How assertive do you think you could be in terms of push back?

If it’s signed off, it’s signed off. No more messing about with it and making changes that require proof reading. It feels like you need to give a bit of a mental shrug and a “so be it” attitude. If it goes out less than perfect because of their interference, it’s on them, give that shrug and try not to care. Or it goes out late because you know that sign off by A doesn’t mean that and so you may as well leave it until tomorrow or next week when you can take another look at what B and C and D have added.

Now you know how this lot work, you can’t really care much about what they do or the cause so you have to be a bit half-arsed about it. I don’t mean doing sloppy work, but giving less of a shit when the output isn’t great because batshit people messed with it.

Just popping back in to say I've been invited to a pre screen interview for one job I applied for. I've never really done a pre screen type interview before so not sure what to expect. It doesn't tick all the boxes and its not an industry I've worked in before but we'll see what happens.

That’s amazing! Progress already. Put your energies into finding something new and better!

Fabulous! You’re going to do great!

I would suggest

Buy a work only phone & use that only

Tell them that you will only look at emails in the work group email box (all emails are automatically stored by telecommunications companies for 7 years)

No more use of WhatsApp (are they using this, because it is free)

Encourage them all to use Teams

Bill them for expenses each month

Good luck

I have an end of probation meeting tomorrow (that i had to chase up and ask for). I'm in two minds about whether to say I'm unhappy (but not letting on that I intend to leave). i don't know whether anything would change if I did say anything but on the one hand, they couldn't say I never gave them the chance...

I also saw my dream job advertised, except - its lower salary than current job, its FTC (so I'd only be working a few extra months as this current job is also FTC), its more hours, more travel...so wondering if its really worth it. My mum said don't take just anything in your desperation to leave.

Do what is right for you. You know in your gut what to do, your Mum means well but it's your life, your decision.

Tbh from what I've read here I think you should leave, and actually any other job would be better! It sounds completely awful and must be terrible for your mental health.

OMG I think I would tell them all I hadn't got a smart phone!

All this. Life is too short. Get any other different job.