2 months in the civil service… regrets

[mummypig567]

Started an EO role in the CS, not enjoying it so far. It’s an area of work I am experienced in but not within the CS.

I am supposed to be mentored for 4 months (same as all new starters). In 2 months I have been changed mentors 3 times!

I have also been changed line management twice… because the originally line manager I was given too had too many… surely they knew this.

I started with around 10 other people at the same time. No one else has been changed mentors or line management.

I have been assured it is not an issue with me or my work, one mentor was apparently only “temporary” but I wasn’t advised, the other had to go mentor another new employee who needed them more than me… confusing.

I have made it clear that I am unhappy about all the changes, that it has made my training very inconsistent (everyone does everything differently).

I am ND and I manage better with consistency. The organisation is aware of my disability, and I had an OH appointment before I started. I have also explained this to new line manager with regards to all the chopping and changing… but have been told it’s just the way it is although no one else I started with has had the same experience.

I have already started looking for new jobs, I just feel so flat about it all. I’m regretting moving from my old job, I was there a long time but this job offered hybrid working and more progression as well.

I don’t know if this is normal in the CS? Am I silly to want to leave already?

I work in a large department and I'd say it's pretty common amongst lower grades, you're all just 'resource' and will be shuffled where needed. It's not great.

Having said that EO isn't particularly low graded, it's often a management grade.

Can you look at internal roles? Possibly a promotion.

Sadly I agree with PP, this sounds pretty typical at least in my experience.

There has been a lot of expansion in recent years in some departments in particular, needed expansion, but it has led to a lot of people needing training/mentors/support and there just aren’t enough people who 1) have the skills and experience to provide it and 2) if there are people with the skills & experience, they have too much of their own work load to spare the time to help anyone else. There is always calls for people to mentor others and train others but it almost never comes with the ability to decrease your own workload to provide the time to actually carry oit that mentoring so in essence the mentors are doing their own job AND also on top of that providing support to others and they just don’t have the time or the inclination to do it, can’t blame them really but it does make for a difficult starting experience for new staff.

I don’t think there is any scope for promotion anytime soon.

I get that I will be a “resource” as such, but no one else who started with me at the same time in the same role is having so much change. I excepted some consistency with the training.

There 100% is a shortage of people to mentor and I’ve been shocked that there is no “extra” or incentive to do it. In my last workplace, those that mentored new employees got an extra £2 a hr, which isn’t much but is an incentive.

The training is just very inconsistent and ad-hoc which I wasn’t expecting with the CS. When I interviewed for the job I actually asked a lot of questions about it, and it was sold to me what a great system they have which hasn’t been the case.

FWIW, my last mentor was more than happy to keep me on. I was able to assist with their workload and keep on top of it while they were on annual leave. They said I was a help to them rather than a hinderance. When they were completing different areas of the work in they day to day role that I don’t have experience in, I was able to jump in with them. They’ve been told they have to mentor someone else now.

My new mentor is a reluctant mentor and doesn’t usually have anyone. They don’t have any time for me, and I’m stuck doing the work that I already know rather than learning any new areas of the role. I don’t gel with them mostly because it’s clear they really don’t want to mentor me.