Does anyone love their job and colleagues?

[Strangelove89]

I have had a number of jobs over the years. Some good. Some bad. But in the past few years the people I’ve worked with have been particularly terrible. Bullies, power playing etc. I’ve been told this is normal in any workplace. Is this your experience as well?

I work for a high street family owned law firm in a small town as a solicitor. I had a shocking experience of law firms prior to this one, as did my manager (we worked together somewhere hideous previously). Lovely people and the directors are great, we mainly work in the office and it's kept me going through the pandemic. They feel like my family now. It's a bit old fashioned though, so not sure places like this will exist in the future ☹️

Love my job, love my colleagues. Genuinely look forward to getting to work (once the daily lying in bed half-awake existential crisis has faded). Banking.

I don't always love my company, but I love what I do and I love (most of) the people I work with.

Yes, generally I do love my job. A lot of my colleagues are friends and we have a lot of banter (they are almost entirely male).
Worst workplace I ever experienced was a school. Bitchy, poorly paid, hateful people.

Yes I also enjoy my job and like my colleagues. My experience is people always have good intentions and want to be friends, as a going in position. If they change from that then there’s a reason.

I am very happy with my job and my colleagues.

I have worked in a number of jobs and with very many colleagues over the years. Many have been wonderful, but some have not been great at the work, including a few distinctly mediocre bosses. But they were all lovely colleagues.

Except one. The main boss at my last job before this one. Because of my experiences, I kind of assumed that if you did your own job well and were a good colleague yourself, your colleagues were also easy to get on with and would become friends, or at least people you could happily pass the time of day with. But trying to work with that woman was a real eye-opener. I took redundancy as soon as it was offered, as did a number of my colleagues - which no one expected we would do.

But it isn't worth it. I want to be happy and feel trusted and valued for what I do. I don't want to be second guessing and walking on eggshells never knowing where the next attack or undermining is coming from.

There are lots of people like you out there, OP. Keep looking till you find them!

Keep looking, OP. Don't stay where you are unhappy.

I've had 30 years of generally nice colleagues in great companies, then five years (two jobs in a row) of small-minded bitter people in blame-culture environments. And now working for a lovely company with lovely people.

@Strangelove89

Omg this is great to hear. Which industry do you all work in? Maybe I need to move

I work in health and safety. The people are a real mix and a mix of experience. I didn't work in this industry before.

I saw a cousin for the first time in ages, though he is on my LinkedIn. He knew our company and how great they were. I was surprised he knew who we were.

Nope.

My line manager is great.

I do have an issue with a colleague who is incompetent and is not really up to the mark.

I work for the government (transport), my current boss and colleagues are absolutely wonderful. I changed to that job eighteen months ago after my original role - which I'd had for 8 years - went sour when the senior leadership changed to a bunch of control freaks and the general ethos of the function went sour. I wish I'd moved earlier, it proves there are good pockets within huge organisations where you are respected and valued.

OP, my workplace is like yours (perhaps even worse…has your manager ever googled pregnancy symptoms and then told you what symptoms you were allowed to have and when?), but I don’t think it’s normal. Most other places I have worked, people just kind of rub along amicably enough.

Secondary school teacher in a tough school. My colleagues are amazing: hard-working, inspirational and unbelievably funny. I love going to work because I know I will have so much fun with them. The kids are mixed - some truly awful but mostly lovely. Senior leaders are a mixed bunch, but their antics give us endless hours of piss-taking opportunities. My pay is OK but I am woefully underpaid for my job experience and expertise. I could move on but I would rather have a job I am good at with colleagues that keep me happy.

I work in aviation.
I love my job and my colleagues. There's always the one twat in most places and people I'm much closer to than others but on the whole they are all fab. Really supportive and we laugh our way through the bad days. Genuinely helpful and thoughtful. We work shit hours with shit shifts,currently made worse because of how our industry has been impacted by covid/Schapps but we all know we're the very lucky few to actually have our jobs in this current climate so support each other through the rough of it.
Corny as it is we refer to each other as our work family all the time and we are very close knit on the whole.

I was made redundant during lockdown and was gutted as jmloved my job and my colleagues and boss
And contrary to @Finfintytint's theory my mortgage isn't paid off' I needed the wage and I still didn't tolerate crap

Yes, went to work for them for two weeks on the bank, they offered me a permanent contract despite me telling them that my DH was terminally ill and I might have to stay at home very soon and look after him, he died 4 months later, they got me through that, we managed to get through Covid, busy department for NHS, I left end of March this year due to personal issues but still go back once or twice a week to help out, it’s the only team I would go back to permanently and have told them, but my two managers have and continue to be very supportive of my personal circumstances and I can talk about and ask for any help from them

I work in academia and have for 15+ years. I’ve always felt very respected and very well taken care of. Never experienced any bullying ever since I started working at 14 (in my 40s now). I definitely don’t think that’s normal.

Yes NHS and I love my colleagues, we were talking about this today, we have been through some awful times the last 18 months but we are all still here and that's because we work so well together, it's top down. The patients notice to.

Absolutely love my job and colleagues. I work in the private healthcare sector now but I worked retail when I was a student and that was soul destroying. Dealing with the public just demoralises the whole team and I have respect for anyone in a public facing position.

Meanwhile I have worked in organisations where CEOs and senior executives (married men) showed their interest in my when I was in my 20s. Horrible female bosses who would humiliate colleagues in meetings. I’ve been made redundant. I’ve worked across sectors. I’m not in banking, law or medicine. I’m smart and hard working and collaborative. And I’m exhausted. I just want to find a good organisation and team. Thinking of taking some time out.

I loved my last primary school, it was honestly like going in and being surrounded by friends every day. There was one particular year when I was working in a year 1 class with the teacher and another TA that I loved, and probably laughed the most that year too - we actually cried on the last day because we were being moved to different year groups 😂 there was a small divide in regards to the staff that were hired by a previous head and adored him, vs us who were hired by a more recent head, but when it came down to whole school activities and Ofsted, we always stuck together and supported each other.
A lot of the kids at the school were extremely hard work, but having a good team around really helped to get through it.

Love my job and my team. Non clinical NHS too.

So sorry to hear your experiences OP. I wonder if maybe professions where the purpose of the organisation/role is to make a positive difference to the world or help people maybe that attracts nicer people? Not that there aren't also terrible people doing charity work etc but presumably the ratio of nice people might be better? Also professions where collaboration rather than competitiveness is the name of the game.

Yep. Secondary school teacher.
I didn't used to. I moved to a lovely school a few years back and absolutely love the kids and my colleagues. Even senior management! I'm lucky and I know I am!

I love my colleagues.
I love my job about 80% of the time! 😉

I’ve been in my current job (secondary school teacher) for 16 years. My department are amazing. When we recruit we have always been able to find someone who complements our dynamic. They are some of my best friends and we have great fun and do a really good job together. I’m. V lucky.