Started a new job - not going well!

[FluffyKittensinabasket]

I’ve recently started a new job (civil service). Most people are WFH. I don’t have a laptop or login yet. I’m meant to be doing training on my home computer but I can’t access it without a log in! I’ve submitted a ticket to the IT help desk people to try and fix it.

My new boss is military and very very busy. He said “don’t worry about coming in yet and I’ll think of a plan of things for you to do.“

So I’m basically at home with nothing to do. He knows I don’t have access to any systems and apparently a laptop might take weeks to get as they have run out!

I’ve been crying with frustration as feel really unwelcome and don’t know what to do.

What do you expect him to do?

They've asked you to wait until you can get online. So wait.

Treat it as if you are furloughed. Rest. Walk. Relax.

Could you do some online research into what that part of the civil service does? Or ask your line manager to send you some reading material? Any IT skills you need to work on?

I don’t want him to turn around in a month and say that I haven’t done anything.

He said he will send over some reading for me but hasn’t. So I don’t have to bother him I asked if there was anybody else in the team
I could contact, no reply. I just feel a bit daft sitting at home but there isn’t anything I can do is there? I’m looking at some courses I could do at home.

I’ll be mainly working from home once I start but not sure how I’m going to be able to pick up a new role with little human contact.

He is probably just too busy which doesn't help you but everyone that's wfh is in same position. You've raised the issue and theres nothing more you can do. You're getting paid either way so either chill or why don't you take some free OU training courses to pass the time? I know I'd be impressed with this!

I'm a civil servant working from home in a remote team. I started my role a year ago so I understand it's difficult to get settled into a new job when you rarely if ever see your team face to face.
However, if your manager isn't answering emails, why not just pick up the phone? I think being proactive would go down well tbh. Do you have a work email address yet? If so you should be able to access civil service learning from your home computer. There will be plenty of online training you can do on there, including mandatory training for all civil servants (think health and safety, security etc). Whichever department you work for will also have a dedicated area on gov.uk which you can be having a look at.

I felt exactly like this when I started my job two months ago! I did get a laptop but wasn't given any work. I didn't get replies from my emails requesting work, it took a long time and a lot of sitting around waiting. I felt like you, I didn't want to get pulled up for doing nothing but what else can you do? As long as you can evidence that you asked, you don't want to bother them too much.

Massive generalisation here, but in my experience a lot of military blokes are really bad at managing civilians. He's very unlikely under current circumstances to ask what you've been doing or complain that it isn't enough.

That was supposed to make you feel better about relaxing and enjoying the time 😊

I second doing some training.
Be proactive, call in asking for manuals or written guides. Ask that they’re couriered out to you.
Remind them you’ve no laptop or WiFi.

Rest and relax and don’t take the incompetence of management personally.

From my years in the civil service, things move at a much slower rate than the private sector.

Sounds very frustrating.
Any way you can contact the IT help desk directly and talk to a person about it?
That's what I would do.

I left him a voicemail at 10:00.

I tried to access Civil Service Learning using my old password as I used to work here but I’m locked out of my account - and IT haven’t activated my new email or log on.

I feel a bit sensitive as this happened previously to me working on a military base. I wasn’t given IT access for 8 weeks and I had to share a computer with my colleague. I raised this with my line manager (also military) who didn’t help at all and in fact tried to put me on a disciplinary for not meeting my probationary objectives. I don’t want another disciplinary when I don’t get a laptop for another couple of months.

I contacted the IT help desk today myself and I was told there was a backlog and I would have to wait. They need to change my role from my previous role and that will also take time. Laptops are “on order” and there are people ahead of me in the queue for one.

I would accept that it's a tough situation and just try to keep yourself occupied with something that seems vaguely work related.

Find some online e-learning, journal articles, magazines, social media groups, anything that's related to your new role and get reading.

It's frustrating but if they're not supplying you with work you have to find something for yourself - then you can say you asked and when they didn't give you anything you did your best rather than sitting on your hands.

I really don’t think you have anything to worry about. It sounds to me like people are just busy and overwhelmed by the current, unusual circumstances. Again, I wouldn’t personally worry about a disciplinary as you have been trying to access the tools you need to work and have clearly made several efforts to do so. However, if it puts your mind at rest, keep a log of all the communication between your and your line manager and ICT support. Then if anyone ever does ask, you can show them why you haven’t done a great deal. I would say the likelihood of that happening is extremely low though...it’s a strange time and there are circumstances beyond your control here.

Ask for hard copies of any learning or training or reference guides that you could be reading in the meantime. In writing so there's a record of your efforts.

And do anything you can think of that will make your life easier once you start work properly. A spring clean, a big shop. Brush up your skills.

Then enjoy the sunshine until they give you a log in.

I work with the military a lot, and I don’t think he will turn around and say you’ve not done anything. If there is one thing they’re good at, it’s recognising a total lack of resources and waiting around to get them or working around them. So long as you have evidence of him saying for you to wait, it’s not an issue. Follow up with IT twice a week, via email, to get progress updates and estimates, it shows willing. Brainstorm some ideas, get things done that you would otherwise do later in the year so you can have more time to show willing at work later. Try not to worry - although I understand that’s hard. Congratulations on your new job!

If you called this morning and left your boss a message, I would leave it a day or two, then send an email asking if, while you're waiting your your login/laptop/work your boss will forward you to arrive, you can contact other team members to ask whether anyone needs any help. Then you're being pro-active. Obviously keep following up with IT as well and, whenever possible, follow everything up with an email, so there's a paper trail of everything you've done to try to work.

I don’t know who anybody else in the team is. Manager was meant to print off paper copies for me. Everyone is WFH.

Due to security, I can’t do any work related stuff that isn’t on an official computer.

I’ve also just found out I’m pregnant today...which my explain why I am so tearful!

The problem is that the person at your last work was a bastard. Provided this boss isnt, you have nothing to worry about. But if you suspect thet are cut if the same cloth, start jobhunting asap.

Keep a log of what happens when - what you report to IT, what they tell you. Follow it all up diligently and then stop worrying.

when ever you do phone call message (ie IT department) send a confirmation email trail
second pp
I do this for everything these days whether work or home based -especially dealing with big companies & (shudder) any government based organisations (HMRC, Hospitals, Power Companies, etc etc etc)
protect yourself

Congrats on your pregnancy.

Don’t worry about the new boss, he sounds normal. Your old boss that got you into trouble on the other hand was a shite.
It’ll be fine.

Okay so just to add to this:

I’m asthmatic and pregnant. I will have to take the bus to work when I’m told to go in.

The guidelines for my Department are:

“Defence personnel should continue to work from home if possible or if required to stay at home for isolation, shielding or caring purposes. If it is not possible for an individual to work from home, then they should only come to work if: a. they have a safe means of travel into work and; b. their Head of Establishment and Line Manager have confirmed it is appropriate for them to attend the workplace.”

When I did the go in the office there were only one or two civilians in...do I say something if I’m asked to go in?

I think it depends on whether you feel at risk due to your asthma. If not, no, just go in to work. If you do, or you feel at risk being pregnant - mention your asthma. You will likely need to get a letter from your GP to do this but they can (at least they will in the private sector) help you hide the pregnancy. I would not advise mentioning the pregnancy at such an early stage.

I’ve now been there a month and no laptop. I’ve done all the online training. There’s no PCs left in the office so it’s not like I can even go in and work at a desktop as they’ve all been taken away.

🤷🏻‍♀️