WWYD? Started new job and want to leave after a few weeks

[ProudThrilledHappy]

Long story short I left a very long term, secure position recently because I wanted to go full time now DC is older.

At first the new job was great, the people are lovely and it’s a great environment. But as time has gone on it’s completely obvious there is not enough work for me at all. I am sitting completely bored for HOURS, and my team leader knows because they keep saying how its a bit quiet at the moment.

This has been going on for over a week now. i know there are a lot of people who would love this but I hate it. I need to be busy. When there is work to do, it is also being allocated to me one task at a time, like I am a school child filling in worksheets. It is incredibly diminishing.

Even worse it is completely obvious that I have nothing to do to everyone passing, and as a new employee I am only entitled to a short notice period when the manager realises I’m a waste of salary. I would also have to ask my old employer for another reference all over again.

I turned down a different job for this one because they told me how busy they were, and were flexible around start/ finish times, but in hindsight I have made a massive mistake and the other job is gone.

I am really struggling with having literally nothing to do.

What would you do in this situation? Quit? Complain? Seek a new job? I know it is ridiculous but I am in tears over how shit this feels.

There’s a skills shortage no need to be sat in an unsatisfactory job, leave get another job

Thanks @Zone2NorthLondon , I know that is probably the right answer but I am just a administrator so no exceptional skills here and now I have a very short term role on the Cv. Any advice for explaining leaving so soon when I apply?

I wouldn’t quit without something to go to, but definitely look. Is it a quiet period in your sector?

Most of the work is supporting internal staff so it’s really not about customer behaviour I don’t think. Today I barely had a total of 2 hours of actual work to do so I can’t see how the workload can support two full time staff members anyway. I think they probably should have recruited a part time worker.

I’m so disappointed to be honest, I was really looking forward to a whole new chapter and Im going to back at the interview and uncertainty stage again.

The grass isn't always greener and you may go from one extreme these days to another. Meet the employer who is to busy and short handed to enable staff to go to appointments that may be needed, because there is no cover.

I've had a moment or two already this week, because my last job had me doing the job simply a couple of hours later and phones ringing off the hook meant you never rarely left on time and breaks - what were they! whereas I now find myself in a training room for a good month and thinking if I leave, I'm effecting some long-standing people's reputations who gave me the opportunity and it can take a while to bed in so I owe it to more than myself to realise I'm not going to do the job from overnight and I can't bear to drop down to minimum/lowest wage.

I'd honestly found a number of places as quiet (bar the last) as they rebuild from the pandemic. Could you offer to reduce hours if that is at all possible? do some courses on work time until it picks up?

I'm in a very similar situation to you. I knew within a few days of starting that my current job was not what I had expected, at all. Certainly not something I could do for any length of time. It was making me miserable and I finally decided in about week 6 that I had to move on.

Due to re-training in the last few years, my employement record doesn't have any gaps but is fairly spotty (an average of maybe 2 years per job). Your employment history looks much better, putting you in a great position to apply for something else.

You could choose not to mention this role, maybe say you had a break to travel/look after a poorly relative. I decided to put my current role on a recent application and it caused some discussion during the interview. In future, I won't mention it at all (I did get the new job in the end though).

I previously worked in a role where I was bored and felt extremely micro-managed. It's soul destroying, so I completely understand your unhappiness. You're worth more!

Thanks @AngelSings I’m looking into new things now, it’s incredibly disappointing after looking forward to the change so much! I hope you can find what you need

@ProudThrilledHappy I was in this position last year, dream role, fab money, but omg I was bored to tears! I started looking after 3 weeks and had a new role within 3 months. I was just honest saying I like to be busy and multi task etc etc, didn't seem a problem at all..it happens, don't worry about it start looking and move again before you climb the walls!
Fwiw I am now run off my feet..though wouldn't change it:)