Need to leave this job..help me not make a rash decision

[Classicpets]

As it says really! Been in the health care sector 20 yrs. I moved jobs in January from hospital care to community care and the workplace is absolutely toxic, whispering behind each others backs, no induction so no clue on what their processes are so left to sort for myself and every time I try to figure things out myself I get told I'm wrong and get corrected in the most patronising tone,...this has been ongoing since then. We are now short staffed and I have to take over a seniors caseload. I have stuck it out for obvious reasons finances, wanting to contribute to the family household but this is making me feel ill, I'm experiencing palpitations and my confidence is just rock bottom.

I have applied for lots of other jobs so waiting to hear if I get interviews for those. I get rather anxious and as my confidence is already rock bottom I am worried this will show when I interview. I know leaving without a job to go to is far from ideal. Should I wait till I have secured a new job, I think I'm concerned it's going to take a while, I also work FT and my boss makes it difficult for me to take time off as we're short staffed. Help! This is just dreadful beyond belief and the worst job/culture I have experienced in my working life.

Just wanted to say good luck with your job hunt OP, it’s horrible when work is hard going.

Thank you @C1239 I'm not sure whether to resign as I'll have more time to go for interviews and I just need to get out there before i get ill. Very difficult as I believe it's easier to get a job when employed.

Anyone else left a job who has experienced this and not had a job to go to straightaway?

Ahh this is just awful. Are you still on the bank for hospital shifts? Maybe you could bank for a bit to keep your hand in and suss out where you would like to work, whilst giving you flexibility to attend interviews?

Have you tried speaking to your manager? I don't think you have anything to lose at this point, I think I would be having a frank discussion with them.

I moved from one trust to another last summer and have bitterly regretted it since the start. My previous trust wasn't perfect and had one or two toxics but generally people were kind and pleasant and nice to be around. Where I am now almost everyone is a toxic or an arselicker or both and the nice people are few and far between (lots on long term sick after being bullied). I am trying desperately to get out but can't take much of a drop in salary as I'm currently the only breadwinner. I know there's no point staying though.

Hello @FUPAgirl i absolutely agree, I am on the bank with my current trust but there are no shifts...just nothing. I would need to apply to the bank of another hospital which is what I'm thinking of doing and just resigning. The problem I have is how on earth do you explain the short departure to another employer that tallies up with your reference, assuming I get one? Yes, I have spoken with my manager who is also on the clique of bullies/toxicity and this has, I hate to say it made matters worse. I just need to leave.

@Tyrionapproach I really feel your pain and can really empathise with you. Would you be able to do bank work also?Really hope you too manage to get out soon. Have you spoken with your manager? I'm curious as to whether you've thought about what you'll say to your next employer as to the reason why you've left or are leaving?

Really annoying on another note that the nhs is all about 'wellbeing' at the moment, but if I leave to protect my wellbeing and potentially have an employment gap I've then got to jump through various loopholes to get back in. Considering leaving the nhs to be honest, what a shame considering all the experience.

Are you on the Bank or nhsp? Can you leave and do agency until a permanent job comes up?

I left a toxic job in the NHS and have been doing agency since, is this an option?

Thank you @Mumof1andacat and @Elsiebear90 I'm not with nhsp.just the bank.Agency work would be an option but it would mean getting references for an agency from current employer and again when I find a permanent job. How did you manage @Elsiebear90 if I may ask?

@Classicpets I'm so sorry you're going through this. I literally just came to start the same thread and found yours, I'm approaching 10 years in the NHS. Changed job in march and was totally misled about my new role. I'm part time and my job would be unachievable for a full time member of staff. It sounds like there's slightly less hostility in my immediate team compared to yours but I'm still battling against totally unreasonable expectations and ultimately in a role that I have no interest in doing.

I've also got real symptoms of burnout and have thought about getting signed off on sick leave but fear the impact on my record if I were to be offered a new role. Like you I've applied for other jobs and waiting to see if I get interviews. I'm also unsure whether to just leave the NHS and do something entirely different and also feel regret that my experience will be wasted if I do this, and I do actually still really love the clinical work itself it's the appalling management and politics that is really upsetting me. No bank where I am either due to cost cutting initiatives and the fact that other people keep applying for part time jobs when they need full time hours and then supplementing with bank.

I've got my resignation in my draft emails and each week come that much closer just to hitting send to get out. Sorry I don't have any practical solutions but there's a lot of empathy here.

Agencies are quite lax when it comes to references in my experience, I’ve given references for ex colleagues and I’m not a manager and was working as the same band as them. So it doesn’t need to be a manager necessarily.

I resigned first because I was band 7 so needed to work a three month notice period (not many places will wait three months for a locum to start) and then approached my manager and my previous manager for references, it wasn’t an issue as there were no issues with my performance I was just unhappy with the politics there. If you are concerned you may receive a poor reference from your manager then get a deputy or co worker to do a reference for you. I am lucky that my role is quite niche and skilled so there’s a huge demand in my area for locums, so had plenty of options.

You could always speak to the agency first and see what’s available in your area before resigning. Most agencies advertise positions online as well so do a bit of browsing and see what’s out there and the rates, just know that with the rates you have to be very firm with what you are willing to accept as they will often try to get you to agree to a lower rate than advertised.

I do think it's possible to justify a very short employment though (my new role is in the same trust I've worked for ages so not such an issue). I would explain it in terms of something like 'I have ralised my new role doesn't align with my professional interests/longer term career aims/priorities in terms of work/life balance etc. I have taken steps to address this but have realised that this [new opportunity] fits much better with my needs at the moment'.

As long as you don't have a long history of leaving after a couple of months I think it's fine.

@Knewlife thank you for sharing and I'm truly sorry you're experiencing the same scenario. Not great. I thought the same too about getting signed off, I don't know about you but I'm generally not a 'sicky' person and if I get signed off with stress I'm not sure this will solve anything. OK, it will buy me some time but seems a bit more hassle than it's worth.

I am thinking too of looking outside of the nhs. Such a shame as I'm sure you're like me, hard working with lots of transferable skills and generally believe in the nhs. We don't deserve this.

Appreciate your thoughts and if anyone has any suggestions hopefully you'll see them too. Life is complicated and busy enough without this extra stress. It's awful.

Thank you @Knewlife I just noticed and read your other post about being in a role for a short space of time. It will be my second job in of my 30 year history of working where I've stayed less than a year. Others have been between 2 and 8 years.

Feel free to pm if you need any support.I know how tough this is when you're genuinely a decent human being who just wants to support the organisation, work hard and go home to our darling families at the end of the day without this hanging over us.