One month into new job. I know it’s not for me. Survival tips please.

[ThisjobisNotforme]

One month into new job. I know it’s not for me. Survival tips please!

Within the first week I knew it was not an organisation or culture I could stay with it. So toxic and negative around the people we are supposed to help - totally not how I am.

Literally every single bit of my soul is being loaded daily and how I’ve even made it this far. I don’t know. I am biting my tongue hugely!

I am more than skilled to the job so that isn’t an issue even though the systems often don’t make sense but that is standard in any new role.

In fact there was part of me that without sounding egotistic knows I’m more than qualified than my supervisor to do this role and theirs.

Except on my CV I don’t have leadership so I’ve never gone for more senior role despite realising that I need to as I’m definitely someone that looks to shape service delivery for the benefit of all rather than just sit there in something that isn’t okay.

There are other new starters who are feeling similar and when the culture and the job. Within the first week or two we all shared similar issues. The micro management and the way customers are talked about isn’t ok for any of us.

I have already told my manager that the culture is not ok to me and it’s not one that I can work in and she has said that things are changing but to be honest it is too slow for me. I’m not gonna stay there whilst they fix it. I need to get out because it could be years before they change the awful attitudes in that place.

Ive applied for other jobs and there’s potentially a job interview next week. No idea how to broach that. It’s in same building. Probably not within the lunch period. Can’t even go toilet without being looked at!

Help.

Sorry this place is like that. Good for you for applying for other things and also for thinking about applying for promotion (elsewhere!)

Would apply for jobs elsewhere and come up with a plan for what to do if you get an interview at the one in the same building, eg take a day pf annual leave, and try not to worry too much about being caught out - save your energy to focus on the interview prep!

If you can, see if you can research places, eg Glassdoor reviews, to try and find out about them, to try to avoid landing somewhere similarly bad!

Thank you @Dozer this is one of my concerns. Will it be the frying pan into the fire?

The field of work is linked. The other organisation hasn’t got a fantastic reputation in our field but recently underwent a restructure and I think a lot of the negativity moved to the organisation I am now with.

I did interview for them around the same time as this position and wasn’t quite successful and was encouraged to apply next time as they really liked me at interview and I scored high.

There is part of me that thinks if I can’t take leave or have the other time off like flexi I’m just gonna tell my manager I’ve got an interview. I’m not happy. I have already spoken to them in my recent one-to-one about how I am considering whether this place is for me as I do not like the things that my colleagues are saying about the customers.

I was encouraged to challenge those kind of behaviours but how often daily can you do that without putting a target on your back especially as the new girl?

In terms of my development my new organisation has already shown me that they’re not prepared to support me with a qualification I’m about to undertake ( already funded) and it’s so shortsighted of them because it’s more than relevant to the job I’m doing and the skills and knowledge they gave gaps in!

Hi I suppose it depends on whether you have enough funds to jump so quickly. Probation is a 2 way street ie if the job isn’t for you you can leave without the full 3 months or whatever it is. I am in a similar situation. I left a toxic environment where I was put on a PIP and bullied to make it look like I couldn’t do my job. Eventually I was made redundant. Got a new job and started mentoring a person who quickly handed in notice saying they’d been put on a PIP also (as they didn’t have enough work for her and said a colleague of hers was also - which was also the case with me in last job). As I was talking to them about their experience the company cut her off immediately. I then went to a works night out and oh my god. The stress some were under is unreal. My colleague also said in the 3 years they’d been there, 9 people in my dept had come and go and just the other week another person left! I got told by my colleague they’d say it’s due to sickness and lo and behold his person left due to sickness. They have been nice to me this far but I’m looking on the side for something else. Just now I’m fully allocated and getting great feedback but if that changes!!! So yeah from one toxic environment to another! I’m working on assumption best to get a job from another job but thinking I’ll need to leave it a year before I look (but keep half an eye out). Good luck op! Work to live just now rather than living to work!

@Wishiwasonabeachinmaldives sounds awful!!

got a job interview though

Looking for any more advice please. Seems this dept has a high turnover of staff too.

And how do I explain the situation at new job interview?

Congrats on getting an interview!

For now I would focus on prepping, including for any Qs why you’re seeking to leave so soon. Loads of good content online with ideas. Eg you could say you applied to them before and were encouraged by the recruitment team to try again should an opportunity arise, it has and you’re still keen to join them because you like their work on X or Y or it seems suited to your skills in X or Y.

In your shoes I wouldn’t tell my manager about the interview: if you’re in the probation period and have under 2 years service your position is vulnerable.

If you get a job offer that’s the time to seek info about the current state of the organisation etc.

I’m in the same boat, OP, except I literally can’t leave (my visa is tied to my specific job), so I just have to put up with it.

Things I do:

-Plan fun things at the weekend
-Have other goals (mine are around exercise)
-Console myself that things may improve, or that “this too shall pass”

But it really is an awful position to be in. I too told my manager that I didn’t like the culture of the team, but as he’s very much part of the problem, he just agreed with me that I’m a “poor fit”.