New job - nothing to do..!

[JH20000]

I think I just need to get this written down really more than seeking advice but I do appreciate anyone who has any.

Started a new role recently, not the exact same job as previously but same industry and they do overlap. I was told that from day one there would be a training schedule however I’ve been there three weeks now and there’s been nothing. The workload is so small that I’m sat around doing nothing most days and it’s frustrating. I’ve approached my manager a few times to discuss this but he’s so busy that he can’t really stop to help me out. I’ve approached other colleagues too and had similar responses. I’ve been given basic tasks but they take up barely any time.

It’s really starting to frustrate me now. I want to get involved but there’s a lot to learn and I feel I’m getting nowhere. I have bipolar and feeling stable hence why I’ve gone back to work but this situation is giving me a lot of anxiety right now. I actually dislike doing nothing, I’d rather be really busy.

From day one I’ve had a gut feeling that this wasn’t the right role for me so I’ve been looking around and applying but I’m not sure if I’m jumping the gun and whether this is how most jobs start out? If not then I’d rather jump ship quickly so I don’t need to mention this role in CVs etc.

Every job I've started its taken a few weeks to ramp up workload. It depends on the role. It was only once I started becoming a know person that people started inviting me to meetungs, involving me in projects etc. Are you WFH? This is one of those situations where it is harder. In an office you start chatting to people, building connectuons casually.

Hi thank you. Yes it’s fully wfh with a very occasional office attendance however my team are all over the UK. This is my first fully wfh so definitely taking time to get used to that, I’m used to seeing people in the office.

Sadly I'd say your gut is right. I have been in this situation and the role was also largely wfh. Definitely better in a be job when you are expected to have some office time. The training was extremely haphazard . Is it a specific type of finance by any chance?

My current role, I had hardly anything to do until I had passed probation. Even now 2 years in, it is really quiet most of the time.
I have found it incredibly stressful and bad for my self esteem. Other people love it though!!
The pay is so good though, I feel trapped by it.

Hi, it is indeed financial services. I have found a lot of the roles I’ve been did start slow but I had office time then and could speak to my manager face to face which made it more bearable until I knew the ropes and could actually get on with things.

It doesn’t help that when I chat with him, my current manager keeps going on about the last person in my role who always messed up and caused major issues that had knock on effects. It’s really giving me anxiety when normally I’d feel at least a bit capable.

Yes gut feeling is always right in my experience. I knew from day one that it isn’t right for me but I wanted to give it a chance.

I think I feel the same, it’s really giving me anxiety as I just want to get on with things. I like being busy. Having nothing to do just makes me feel a bit useless if you know what I mean? That then exacerbates into my anxiety spiralling.

Oh God sitting around with nothing to do is the absolute worse isn't it? I found when I was temping after uni that asking for things to do never really helped, but the moment they saw me playing minesweeper they suddenly found something for me to do.

In my experience, it is rare that a job where you barely have enough to do in the first weeks eventually turn out to be a fulfilling, challenging and stable job. It's just my experience and I'm happy to be proved wrong.

I do agree to be honest. I’ve never had nothing to do in previous roles, even if it is only onboarding tasks for the first week or so.

I think my manager is the issue. He just doesn’t seem bothered that there’s a new member of the team, in fact we’ve not spoken much at all. It’s a really odd atmosphere and I feel like a spare part.

The benefit of having nothing to do is the fact I’ve spent the time applying for two jobs this afternoon, and I’ve had the time to really work at the applications so fingers crossed!

Parkinson's Law, coined by Cyril Northcote Parkinson in 1955, states that work expands to fill the time allotted for its completion. Meaning a task can be made to will swell in perceived complexity and take longer if you need to make it last. There are people (and I include myself) who would love a role like this. I would be looking at online training courses and qualitications to bolster my cv, as well as all the training manuals in the company. You can also polish your cv and apply for other jobs. If the company cant be bothered finding you work to do then more fool them. Dont ask for work because you will one day find yourself loaded down.

A week on and I’ve been polishing up my CV and have worked on a couple of mini IT courses to brush up on my excel skills. As for work I was provided with the grand sum of one task to work on. It was done in about an hour. I’ve done an hours work since my original posts. I’ve gone back to my manager and have expressed this but still nothing.

Good thing is I have an interview somewhere else so fingers crossed.

I do wonder if the lack of work is down to them not thinking I’m capable. Other colleagues all have lots of experience, professional quals and I don’t match up to that. This was known from day dot and I was told I’d be trained to that standard. That’s fine and good but I sent out an update chaser to a client (a professional one - I did tons of them in my previous role!) and got a telling off from a colleague for not sending them the email first so they could look over it and give the go ahead. 😑I just have that gut feeling about this being the reason I don’t have any work. It’s really odd.