Being paid to do very little meaningful work

[notticketyboo1]

I work in a reasonably senior role (8b) in the NHS, in an organisation that will become part of DHSC next April. I earn what I consider to be quite a lot of money. The issue is that I am basically being paid to do very little actual meaningful work. It's partly due to the state of the whole organisation - no one is telling us what is happening around for instance our remit, a new operating model, what our roles will look like next year, priorities etc. If I thought that would change come April I would just wait for it. But......I think we are as a programme in general chaos. Senior leaders have no idea about what direction to give us. We have to respond quickly to nonsense requests, find 100 different ways of saying "we aren't funded to do that, and the work we have done has made very little difference to the actual lives of people". It's definitely got worse in the last 18 months.

Sick leave is at an all time high within the programme. Within one small team of 10 over the last year 2 people have been off for 6 months and another 2 for 2 months. It's replicated all over the organisation.

Yesterday I had 3 colleagues completely change a paper I had written, right down to replacing my wording (which was absolutely fine and clear and in fact their rewording was incorrect) and remove my recommendations. It meant that the paper no longer answered the question it was meant to. And I just thought - sod it, I can not deal with this any more. The paper has gone forwards to SLT who have come back and asked why it doesn't fulfil its remit and I have passed onto my manager to answer, I am refusing to take responsibility. But actually - it doesn't matter. Nothing will change.

I am in my late 50s. I turned down VR earlier this year. I have to continue to work for at least another 5 years. I know that the job market is incredibly hard at the moment. If I did manage to get another job it would be at far less pay than I am on, I am currently the only wage earner in the household. I joined the NHS to make a positive difference and all that is happening is that I am being paid to do a role which I honestly think someone on half my pay could do.

I am not sure what I am asking from this post. I used to be proud of the work I do, and I can't see the situation improving

Sorry Op, that sounds frustrating. To be anyone looking for a job right now is hard, late fifties even harder, I think. I have a couple of friends in that position. You can’t change the overall structural issues which are impeding you making a difference, so while the economy is so bad, could you just adjust your expectations. Namely what started off as vocational has simply become a necessity to earn a wage and accept it isn’t what it was to you. Maybe in time things might improve or another opportunity might present itself. Curious why you turned down VR?

Thank you for your reply @CeramicRoses. I turned down VR as I am currently the only wage earner and was also worried that I wouldn't be able to get another job. I am trying to adjust my expectations. It's hard but probably one of the few things within my control.

I speak from experience when I say it really helps to clear away all the oughts and shoulds (it ought to feel meaningful, I should be making a difference) and, under the circumstances, just focus on it being a job that pays your wage, pure and simple. I think this gets muddied when it’s a vocational job, but ultimately you haven’t asked for things to go this way, it’s the position you find yourself in, and there’s never any shame in simply earning a living. There can also be a freedom in being powerless to bring about change, you can lean into quiet quitting and not sweat it about the ludicrousness of how things are being managed.

I would hang on where you are but can the others in your family step up in terms of bringing in an income? Otherwise can you downsize your home/lifestyle, to give you more options?

I was made redundant late last year from the local provincial hospital. After a few months of looking and 5 different Teams interviews I got a new job in a charity organisation but, similar to how you describe your work place, there is some chaos, uncertainty and lack of direction. I have one project and it turns out that, beyond my salary (average) there is no money to actually implement the project internally and little interest externally.
So after only a couple of months of being there I feel a bit pointless.

I am your age but have employed people in this age group myself in the past and believe they bring lots of positives. I personally don’t see that age is a barrier and many of the people interviewing me this year were my age or older! But I maybe being a bit naive in thinking this.

For myself I will have to go back to the sits vacant - have seen a couple of roles I am a fit for, even one at my old employer- not so keen on that tho!

Overall I would say, don’t let things deteriorate too much, such that it could affect any reference you might get if you do leave. Just be careful. It never hurts to look for something else job wise, use your own networks. But meanwhile dont let your reputation in your organisation suffer because of the situation you find yourself in.
I have seen organisations and individual departments change and refocus quite quickly once there is sensible direction from those above - hopefully this will happen in your case.
Alternatively, can you accept your current job situation but focus your energy and enjoyment on something social, outside of work? A new hobby, something completely new? This might make your job situation more bearable?

It’s a shame the world of work is so difficult these days!

Thank you for your posts @CeramicRoses. Lots to think about. In the short term I think that "quiet quitting" is probably the way to go. It's not what I would ordinarily choose to do but I am so stressed at situation that I do need to do something.

Detatch for self preservation and see what training you can do? I mean hopefully things will become less chaotic? 🥴