Friday, August 15, 2008

Turn, Turn, Turn

First, thank you to all who read my last post and have chosen to stick around for more. That really means a lot to me.

Next up, I need help.

I've been at my job for 6 months and I believe that I'm good at what I do. I actually would enjoy it if it weren't for the working conditions. The staff is small and the workload is lopsided, with a nice big extra chunk landing in my lap. I wouldn't leave if I was being treated well.

I was reminded yesterday that I'm in a pretty decent position here despite the stress, long hours, and tears (yeah, more tears). See, I know how to do things no one else does. Without me, things would go from bad (because I'm only one person, not the 3 that are needed to do this well) to "WTF!"

Note: There is zero promotion potential in this job and I am in a position well below what my skills dictate.

I plan on talking to my boss about this today. BD says I should give her the chance (again, some more) to make things better. I almost quit yesterday, but she wasn't in her office. Good thing, cause it was an emotional moment. I want to handle all this with a clear head and not just be reacting to the sound of my back breaking under the final straw (again, some more).

I called a point of contact yesterday that I had made in my initial job search when we moved here and she asked me what I do now. I told her and she said that she was impressed with my knowledge of the program and I certainly had her interest peaked.

It's stuff like that that makes me want to stay. Like I said, I like what I do. I just don't like being treated like crap and thrown under the proverbial bus by my boss and spending more time trying to fix the errors of others than I do with my husband and daughter, amongst other things.

Any suggestion? Please.

5 comments:

Southern Cross Brewing Company said...

Hey this is Joe Pilleteri from Kings Point. I came across your Blog from facebook. All I can say is wow. I cannot pretend to understand what you are going through with your daughter but know that you and your family will be in my prayers daily. I think what you are doing with this blog is great and you have got another reader in me. As far as the job situation I understand not feeling appriciated and doing things that are below your skill level because you work with a bunch of morons. I worked with a company like that at one point. I do not know how you feel about religion but what got me through that tough time in my life was a simple phrase "Let go and Let God." This sounds like a simple phrase but it is hard to live by. Not that it means that much but I am amazed at your attitude and perserverance you are showing in light of all that is going on in your life and you are a role model for many people who think that they cannot continue on. I hope everything else in life is going well. Your daughter is beautiful.

God Bless,
Joe

Peaches323 said...

Hey,
Did I mention that I love your blog. It makes me feel like I can still keep in touch with you even though our time zones and hectic lives make it pretty difficult.

About the j-o-b, I think the answer is right in front of you. You are unhappy and it's affecting every aspesct of your life. It's time for you to move on. I know you are scarred. I know you need something to define yourself outside of mother and wife. Believe me I know. You will find something else. Somewhere else and there they will appreciate your abilities and not take you for granted. They will understand that you are a highly capable person with 2 degrees and wealth of knowledge.

Michelle said...

I'm sorry you're having issues at work and not being treated right for all the work you do; hopefully talking to your boss will go well and things will change, if not then I hope you'll be able to find a job somewhere else where people appreciate you!

Oh, about the clothespin thing at school :) I don't know if every school does this, but they might have something similar.

For preschool the kids had their name and picture on a laminated card that was velcroed to a laminated sheet, when the arrived the would move their name from being at "home" to the at "school" side, by the end of preschool their pictures were removed so they would learn to recognize their names.

I noticed they do a similar system in the K classroom (no pictures those, just their names written on a clothespin)...I think using the clothespin also helps strengthen the hand grasp too; Kayla has a little trouble squeezing it together tight enough to place on the sheet, so she gets to work on that :)

Babalu said...

Well, just from what you've said, the negatives are: too much work for one person to do; uneven distribution of work; not being treated well; long hours; no chance for promotion; under-employment; stress; inability or unwillingness of employer to improve situation, it seems (from the fact that you've talked to your boss before).

Positives: pride - in what what you're doing and how you're performing; "in a decent position" (unclear why?); being essential to the workplace.

It kind of sounds like the negatives trump the positives to me (and not just in sheer numbers, but in importance). Of course, only you can decide how important each factor is to you.

I agree the decision/discussion shouldn't be done in an emotional moment. I do think there are probably better opportunities for you out there, though, and once you've made a change, you'll think, "Why was I scared? I should have done this months ago!"

Good luck, sweetie!

Jen said...

I agree with babalu. Sounds like more bad stuff than good.

It's hard to see that there is a whole big world out there other than the situation you're in. But if you quit, and found something else, in 6 months you won't even remember that your situation was like it is now. You'll make a new place for yourself. Hopefully a better one.

I stayed in a job I didn't love for a lot of the same reasons you have stayed. This past December, when expecting my third child, I was forced to give it up because of daycare costs. And you know what? I've never been happier, and it's like those seven years were some other person, some other lifetime. I can't believe it took me as long as it did to quit.

You'll think it through, and you'll make the decision that's right for you. It is what you make it.