Job related malfunction (Sorry! Long vent)

[owen's mum]

Well, I am begining to think that the problem is me. I just started working at a local university in August, and I have already had problems. I get frustrated when I get overwhelmed with things to do or people ask me to do things that I don't think that I should have to do. Apparently my frustration is quite visable as my boss has already talked to me about it. I got my review today and he gave me like a 2.3 out of 4 and exteded my probation period.

My question is should I keep the job (I get free college if I ever get off of probation) or should I try some other place.

To be totally honest, I've had this problem everywhere I've ever worked to various degrees. I am now starting to worry because I want to teach elementary school and I don't know if my frustation has to do with my position (reception) or with my personality.

However, I also feel like he doesn't take me seriously and he is very critcal. (I've never been late or missed work without prior permission, and he gave me a 3 of 4 for attendance??!!??)

Any advise from the emotionally obvious (aka cartoon face :p ) would be helpful. PLEASE don't tell me not to take things personally; I am totally incapable, even after some cousiling.

Oh, and right after I got my review, I got into a very minor car accident. Talk about your bad days.

 

[brwneyesk8]

Wow I'm sorry you got in an accident!!! I hope you're allright!! Must have been frustrating to have that happen right after your review.

One thing I know is most employers will never give perfect on a review...keeps you having something to work towards I guess.

If you've heard this from other places you've worked maybe you are just not hitting the right field.......OR if free college is THAT important to you maybe you can try harder for the amount of time left of school? Grin and bear it, so to speak? I'm not sure what other advice to give you other then to try jobs that won't throw so much at you at one time. There will always be, in any job, people that want you to do things that are not your responsibility.
What's worked for me...and it is different with everyone...is that when I sign on for a job I understand I may be asked to do things outside my job description. If it's legal and ethical......and I have time....I will IF I see everyone else doing what they are supposed to do as well. A saying i use that works like charm is this.....someone asks me to do blahblahblah and it's not really my responsibility...I smile and say I can add it to my list but it may take a while as I have quite a few things to accomplish before I get to that. Normally they do it themselves or find someone else b/c they want it done now. NOW the only thing with that is if they DO wait....I HAVE to go back and say Ok I have some time now to take care of that if you still need me to. Mostly they've done it but they'll remember your initiative and cooperation AND your desire to get your work done. If you DON'T get back to them then they notice that too........really that works like a charm.
Then you can focus on YOUR job. Do you try to do too many things at once? I am now a unit secretary/nursing assistant at a hospital and end up with piles of orders to take off for doctors and with plenty of things to do for the nurses and patients. I do one thing...one patient chart...one page of orders at a time. If someone hollers an order or a command I add it to a list and go accordingly.....if it's a Stat I do it of course....but everyone needs to find a way to stay organized for themselves. Try your own ideas, try mine, try ideas from the others here. You'll come up with a program to help you do whatever job you get. But you'll be working for a LONG time and should learn how to make a job work for you. Good luck and let me know how things go!!! Hope I helped.

 

[momstaxi]

It is definitely a tough situation. If you can put up with things you should stick it out. Free college is a great benefit that not too many people ever get. Besides the college education will eventually get you out of the job and into a better one! but just remember NO job is perfect and you just need to learn to cope. Follow the advice that was given , try the suggestions. Just do your job, even if at times you need to bite your tongue! Good luck
Michele

 

[Madison's Mom]

You sound a little like me. Try working on not showing your emotions on your face. It's gotten me in trouble before but I have learned after much practice that It was me that was having the problem and people could see it on my face. You can work through this...good luck

Sorry about the car accident.

 

[owen's mum]

Most of the problem seems to be that I can't just put up with things. When something frustrates me, everyone knows it, and lots of things frustrate me. I just feel like I'm being dumped on.

For example, I am currently the secretary/receptionist. The purchasing assistant is leaving, and I am being trained to fill in until she is replaced. I don't get the job, or more money, just extra work. I'm trying to train for the second job and do my job and unpack the office (we just moved) and keep my mouth shut. Can anyone guess what isn't getting done?

Every time I go there, I want to quit even more, but my BF got laid off and has little income right now. I am paying all the household bills (he pays food and extras.)

I'm soooooo unhappy, but what if I'm this unhappy at the next job? I can't quit a job every three months. People will eventually quit hiring me.

Well, I promised myself that I would start looking for a different job today (a totally different job . ) I'd better get started.

 

[BeckyNC]

I can understand how you feel! I get frustrated easily and, though I can multi-task well, I need to take a deep breath, sit back a moment and prioritize everything on my desk. When you begin to feel frustrated, try taking a deep breath, or maybe step out to the bathroom. I, too, wear my emotions on my sleeve, but again, I have learned to try as hard as possible to keep them to myself (still not too good at that, though!).

If you are truly unhappy with this position, it cannot hurt to change jobs. If you have made a habit of changing quite frequently, that's not so great, but take your time. Don't take the first thing that comes along just to get the heck out of there. Find something you are really excited about. Try to ask questions to learn a little something about the potential supervisor's style. Plan to stay in the new position for at least a year.

I have been in my current position for almost 5 1/2 years. I had no intention of staying in it more than a year (planned to get the experience, then move to a better-known company), but things have worked out very well. I left my previous job b/c I wanted to get into my current field and the fact I had the manager from you-know-where at that job helped make the decision easy. Well, the evening after the third day at the new job, I remember thinking "what the heck have I done???" My manager was kind of strange and the work was sooooo boring and I felt it was all a mistake, though I sure did dislike my prior manager. Things improved, my manager was demoted (long story) and is now a coworker. He's still a little odd, but we know each other well. I have learned a lot about my industry and I LOVE what I do and am now quite challenge by the work. Same job 5 1/2 years and I have no plans to leave anytime soon.

No one's perfect. You just need to find the job that suits you best and a manager whose style fits your personality. It's all about luck, to some extent, if you ask me!

 

[catneon]

#1 Do you have a proper job description? Yes from experience the secretary/receptionist type positions tend to sometimes become the "catch all" of the office. If you do not have a job description it is a good idea to ask for one that way you know better what is expected of you.

#2 It happens that when someone leaves you train an existing employee to be the bridge between the departing and new hire. Take it as extra experience you are getting and will be able to add to your resume. You never know it could help in a future job. Make sure you have an idea of how long this is supposed to last, of course delays can happen and there could be difficulty finding a replacement but by putting it on the table right away they will know you are not expecting to replace the position forever. Also bring it to their attention that your work will be suffering, you are literaly doing 2 people's job.

#3 Very true unless you are an exceptional employee, you aren't likely to receive a perfect review. Attendance could also include break time, lunch hours etc... Of course it also has to do with the way your boss sees attendance.

#4 Did your boss explain how your frustration affects your collegues as well as the overall work environment? Please do not take this in a bad way, but if you easily get overwhelmed as well as get frustrated about it, in my opinion althought you may do great work, you evaluation was already compromised.

#5 If you really are that unhappy, find something else, start fresh, and start evaluating yourself at work. When you start to be overwhelmed, what can you do to calm down. How can you prioritize. If you feel frustrated what is causing it, can you talk to someone about it, if it's because you feel dumped on, can you talk to your boss about it and see if all of that is really all your responsability, are you allowed to say no, can someone else help etc...

Finally do try to see the positive in your situation and evaluate it, if this tends to happen in most of your jobs, maybe you need to change fields to something totally different, work with your strenghts what do you like to do? Can you find a job related to that. Stay strong, I know how hard it is to be unhappy at work and how it can truly disturb your whole life if you let it.

Keep us posted, Best of luck!!!!!

 

[owen's mum]

Thanks for all the advise and encouragement. I will start a serious job search with this Sunday's paper. Hopefully a change to something that interests me like BecyNC suggested. I took this job in a hurry (due to financial need) and I made my decision based on how much I needed a job and the benifits package. I knew that I didn't like the work, but I was hoping it was an environmental thing. I think that a change of position could help a lot.


I guess that I can never really know if the job is the problem or I am the problem if I keep getting the same type of job ! BF has said many times that a crazy person is one that does the same thing over and over expecting different results :eek: ! I must be crazy then !

I'll keep you posted.

Thanks!
Tina