When does a job become not worth it?

[pontifex]

I've never just upped and quit a job before. I've been at every job I've had for 4 years before moving on to something better or being laid off.

After tonight, I don't feel like going back in on Monday.

I've been working 2nd shift in a call center for the last 6 months. $15 an hour on contract, no vacation time, no benefits.

I've had multiple panic attacks over the last few weeks. Stress levels are through the roof. I've even had panic attacks outside of work just thinking about it.

We've had several people leave over the last few months without replacements brought in.

Because so many people have left, the workload has been greatly increased amongst the remaining employees.

I seem to be working later and later each day because there is too much work and
I can't get it all done in a normal 8 hour shift.

They keep adding more and more bullshit stuff for us to do when creating cases. I see no point for at least half of it, if not more.

Very little training is provided to begin with (which sucks ass and doesn't prepare you for the job) and training afterwards is extremely sparse and we're required to deal with more and new issues every day, things we've never been trained for.

I can't get overtime and if I can't get out of work on time, there's no way i'll be able to get everything done and leave early on comp time.

I'm feeling even more depressed than I usually do and what little motivation I had before is totally gone now.

I get irritable extremely easily lately. I lose focus and I've been talking to myself during work just to keep track of the things I need to do.

2nd shift sucks. What little social life I had is no completely gone because of this and the stress levels. I haven't talked to my best friend in weeks. I don't feel like doing anything but watching TV and movies. I barely even touch my video games any more.

I've had very few decent, fresh meals since taking this job. Most things I eat for lunch before work are frozen and I am eating a lot of fast food for dinner at work.


At what point is it not worth it? When does your happiness and health come before a job?

The only thing keeping me here this long is that I've only had 1 interview over the last 6 months or so for any job I've applied to and that was a $10 hour PC repair shop. I've applied to entry level jobs, jobs at my skill level, and even jobs above my skill level. It seems stupid to quit now without any prospects but I don't know how much longer I can deal with this job.

 

[zerocool84]

That's only for you to figure out. Everyone has different breaking points.

 

[xanis]

That sounds exactly like my job, except it's actually shittier and I get paid less than you do. Have I ever thought about just quitting? Hell yes. Will I do it? Probably not. I don't want to burn any bridges, and let's face it... the way things are these days, I'm not about to be picky.

 

[Goosemaster]

I stayed at my last job way too long and it too affected me in the ways you have discovered above. I alienated friends and family, my personal life died, and as a result I was very unhappy.

If you have other prospects get out now, but otherwise just calm down and work to get out of there.

 

[pontifex]

I used to complain about my last job quite a bit, but that was mostly because of my previous supervisor. I was just thinking today that I would love to have my old job back - it was 100x better than this ever will be.

 

[lxskllr]

I walked out on my job a couple of years ago. I came in at lunch. dropped off my cell phone and truck keys, and went home. The work load was too great, and I was getting panic attacks also. The boss came to my house a couple of days later, gave me more money, and less work so I reluctantly went back. It was a little better afterwards, but I was still burned out on the job. I'm currently layed off, and looking for another industry to get into.

I guess what I'm saying, is no job's worth your sanity. I'd rather be homeless than hate every day of my life because of a job. Both situations are miserable, but at least with homelessness you have freedom.

 

[CRXican]

you could try asking for a raise

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: Xanis
That sounds exactly like my job, except it's actually shittier and I get paid less than you do. Have I ever thought about just quitting? Hell yes. Will I do it? Probably not. I don't want to burn any bridges, and let's face it... the way things are these days, I'm not about to be picky.

exactly my issue here, although even i do quit or move on, i hope to never have to work at this place again. The 1st and previous time I worked call center I swore I would never do it again. After this, I have to make good on that promise to myself.


I talked to another staffing agency about 2 weeks ago and they have some jobs coming up that they think i would qualify for, but no idea what that entails yet, and i would still be a contractor. there's also no guarrantee that i'll get any of these jobs either. at least with this agency i can get health/eye/dental insurance.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: CRXican
you could try asking for a raise

they don't even give their permanent employees raises, I highly doubt they'll give a contractor one. There are people working there who have been there for several years still making the same wage they made when they were contractors. There are no promotions either, no where to go but outside of the company.

oh, and a raise would not change my mind about the job. it would have to be an extremely large one to even begin thinking about changing my mind.

 

[BoomerD]

I used to quit jobs on a whim. Hell, some years, I changed jobs faster than most people change their socks...

One morning, I showed up at work and apparently, my boss had had words with one of the owner representatives about something.
He was on a tirade...mad as hell at everyone. 15 minutes before starting time, he started yelling at me for something that had nothing to do with me.
I turned the crane off, grabbed my hard hat and lunch box and headed to my pick up.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" he yelled.

"Home," I replied. "If I want to be yelled at, I have a wife who can do that better than you." "Call the hall and find someone else."

20 minutes later, I had a dispatch for another job.

Sometimes, the aggravation factor outweighs the financial benefit of a job.

When it gets to that point, it's always better to find another job rather than continue to be miserable in your current job.

In this economy however, I strongly advise finding another one before you tell them to fuck off.

 

[CRXican]

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: CRXican
you could try asking for a raise

they don't even give their permanent employees raises, I highly doubt they'll give a contractor one. There are people working there who have been there for several years still making the same wage they made when they were contractors. There are no promotions either, no where to go but outside of the company.

Sounds terrible, my last job didn't have much room for advancement but kept piling on new duties. I stayed the last year I was there because I demanded a $3/hr raise and got it.

Even though I liked the people I worked with, I needed a fair wage.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: CRXican

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: CRXican
you could try asking for a raise

they don't even give their permanent employees raises, I highly doubt they'll give a contractor one. There are people working there who have been there for several years still making the same wage they made when they were contractors. There are no promotions either, no where to go but outside of the company.

Sounds terrible, my last job didn't have much room for advancement but kept piling on new duties. I stayed the last year I was there because I demanded a $3/hr raise and got it.

Even though I liked the people I worked with, I needed a fair wage.

yeah, i like most of the people i work with its just the job that sucks. The supervisor I have now is probably the best supervisor I've ever had, but all of the BS is from corporate, not him, so there isn't anything he can do.

 

[Ruptga]

Originally posted by: lxskllr
I walked out on my job a couple of years ago. I came in at lunch. dropped off my cell phone and truck keys, and went home. The work load was too great, and I was getting panic attacks also. The boss came to my house a couple of days later, gave me more money, and less work so I reluctantly went back. It was a little better afterwards, but I was still burned out on the job. I'm currently layed off, and looking for another industry to get into.

I guess what I'm saying, is no job's worth your sanity. I'd rather be homeless than hate every day of my life because of a job. Both situations are miserable, but at least with homelessness you have freedom.

And you can always break a few windows if you get tired of living on the street.

Srsly though, I kinda know what you mean. I've never had a job so bad, but I was quite burnt out and bitter when I turned in my two-weeks' on my last job. There comes a point where the BS has to stop, but you're the only one that knows the situation well enough to be able to figure out where that point is.

For me it was when I could no longer do my job. Cliffs version is that someone important retired last year, dumbasses still had no replacement for him even though a good six months had passed since he retired (forget how long it had been since they knew he'd be retiring), that guy's work wasn't getting done, and I simply couldn't do my job if his duties weren't being covered. I talked about it a bit with my boss, after a few more days he hadn't done anything about it, I turned in my notice, and that was that.

 

[ChaoZ]

Once your health comes into play, it's time to walk.

 

[CRXican]

don't forget about health insurance

 

[spikespiegal]

seem to be working later and later each day because there is too much work and.....I can't get overtime and if I can't get out of work on time, there's no way i'll be able to get everything done and leave early on comp time.

If you're getting paid for 8 hours and working 9 (or not getting paid OT) then it's your fault for putting up with it. Overtime laws are established by state and federal governments, not your employer. While smaller private companies try to get away with squeezing hours out of employees during tough times, larger ones with legal departments usually don't try this. Class action lawsuits are bad for stock prices.

So, as bad as the job is, if you aren't allowed to work more than 'N' hours, then leave - even if the phones are ringing.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: spikespiegal

seem to be working later and later each day because there is too much work and.....I can't get overtime and if I can't get out of work on time, there's no way i'll be able to get everything done and leave early on comp time.

If you're getting paid for 8 hours and working 9 (or not getting paid OT) then it's your fault for putting up with it. Overtime laws are established by state and federal governments, not your employer. While smaller private companies try to get away with squeezing hours out of employees during tough times, larger ones with legal departments usually don't try this. Class action lawsuits are bad for stock prices.

So, as bad as the job is, if you aren't allowed to work more than 'N' hours, then leave - even if the phones are ringing.

yeah, that probably works when jobs are so easy to find....

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Some people really need to learn rational detachment. Yeah take your job seriously, but unless you are the owner of the company I wouldn't stress out at all if things are going too fast or going horribly. When you get home you really need to get your mind off of work. It truly doesn't matter anymore.

I work in loss prevention for a major retailer. You want to talk about stress? First of all, if I fuck up and apprehend someone who suddenly dropped merchandise I would be fired immediately or placed on final warning. There would go the secondary income for my family which would fuck us all over. Secondly, I have people fighting me often when apprehending them. Do you get punched in the face while you are at work? Also, as LP we seriously only catch about 5% of theft. Imagine if 19 of those 20 phone calls were left on hold and your boss is pressuring you to pick them all up at once and resolve them.

Seriously, we're in a shit ass economy. Don't even do something so stupid as to not showing up for work. If you were in my area my unemployed brother would happily take you job for a dollar or two less per hour.

 

[CRXican]

excellent point

You can do a good job without taking everything personally. That's especially true if you know you're doing a good job. If other people get stressed and bent out oof shape, let them but don't let it bother you. It's a call center, it's not life or death...

 

[BoomerD]

Just remember...FUCK STRESS! Stress can't bother you if you just don't care.

(that doesn't mean don't do your job...just don't take things personally, leave the dammed job at the door at the end of the workday.)

 

[SunnyD]

As a contractor, does your contract state you hours per week? If so, either keep track of your end-of-shift during the week and "adjust" your hours on the last day of your work week, or simply hang up your call at the end of an 8-hour shift. Basically, they can't do shit about it - except fire you. Good thing about being fired is that you'll get unemployment if you get fired.

 

[Wheezer]

Originally posted by: zerocool84
That's only for you to figure out. Everyone has different breaking points.

 

[shortylickens]

I never quit either. Always waited until I was fired.
BUT, I do admit most jobs at some point or another have made me angry and I often asked if enough was finally enough.

First job was at the bakery of a grocery store. I wasnt fast enough and they fired me. Easy. Never had time to ponder if it was too much.

In the Navy I had the problem constantly for the first 3 years. Often wondered why the hell I had joined. But its not like you can just quit the Navy. I managed to work through it and things were OK for a while. Then in my last year there were more problems and I finally had enough. Didnt quit. Just waited for my time to be up and then I was done.

Hynix went out of business so I didnt have to quit them. Also, they made me crazy too but I dont wanna think about it.

Tektronix was good but they were starting to go downhill. Lucky for me I actually worked for Addecco, their contractor, and didnt have to quit that either. When my contract was up I asked for more money. They said they couldnt do it. I said "KTHNXBY!" and left.

 

[Nik]

Welcome to the world of call centers. Burnout average is 18 months, many places.

When work starts to negatively affect your personal life, it's time to move on.

 

[trmiv]

Call center work never 'becomes' not worth it. It starts not worth it and remains that way forever.