How do you handle hating your job but loving the work environment and/or loving your job and hating the work environment?

[maleene]

Hi all, thank you for your time in reading this. I'm curious about people's thoughts and experiences regarding being a situation of loving your work but hating your work environment, or hating your work and loving your work environment.

- Which situation have you experienced? How did you cope?
- Is it possible to survive in the job long-term in either scenario?

It's been a rough year and after an exhausting search, I finally landed a job and have been been doing it for the last 4 months (it's a work from home position). I had never done work from home before so I didn't have any expectations when I started. I did however, come to LOVE working from home very quickly, it really took me by surprise how much I enjoyed it. My issue though, is that I downright hate my job... my colleagues have no sense of personal time so I'll get text messages before working hours, after working hours, on weekends, public holidays, and on my days off. (Unfortunately I'm not someone who can just ignore Whatsapp messages, I get way too anxious). My workload is intense and my hours are much longer than what was advertised on the job ad or mentioned in the interview. I am also seriously disliking the nature of my job more and more and am trying really hard to find a better fit for myself soon (I'm open to returning to the office if a better job comes along).

At first, I was able to tolerate some of the issues I was dealing with at work because I was so happy with working from home but lately, I have found my anxiety and displeasure with my work catching up and perhaps overtaking. As I'm job hunting, I've also been feeling more and more scared of the possibility that I may end up in a reverse situation of liking my work but hating my environment.

I'm very curious to hear from others who may have experienced either (or both) scenarios and how you handled your it/them? I would greatly appreciate any tips and advice you might have.

Thank you again for your time!

 

[maleene]

Sorry, that first part should say "thank you for taking the time to read this" >.< Thank you again! 

[Foxhall]

7 hours ago, maleene said:

My issue though, is that I downright hate my job... my colleagues have no sense of personal time so I'll get text messages before working hours, after working hours, on weekends, public holidays, and on my days off. (Unfortunately I'm not someone who can just ignore Whatsapp messages, I get way too anxious

Ah that sounds somewhat extreme. You are entitled to your "switch off time " also. I would try and take a stand on this and make it clear to them that am not available on weekends and days off for a start. Perhaps if you had a separate phone for work and private life and switch off the work phone while you are not working or outside of work hours. 

Is it possible for you to operate differently, I mean as a self- employed contractor or something, that you are not as tied to company employment rules and regulations, give you more freedom,

I dont particularly like my work, it is in the accountancy area, however I do operate as described above and I am in control over how many hours I work or do not work on a particular week,

if I had stayed as an employee It just would not suit me- these types of employers will walk all over you. 

 

 

 

Edited September 21, 2021 by Foxhall

[maleene]

Thank you for your advice, Foxhall. I've been contemplating getting a work phone and then locking it in a drawer or somewhere when I'm off the clock, as my colleagues are non-stop with the texts, it's exhausting. I really wish I could work more independently (i.e. being self-employed/work freelance) but unfortunately my present financial situation doesn't allow for it (yet, at least.. here's hoping somewhere down the line that changes).

I've found that with having an environment I love but a job I dislike, I was more tolerant of things that bothered me at first. However, after some time, I can feel the negatives catching up and perhaps even slightly outweighing the positive. I was wondering if you might know what it's like from the opposite end, of having a job you love but an environment you hate? I've been wondering about whether one situation is better than the other, or if they're both the same really, and what the outcome is. I'm sure in some cases people can learn to become ok with the area they're not ok with (job or environment) and in other cases, the area you dislike takes over and drowns out the good feelings (what I'm starting to feel). May I ask if you happen to have had this sort of experience before?

Thank you again for your time

[d0nnivain]

Where are you located & what are the labor laws like where you are?  If you are a non-exempt employee in the US, you may be entitled to be paid for all of the time above an 8 hour work day that you are expected to be on call.  

You claim you are too anxious to ignore messages.  Perhaps that needs to stop & you need better boundaries.  As a work from home employee I doubt you are doing life & death stuff like medicine or responding to a building collapse so if your job is 9-5, make it clear that you will only respond to messages from 8 - 7.  If you were not working from home, the extra hours would be commuting so you'd be devoting some of that time to the job anyway.  

Also speak to the senders about their expectations regarding turn around with respect to their off the clock messages.  My friend sends her assistant messages in the middle of the night (to a work email not the assistant's cell phone) because my friend is up & thinking about whatever.  She does not expect the assistant to respond.  She just wants to unburden her own mind & get the issue into the work queue.  

[Foxhall]

3 hours ago, maleene said:

I was wondering if you might know what it's like from the opposite end, of having a job you love but an environment you hate?

Lets see- my own examples of this,

well there was one job I liked on account of the environment- I enjoyed the people I worked with- the gatherings at breaks and lunch times etc and they were a nice group- they were very interested in my stories from online dating at the time,

I enjoyed the working environment because of that - however I did not like the job itself- there was a cash flow problem in the company and the Directors were edging towards tax fraud and also being unable to pay various people on certain weeks,

Obviously I had no desire to be part of any tax fraud or indeed the other thing telling people who needed the money  that we could not pay them- so had no option but to exit there- but I did miss a number of the colleagues afterwards.

 

the other reverse situation then - of liking the job- but not the environment-

well currently I like that I work my own hours  presently- however I am relatively isolated from work colleagues these days- it can be a bit solitary- so would miss the social aspect of previous roles a few years ago.

I was also involved in teaching work for a while - I enjoyed the preparation for this funnily enough- but then actually going up in front of a group and so on- that was not always the easiest  either- brought certain stresses- a few individuals,

I went into the wrong  career actually- probably could still change although have no strong idea what the other path would be.

Anyways good luck with improving your conditions in this job or with finding a new one.

 

[maleene]

Thank you for sharing, Foxhall! I really appreciate it, it's very eye-opening to hear about others' experiences with jobs/environments that were not the best. Sometimes when I'm going through it, I have the tendency to feel like I'm the only one and there must be something wrong with me to not be able to 'survive' the job/environment. It's good to remember that's not always the case!

6 minutes ago, Foxhall said:

Anyways good luck with improving your conditions in this job or with finding a new one.

 

Thank you for this, and for your encouragement and time!

[maleene]

1 hour ago, d0nnivain said:

Where are you located & what are the labor laws like where you are?  If you are a non-exempt employee in the US, you may be entitled to be paid for all of the time above an 8 hour work day that you are expected to be on call.  

You claim you are too anxious to ignore messages.  Perhaps that needs to stop & you need better boundaries.  As a work from home employee I doubt you are doing life & death stuff like medicine or responding to a building collapse so if your job is 9-5, make it clear that you will only respond to messages from 8 - 7.  If you were not working from home, the extra hours would be commuting so you'd be devoting some of that time to the job anyway.  

Also speak to the senders about their expectations regarding turn around with respect to their off the clock messages.  My friend sends her assistant messages in the middle of the night (to a work email not the assistant's cell phone) because my friend is up & thinking about whatever.  She does not expect the assistant to respond.  She just wants to unburden her own mind & get the issue into the work queue.  

I live outside the US and unfortunately there isn't really any law that mandates off-the-clock time. Sorry, I should have been clearer. For this company I'm at, I've already requested to be removed from some of the group chats I don't need to be in and I've made it a point not to reply to co-workers outside of office hours so they never get a response from me (they seemed to have taken the hint but it's just their way to text a lot anyway).

Sorry, I definitely should have been clearer in my initial message. The texting issue is just one of the issues I'm struggling; I'm pretty unhappy with other elements of my work including the nature of the job so I'm trying my best to find another job soon. The whole experience though really got me thinking about hating your job whilst being in an environment you love. Is it better than being in a job that you love but an environment you hate? Are they more or less the same? Does your enthusiasm (whether it's for your job or your environment) eventually get smothered by the negatives and it's just a matter of time before you're running for the exit? (If you have any experience in this and don't mind sharing, I'd be very curious to know what you did to manage that experience please. But only if you're comfortable sharing! )

Thank you for your time in reading!

 

[Happy Lemming]

When I worked if I had more bad days than good ones... it was time for a change.

It didn't matter if it was the co-workers, the location or the work, if there were more bad days than good ones, I'd call my headhunter/recruiter and tell her I'm ready for a change.  And she'd always find me something new and challenging.

 

[maleene]

12 hours ago, Happy Lemming said:

When I worked if I had more bad days than good ones... it was time for a change.

It didn't matter if it was the co-workers, the location or the work, if there were more bad days than good ones, I'd call my headhunter/recruiter and tell her I'm ready for a change.  And she'd always find me something new and challenging.

 

That's a really good point. I remember being in a work environment that was so toxic, I had to run from there as soon as possible. Even if I had loved my job (it was ok at the time, not the worst) I don't think I could've managed in that environment. I completely agree with you that if the bad days outnumber the good days, a change is necessary.

Thank you for sharing your experience!

[glows]

You may be jumping the gun deciding you dislike this job as it's only four months. I'd be careful about appearing flighty or jumping from company to company. Once or twice is fine but be prepared for questions in subsequent job interviews. This doesn't mean stay in a position that is horrible. Only weigh the positives and negatives carefully. 

Speak directly to your boss or the person you report to to discuss expectations answering messages or emails. You do not need to have a discussion with your colleagues or appease them. You only need to concern yourself with the person you report to. Ignore any non work-related chatter in Whatsapp. If there's anything urgent outside of work hours, clarify with your manager or supervisor about what you should do in that case. In most situations you will be dealing with it the next business day during business hours. 

Don't create problems for yourself as this is a new position. Give it a chance and see where it leads. Good luck. 

[czanclus]

What is 'work environment'?

I worked in an office for an industrial engineering firm in NW Indiana some years ago. You couldn't discern that building from an industrial storage unit nested within the neighboring steel mills and factories. Popcorn ceilings, anti-slip metal stairs, 1970s (OK, 1980s) synthetic carpet, communal microwave and fridge, oohh... a hot water dispenser, the works... If you didn't bring your own food, you'd be driving 6-8 miles out to a local joint, or about 3 to the nearest Walgreens or gas station for lunch to sustain you through the day. Granted, they were not cheap on the hardware/software of the machines we needed to do the calcs on. When the new management came along and blew the budget on fancifying the said synthetic carpet with 'hardwood' floor panels, mesh rotating chairs, and a 3D printer (by now I wouldn't be surprised if there was a Keurig type of coffee maker and a chrome-plated fridge), it did just that - blow the budget. But it was the (non-management) people and the work flow/support/cooperation that made that place the best working environment ever.

So I'd take that place, all with a 1.2 hour commute (and more if you wanna avoid the Skyway tolls), over some hyper-modernized office with a frothy latte maker, a kombucha stocked fridge, a quinoa/acai bowl delivery service, a hammock under the table, and a butt-massaging ergonomic chair inhabited by sterile soulless pleasantry-dispensing impeccably groomed humanoids ANY DAY. A grand, much more nuanced spectrum spans the two possibilities, but at the end of any day, it's the people that make the dream job magic happen.