116 replies to this topic

[wicklamulla]

too be honest it's stress yes fooking stress thats driven me near the edge ! bloody job has changed sooooo much over the last 4 years and we (the engineers) are being run ragged and have to attain these ridiculous targets which you have to "duck and dive" to meet Last year i had a terrible time of it workwise and this year started off better (till march anyway) but now i'm fookin having noightmares about the job/stats/managers/etc, fooking nose bleeds too ! and coming home in a foul (not like a crazy chicken) mood, flying off the handle at the slightest genuine innocent comment from Mole (me wife, funny name, short story) calling her a CNUT and storming out of the hoose and going ferra drive in me van to calm down !! i can't take it no more ! we're off on lollidays tomoz ferra week and i'm having a full body( ahh sher theres not alot to me anyways....!) massage afore we go to d'airpooort and get on the plane cos i don't wanna be wound up and have air rage !!!! i can't believe that after 9 years (5 of which have been truely awesome) with the company that i now realise i'm not going to do my planned 30 years of service and retire happy like some of my former collegues have, that thought alone is frightening and disapponiting. I'm after a job as a Tree Surgeons mate which i know i'd like as i have done similar jobs in the past, i just wanna do a good job, keep managers and customers alike happy and get paid every month, is that too much to expect without all of the heart/headache ???????? lets see if i'm true to my word/self and actually change jobs ???!!! me team leader says i should go see me quack and get signed off with stress fer a number of weeks, but a part of me doesn't wanna give in to this. i know i'll only start to relax after 5/6 days away then it'll be 2 more days afore we flay home and back to work again ! ffs me customers love me (modest to the bitter end eh' !) and i'm good at me job but i can't keep going to appraisals and hear nothing but negative stats. while at the same time asking them to look at the positive side of tings ! grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr wheres the viagra, errr sorry vallium !!!!

Edited by wicklamulla, 01 June 2007 - 10:28 am.

[TonyDevil]

Wooky, there are some really interesting things relating to stress in the workplace, some of it is covered under the H&S rules, which means once a cause is identified the company are legally obliged to sort it out.

if you can sit down, calmly & objectively stat facts about the cause, how their change in business practices are causing the problems with your health etc they have to do something about it.

a happy employee is always more productive than an unhappy one

[SteveGlover]

Sorry to hear that Wicky. Nil Illigitimi Carborundum - don't let the b*stards grind you down.
Personally I'd think twice about being signed off on the sick with stress - it'll go on your medical record and then can be used against you at some time in the future "we can't give you a promotion because you suffer from stress, blah, blah". See how you feel after the holiday, you may feel better, a good break from work often does wonders for me.

[wicklamulla]

a good wank might help too i suppose ????!!!!!!!!!

[MarkyMark]

It is them not you.

Take some time off sick - I bet you will not be the only employee in this situation,

Sod the promotion - you'll just end up shovelling the same shit down to some other poor sod.

[Drew48]

gees bad news, get yourself sorted out first , what you don't want is for stress to become depression 'cos thas a real bassad to shift ( if you ever manage to ) & messes up every part of your life

Job wise you've gotta do what makes you happy ( I know easier said than done ) promotions, targets, managers, customers aint woth a shit, put number 1 first as Marks says,

a good wank might help too i suppose ????!!!!!!!!!

cheers for that image

[wicklamulla]

what do you do for a living, Wicky?

Xerox engineer, i work mostly in Devon but our team area is a small part of Somerset and all of Devon and Cornwall, luckily i do less miles now than i did a few years back, all in all i do about 25k a year so it's no to bad, s'just all the udder shoite that goes with the job !

[Quartermaster]

Hi Wick,

I am responsible for H&S at my company and stress is recognised as a serious problem which we are legally obliged to do something about. Indeed your company MUST have completed a risk assessment and stress is certain to be on there (If it's not then shoot the f...ing Health and Safety man). I agree with Toneski, if you can take time out on your break to write down in clear terms exactly what is causing you problems with comparisons between how the job used to be and how it is now, preferably with some actual case studies thrown in, you can speak to your boss when you get back and he will HAVE to do something about it. Any professional company will actively want to sort this out for you as they are likely to lose a decent employee if they don't. Their legal people will also be looking at the implications if you decide to sue them.

Good luck and don't worry, you're not to blame, your company certainly is.

[unclesumo]

Wicky,
You need to develop a dont give a shit attitude! I used to enjoy my job but its turned to crap now due to a huge influx of political correctness & health and safety bollox.
Up till a couple of weeks ago when we changed shifts I was the main lecky on our shift and used to get all the electrical faults to sort out. Guess what I just spent a week at college doing? A basic electrical course(we made an extension lead & wired a motor up)! Now I have to fill a load of paper work in to get an NVQ for it. Only been doing the job 26 years!
Now we have to do all this kaisen crap aswell, what a waste of time that is. I always used to take an interest in the factory & look after my line, not any more, now I just turn up do my bit and take the money. Its not the way I like to work but im that pissed off in there now.
Oh yeah, we make crisps by the way. Not really worth getting upset over is it?

Edited by unclesumo, 01 June 2007 - 01:24 pm.

[Pict]

Sorry to hear that Wicky. Nil Illigitimi Carborundum - don't let the b*stards grind you down.
Personally I'd think twice about being signed off on the sick with stress - it'll go on your medical record and then can be used against you at some time in the future "we can't give you a promotion because you suffer from stress, blah, blah". See how you feel after the holiday, you may feel better, a good break from work often does wonders for me.

I agree with Steve and much of what the others have said. Don't write yourself into the record as "stressed sick" until there's no other route. A break will work wonders - from the sound of it you've been giving 100% plus to the job and customers, so grab some time for yourself, realax frst then after a few days take a look at the situation.

Enjoy your holiday! We'll have a stack of insults waiting for your return!

[danceswithmopeds]

Found the same shite in job after job, starts great, then after a while the petty little paper pushers start throwing stats around to prove their worth(not a joke). Gradually you find you are spending more and more time pushing your own little forest around, and you're still supposed to do your job.
Also found in most places I worked, most useless twats got most praise. Make a big show of doing simplest jobs.
I play them at their own game and document all the wasted hours filling up forms. Feels really good showing how much time is wasted over a month or a year, and how much less time is spent profitably. Parting customers from their cash.
Lucky for me I'm very good with useless statistics.

If all that does'nt work I accidentally blow something up. Takes serious planning to lay the blame on the paper pushing tossers. An uncle of mine showed me how much damage can be done with a paperclip in the right place. Read the specifications carefully to learn how to cause max damage for min effort.

Enjoy your break. Sod them all.

[tony_tony]

knew a guy at work, didn't want to be off sick with stress, booked off with headaches, took a month or two to gather his thoughts, headaches got better, reason unknown, but these things happen, returned to work with a different viewpoint that made it easier getting through the doo doo, just a thought,

Edited by tony_tony, 01 June 2007 - 04:24 pm.

[SwedishChris]

Well, I had a job in ITSupport/Consultant where I was stressed out and not enjoying my self in any way. Asked the boss to fire me (better than to quit in my case) which he did. Worked my last day there the last of february 2007. Now on my third job since then, back as a printer and turning down a job offer in IT sector. I wont leave my printing press, likes it to much.

No impossible expectations from customers, no sales, no pointyhaired boss, just do a good job and punch out when I leave. Heaven.

Go for the job as Tree Surgeon, your life is too short for anything else.

[dbninja]

Wicky me ole mate.......... no job is worth making yourself ill for... its just a feckin job! you fall off the perch and thay find another sucker to fill your boots

go and knock fook outa some trees for a while! you will feel loads better for it loike

this is the voice of experience mate!


Winston churchill (and me dad) used to say... "find sumething you like doing, then find someone daft enough to pay you for doing it!"


have a good holiday mate

dbn

[Yellowasp]

Wicky
I was in the same boat a few years ago. I was an operations manager for an electornics company and the job was getting me down. I was drinking 6 pints a night just to make the next day better, or to forget the day I just had. Woke up one day and thought what the feck am I doing and why. I had the fancy house, fancy company car, fancy wife - still got her ! , big salary, trips all over europe, far east, but the stress wasn't worth it.So I downgraded, got rid of the fancy house, fancy car, fancy wife - nope still got her , and switched to a HGV driver. Life is so much easier. cClock off and thats it. Dont take work home with me, plenty of sleep while I wait for them to unload the trailer and check it.

Go with your heart mate, you live once in this world and the rat race is not worth it.

Best of luck with your decision.

[dapleb]

Tis Tricky Wicky. I'm prolly not the best person to advise ya, so I ain't gonna:P ...but g'luck whatever you decide to do.

[Pict]

Hey Wicky - checked yer PM?

[ChrisG]

Used to share a house with a bloke who hated his job so much he ended up depressed and was signed off work for ages. Then he'd go back in to work, get stressed and depressed, get signed off again, etc, etc. Then as he was always in a mood and never wanted to go out he fell out with his girlfriend and most of his mates. Eventually he packed the job in and moved up to Scotland to help his father who runs a small hotel. Reckoned it was the best thing he'd ever done. If it's getting you down either get it sorted or get out, don't stay there and get even more pissed off, life's too short.