New productivity software at work driving me nuts.

[Lakewood90712]

Or maybe I should say further over the edge

Staff cutbacks of 40 % over 2 years and no workload decrease. Management solution ? more software , and data entry tasks . Totally sucks and takes even more time away from field investigation and criminal filings (the actual job). Oh, almost forgot, 10% pay cut from furloughs.

Oh and meetings about same , you must remain silent , or risk punishment. Prob. not a unique situation.

The "let's go outside for a few" shouting matches outside of earshot of others, with first and second level management are almost weekly now.
( this is the only method of "Feedback" that can be used in the agency without fear of punishment).

Getting real close to seeking a leave for work related stress.

14 mos. to go , Add eldercare duties and I'm about to Implode.

Sorry for the rant , Thank's I just have to vent.

[Meadbh]

You have my sympathies. Take the stress leave. Keep your eye on the goal.

[Aiming_4_55]

Sorry to hear the challenges. It's becoming more common. I just posted a tad of a rant on my job situation.

You are much closer to your goal than I so investigate a stress leave or vacation. Internal transfer possible?

Again sorry for your current challenges.

[FreeAtLast]

Sounds like some time off is in order. Then you can go back and finish out the 14 months. I will go fast.

[willywonka]

Lakewood, this sounds so familiar. Maybe you need a short vacation now to decompress, during which you can plan out a long vacation to celebrate your departure in 14 months. In the meantime, I recommend that you practice your internal "not MY problem" attitude, while maintaining your external "oh, this is fascinating and so much fun", demeanor.

I got increasingly proficient at this in my last year before retirement. And in retrospect, if I had tried to give my usual full effort to the job, nothing I could have done would have made any difference to the systemic problems similar to what you describe.

[spirit]

Boy, does this post take me back 3 years. I was there and I actually did take 1 month off to get my bearings and decide if I could take the stress of my job or just retire a few years early. (Even that action had its own stress) Trouble was I truly loved my job most days and really felt I was making a difference. Leaving the world a little better off by being there kind of thing. I know I did make a difference because my students and some fellow coworkers believed in me. So....I decided to go back because...for all of the above but now one more. I feel so sorry for the young ones in my profession. When I started society cut us some slack in order to learn on the job and make mistakes. My job was always tough (I work with "at risk" students) but there was SOME support. Nowadays it is a dog eat dog mentality. But...I am a professional and I do not have to lower myself to standards I do not believe in. I got away from the values I was being dragged down by and decided to conduct myself according to the values I was raised with and believed in. In all my actions I try to model my beliefs. It does not always happen but I am trying my hardest. I love my profession and value it. I believe most of my students and parents respect me. 50% of our young teachers leave the profession before 5 years. I still have some strength to give back to a society that is in some deep trouble. I do not like golf Good luck with your decision.

[freebird5825]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lakewood90712 Getting real close to seeking a leave for work related stress. 14 mos. to go , Add eldercare duties and I'm about to Implode. Sorry for the rant , Thank's I just have to vent.

Ever heard of the FMLA ? Family Medical and Leave Act of 1993.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_...ve_Act_of_1993

If you can afford to do this, go for it.

So sorry to hear about your toxic w*rk environment. Hang in there.

[jayc]

The end is in sight. Work at a relaxed pace for the 8 hours you are there. Check out the FMLA for the eldercare, burn a few vacation days, throw in a sick day each month and the actual days at work for those 14 months will fly by. Now is NOT the time to snap. Only worry about the things you can control. I used to look at it compared to outside construction work in the heat of summer or the cold of winter:

Getting paid to push on plastic keys in air conditioned surroundings isn't the worse way to make a living.

[Meadbh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayc Getting paid to push on plastic keys in air conditioned surroundings isn't the worse way to make a living.

Very true!

Dirty Jobs : Discovery Channel

[Lakewood90712]

Thank you everyone for the kind words and advise .

Leaving in 14 mo. will be a small differed retirement, with the minimum 10 years of service for a 50 % medical insurance subsidy. That is the only reason I stayed this long.

Before civil service , a few years contracting , several small employers , and 19 yrs at mega-corp leaves me with no retiree medical. Buying individual guarnteed issue medical here in CA with pre-existing conditions would come close the entire pension benefit. Who knows about future premium increases.