r/work • • Jul 18 '26

I've moderated this sub for six years and never introduced myself. Doing that now.

11 Upvotes

I've been the top moderator here since 2020, and r/work itself has been going since 2008, which is longer than most of us have held any of the jobs we complain about šŸ˜†

For most of that time I stayed out of the way. The sub mostly ran itself. I've been too hands-off this year and a few things got away from me, so I'm going to be around more. It seemed right to say about what's going on.

What changed this week

  • The mod team is smaller. Earlier this year I gave full permissions to someone I hadn't worked with, which I shouldn't have done, and I've reversed it. Anyone who joins the team from here goes through an application and starts with limited access.

  • I rewrote the AutoModerator rules. The old ones were removing posts from new accounts, which meant a lot of people tried to post and then left. Those go to a queue now and a human looks at them. If you posted here in the last couple of months and it vanished, that's probably what happened, and I'm sorry. In the short term, that queue might take time. But as we grow the mod team we'll be on top of it (more on that below).

  • There's a Friday vent thread starting this week, for whatever happened at work that you need to put somewhere. If it goes well I'll add a Monday check-in for the smaller stuff that doesn't need its own post.

I'm looking for two or three more moderators

Applications are open in the sidebar. I'd rather have people who already read and post here than people who moderate a lot of other subs. You don't need experience. You need to be around regularly, be nice to people who are having a bad day, and want to help this be a better place for everyone.

That's it. What would make this a better place to spend time?


r/work • • 1d ago

Friday Vent Thread — what happened at work this week?

0 Upvotes

Some weeks you just need to put it somewhere, so put it here. The bad meeting, the manager, the policy that makes no sense, the thing your coworker said on Tuesday that you're still thinking about. Big or small, it all counts.

Two things to keep this useful. No real names of people or companies. And go easy on each other in the replies. Not everyone wants advice, so if you do want it, say so and you'll get it.

So how was your week?


r/work • • 23m ago

Questions Would you leave right after a promotion for 25% more pay, even if your team really needs you?

• Upvotes

I’ve been with my current company for several years and genuinely like the people, flexibility, and work-life balance. But I felt stuck career-wise. I started looking elsewhere.

Ironically, while interviewing, my company promoted me with a 7.5% raise. Around the same time, I got another offer paying about 25% more than my new salary, which I’ve accepted.

I also play an important role on the team, have some major project deadlines coming up, and a key coworker will be out for an extended period. On top of that, the company has recently invested in my professional development.

Now I feel pretty guilty about leaving at such an inconvenient time.

Am I overthinking this? Would managers see this as burning a bridge? How would you handle the resignation conversation? And is it okay to keep my next employer private?

I genuinely want to leave on good terms without making things awkward.


r/work • • 1d ago

Workplace Challenges and Conflicts My new job has an awkward badge policy

2.2k Upvotes

If you see someone without a visible badge, you’re supposed to challenge them. No exceptions.

Second week here, I asked a guy in our work area if he had a badge. He checked his pockets, apologized, and went back for it.

My supervisor waited until he left to tell me I’d just sent the director back to his office. Would’ve been nice to meet him under slightly less mall cop circumstances.


r/work • • 2h ago

Workplace Challenges and Conflicts How do you handle it when everyone avoid sitting with you in meetings?

3 Upvotes

I have noticed something at work that’s been bothering me and i am not sure how to handle it. I have a social anxiety.

Whenever we have meetings it seems like my coworkers deliberately avoid sitting next to me. People will choose other seats even when there are seats available beside me. It’s happened enough times that I i am starting to wonder whether I am overthinking it or if there’s something going on. Last friday there was a professional workshop and I had no one sitting woth me and the host gave a group activity. I panicked and left the workshop without no explanation even worse I am on 3 months probation. I dont want to do it again but not sure how.

Has anyone experienced something similar? How did you handle it? Would you address it directly to your boss about it?

I would appreciate honest advice especially from people who have dealt with workplace exclusion or awkward team dynamics


r/work • • 10h ago

Workplace Challenges and Conflicts Dealing with very "direct" individuals at work.

12 Upvotes

Anyone else have a hard time dealing with very direct leads? The types who don't know the definition of subtle, nor sugar coat anything. Just direct an leaning on rude, even if you do your job right 99 percent of the time. So frustrating.

Im well respected, been at my job 5 years, but from time to time I may have difficulty grasping certain things. One of my leads is very direct. I tend to take things to heart and beat myself up, so it can be tough. Am I alone? Why am I still questioning his methods when I already know my co worker is like this?

Thanks in advance. 47/m, blue collar worker btw.


r/work • • 2h ago

Workplace Challenges and Conflicts I'm still the spare despite not being the newest worker anymore

3 Upvotes

I started at my current job in a clothing/jewellery store 1,5 years ago. I was originally there as a summer extra but continued working after the summer. I was the "called to work when needed" worker because at that time they were fully staffed.

I really like my job and I get along perfectly well with everyone and my boss too. But now after 1,5 years there are two new workers who started after me and somehow they get more hours than me. They usually have 2-3 shifts a week while I just went for two months without any shifts (I get to work full time in the summer and during christmas bc those are the busiest and best selling seasons).

I don't know why this is the case. I know the two newest workers have more experience than me, and they have worked in similar stores previously. But no one has ever said anything about my performance being poor, and personally I feel like I do my job well. I've even got feedback from customers that I do well in customer service.

I'm constantly looking for a better job but it makes me sad that I have to do it, because I really enjoy my current job. I like the customers and I like my coworkers. But I know something isn't right.


r/work • • 5h ago

Questions Coworker keeps stealing tobacco

3 Upvotes

I'm working in a decorating store, we all roll our own cigs, but one coworker steals other people's tobacco, is there a way to punish his stealing habits without knowing I did it, is there a tobacco to give him the shits or any other effects?


r/work • • 9h ago

Workplace Challenges and Conflicts How do I deal with a bully cooworker

6 Upvotes

I (20F) am having repeated issues with this woman (24F) at my workplace. She also has a known history of being like this. Apparently customers have complained to the bosses before because they heard how she talked to the girl that worked here before me.

When I first joined everyone would joke with me "oh don't let her bully you! Don't let her pick on you"

But they're also actually all friends with her. Everyone there has been working together for 3 years, 1 year minimum. I've been here for 9 months.

She was actually super nice to me when I first joined and then one day about 2-3 months in she totally switched up. She HATES me. Shes actually also started being nice to everyone else and only rude to me, but in ways that are so perfect that I can't say anything.

It will just be like actively ignoring me, inviting everyone out to something Infront of me, or yelling at me/telling me off to the very maximum amount of acceptability if I ever make a mistake.

Today for example I ran over to the barista bar while we were in a rush and asked about the drink she was ACTIVELY making "____, does that drink have alcohol in it?" Because my table wanted to confirm it was a mocktail. She said "check the menu". I was like "please can u just tell me if it has alcohol" and she said "check the menu." So then I have to go to the other side of the restaurant to find a menu and check it. Great.

It doesn't even sound that bad but it really is. Like for example as well, my brother (16) was really ill at the start of this year and in hospital for like 4 months getting heart and lung surgeries. She would constantly just give passive aggressive side eyes to me at work if I had to leave early or keep my phone on me (even though I had the bosses FULL support) But then when our other cooworkers roommate was in the hospital, we all supported her and came into help. Including me covering her shifts. And this bully went all out showing public support and affection but almost in a way where she wanted me to see, like she'd do it Infront of me and looking at me a little bit. It was so weird

At the same time I don't feel like I can complain about any of this because she's been here 3+ years, is the best barista and is friends with the managers that already know she's like this.

What do I do in this situation? I'm deciding I'm going to leave at the end of November which is the soonest I can. But what about in the meantime?


r/work • • 8m ago

Workplace Challenges and Conflicts Our ā€œfinancial wellness benefitā€ is literally just more webinars

• Upvotes

My company has been talking a lot about employee financial wellness lately.

I finally checked out what they’re offering and it’s basically a collection of prerecorded webinars.

Make a budget. Save for retirement. Understand compound interest.

None of that is wrong, but it feels like the financial version of telling a stressed employee to download a meditation app.

If someone is dealing with credit card debt, a mortgage renewal or trying to support aging parents, a generic video isn’t going to answer their questions.

Do any employers offer actual one-on-one financial help as a benefit? I’d be curious whether employees use it or if it just becomes another forgotten EAP service.


r/work • • 1d ago

Employment Rights and Fair Compensation Got written up as a ā€œno call no showā€ because the shift change was only posted in the app

201 Upvotes

I work part time at the front desk of a small clinic, almost two years now. Every Sunday the manager sent the schedule for the whole team in a group text, and there was also a printout in the break room. My days were almost always Thursday/Friday, so I just checked the text to see if anything changed for me.

Last month they moved the schedule to an app. My manager mentioned it at the end of a shift, but nobody said the texts and the printout would stop. My days stayed the same for the whole month, so I didn’t notice that anything was missing.

I couldn’t install the app anyway. My phone is an old hand me down, and the store says the app doesn’t support my system version. A lot of apps don’t work on it, so I use websites for most things, even chesscom, biggerz etc., I play in the browser. Two weeks ago my Thursday shift was moved to Wednesday. The change went out in the app on Monday night. I don’t work Monday or Tuesday, so nobody told me in person. I found out when my manager called me on Wednesday and asked where I was. Now I have a write-up for no call no show. I asked how I was supposed to know, and she said checking the app is part of the job now.
I asked if they would give me a device for it, and she laughed.

Later I found out the app also has a web login.
Nobody told us about it, and the web version doesn’t send notifications, so I would have to log in every day to check for changes.

I don’t think my personal phone should be a job requirement, especially when the app is the only place they post changes.

Is a write-up fair when the change was posted only in the app, and if you pushed back on something like this, did it go anywhere, or did you end up buying a new phone?


r/work • • 13m ago

Employment Rights and Fair Compensation Screw all my bosses fr

• Upvotes

I know I’m a good employee that can handle high stress and client flow but GAAWWWD DAMN. I need to stop showing employers I’m good at my job bc I currently want to kms. I try to take it as a compliment but that’s not gonna get me paid more or give me time off. They literally left me as soon as I finish my training to go out of the country and funny enough they were like ā€œoh on this day it’s really busy there’s NO WAY someone can handle it on their own.ā€ And wtf am I doing? HANDLING IT ON MY OWN. I’m literally going to jump into traffic. I can’t believe I just started this job and I’m already dealing with some bullshit. Really thought these bosses would be better. Working over 40 hrs bc that’s what my contract said yea fucking bull. If that’s the case they’re not abiding by any of my non negotiables either god I hate this stupid fucking corporate America bull shit. Sorry I’m in a bad ass mood too.


r/work • • 15m ago

Workplace Challenges and Conflicts I think i might get fired

• Upvotes

So I ended up making a mistake at work and I think i might get fired.

So some backstory. I work in a nursery, and I’m actually good at my job. I love kids and i have a good relationship with my coworkers and boss.

What was basically I made a scheduling mistake. I used to work full time and now I work 50% due to me having school. My boss was nice enough to let me be in charge of the schedule.

This Friday my coworker was supposed to Eirik but I had not written that in the schedule. My boss called me and was obviously angry because no one had showed up (expect the coworker who works full time). My boss told me that this can’t happen and that I might have to find another job. This was all over the phone.

I texted her today and apologised and told her to let me know if there is something I can do to make up for what I did. She told me that we will talk about this on Monday and to have a nice weekend.

I am so scared for Monday. I have been crying for hours. I don’t know what to do. I live in Norway where it is quite hard to fire somebody. I have only been late one time to work before. I don’t even know what I expect from posting this. I’m just terrified. I don’t want to get fired, and I don’t want a bad letter of recommendation. I’m trying to think of the best possible outcome which is my boss telling me that she has to be in charge of the schedule which I will happily oblige to.

I have worked there for 4 months and its the first job I have had that I actually liked. I’m 20 years old and only started working last year. I feel life such a loser for already messing up this bad.

Any advice, similar stories, or anything that can help would be much appreciated.


r/work • • 26m ago

Workplace Challenges and Conflicts I am burnt out and Tired

• Upvotes

I'm a manager in a pharmaceutical company in Latin America (Caribbean based) , theyre indian based. I left the company 10months ago after I found out I wasnt being paid the average starter Salary which was already horrible mistreatment. After I left 4 months later my country manager called me back with not a better salary than I currently was working for but a better position. I took the position more for my resume more than anything. Little did I know what I signed up for.

As a medical representative you get an incentive. I got a manger position with more work and responsibilites, making less salary than my peers with no incentive programme all because I'm younger. I have worked 6 days a week since getting this position, I have done the job of supervisor, manager and representative. I have worked late nights and early mornings and even worked 24 hours this past weekend with no remorse.

This took a toll on my health and I begun to get sick more easily and even got stressed related vertigo and aneamia. Now my company i'm employed under wants to take my sick leaves as 'non paid leave' and cut my salary for the next two months.

I just spent the last two hours sobbing. I work like a dog, get treated like a dog and even get paid like one as well. I am so saddened and fustrated I am currently thinking about going backwards in my career. I no longer wish to be a manager if these are all the 'gifts' that come with being in upper management.


r/work • • 1h ago

Workplace Challenges and Conflicts Dealing with a co-worker who is rude, stupid and refuses to be helped (unless they ask for help)

• Upvotes

Hi. I know the answer will probably be ā€œlet your manager deal with itā€, but I just wanted some people’s insight.

I am recently employed at a company. I have my 6 month review this upcoming week. It’s a small engineering company, maybe 11-14 people in total. There are 4 who work in our office.

1 persona in the office is extremely difficult. She is the ā€œMarketing and Sales Coordinatorā€. She has no engineering background.

I do not want to be the person to tell someone else how to do their job. I try to remain as approachable and helpful as I can, but whenever I offer advice to them they get defensive, insist my advice is not needed and can often be quite rude to me. What’s frustrating is that these discussions will ONLY happen when the other 2 people are NOT in the office, specially when our MD is not in the office.

I will give a recent example:

We did some on-site work (we do industrial cleaning) for a customer for free. This was a ā€œsample testā€, to see if our products could achieve the result they wanted. I was asked to photograph and video the process. This is for two reasons:

A) I am trained to trained hazardous areas so can get closer to what needs to be filmed

B) In previous attempts the marketing employee has shown they produce low quality photos/videos (pixelated and not really focusing on what needs to be focused on).

To be helpful, I took the videos/photos in 4k/6k from my phone. I then uploaded them to a shared drive (and ensured no quality was lost). I sent out an email to everyone, including the marketing employee (who didn’t take part in the testing) so they knew where to find the videos/photos. I suggested we could make a LinkedIn post about it as the videos looked great.

She did not like that idea. Once everyone had left the office, she told me that she thought the videos were amateur and unprofessional, and had no ā€œactual relevanceā€. She said they had buffering and stuttering in. I told her the videos are relevant because an actual customer sent in these samples for us to trial. I told her that any real industrial cleaning site would look like the site in the video. I told her the buffering and stuttering didn’t display on my computer, but perhaps she didn’t let the videos fully load as they are high resolution.

She said the LinkedIn needs to be ā€œperfectā€ because ā€œI am a perfectionist and I don’t think bog-standard videos will doā€. To be honest I was astounded.

She sent me pictures of what photos she uses on the LinkedIn already. The photos she sent me are copy pasted from a PPE supplier’s website (we don’t even sell that brand of PPE). She then sent me a photo of a rusty cargo ship in a dry dock. She said that photo has ā€œmore of a storyā€ and ā€œmore of a wow factorā€. It has little to do with what we actually do (technically we could industrial cleaning site that, but there is no reference to that in the photo). The photo is not ours, it’s pixelated, it has another companies logo on and no information about where the dry dock is or what ship it is. I hate to be rude, but I am genuinely shocked by her stupidity.

Has anyone dealt with co-workers who refuse to be helped or accept advice from other people?

I am not the only one who has issues with her. I have realised that almost everyone in the workplace believes she is extremely difficult to work with and communicate with. She has digitally locked me and others employees out of ā€œher foldersā€ (the marketing folder) for ā€œmeddlingā€ with her work and ruining her projects.

She has used AI to generate and sharpen images of our products to be used in marketing brochures, which significantly changes the look of the product, so much that it’s almost unrecognisable. When she printed several copies of her AI generated brochure and we pointed out the images were pixelated and not our units, she insisted that it must have been the printing company we used (as far as I’m concerned a printing company will print a 1:1 copy of what you send them)

Even basic tasks like last week I asked her to change the picture in a datasheet and the text below it to something else. She at first only did the picture, then I said you need to update the text (she did not like being told that), and when she finally did it it’s a different font size and font colour than everything else. I feel like it’s almost intentional.

I am at my wits end. I have a 6 month review with my manager / the MD next week and I’m hoping to raise some points about the difficulty. The company is really struggling with Marketing, and I know it’s not her full-time job (Sales coordinating eats up a lot of her time), but when I try and offer help I feel like an idiot for trying.

Does anyone have any experience or advice at dealing with a co worker like this at a small company?


r/work • • 2h ago

Workplace Challenges and Conflicts Overwhelmed and Boss Could Care Less

1 Upvotes

I've been with my company for 5 years with my current position being for 2 - 3. My risk role isn't leadership but could be considered adjacent as I delegate tasks to people and provide coaching as needed. My supervisor is the person over our team and an assistant manager. Current supervisor took over after my former got promoted

During my role, I've had 3 supervisors where the role has changed

1) Worry about risk, but supervisor has actual control over everything

2) Take full control of risk and assign tasks to supervisor and assistant manager as necessary (but rare occasions)

3) Have control over risk, but don't delegate anything to supervisor or AM

We control a portfolio of around 800 accounts, showing we have 130ish accounts per person on my team. To manage, we have a workbook I delegate tasks through. Lower peers are overwhelmed due to other personnel tasks they have ongoing. When I've asked new Sup and AM for help, I was told by my sup's boss this was inappropriate.

I've been under this new management for at least 6 months now and the workload increases. Last week, I had a disagreement with my supervisor over priorities. During this conversation, I stated how overwhelmed I was and how I felt I couldn't ask for help and at the EOD, it really doesn't matter what my thoughts are. My supervisor stared at me the whole time I spoke and then said "OK, so your priorities are ABC". No cookie cutter response of "I understand you're frustrated, let's discuss this when we're not as busy" or anything additional.

I'm curious what thoughts are here. I've never had someone blatantly show no recognition and stone wall. I'm getting to the point of finding new work if I can't change departments


r/work • • 4h ago

Professional Development and Skill Building I keep making stupid mistakes at work even though I'm trying my best. Am I just not smart enough for this job?

0 Upvotes

I'm 18F and currently doing a two-week trial at a flower shop. After the two weeks, my boss will decide whether she wants to hire me.
My boss is actually a really nice person, and I genuinely enjoy working there. The problem is that I keep making so many stupid mistakes, even though I'm genuinely trying my best.
For example, when my boss asks me to get something, I sometimes take forever to find it, even if it's something simple. Sometimes she's already told me where it is, but I completely forget. Other times I look for something and somehow just can't find it, even when it should be obvious.
I also forget basic rules about arranging flowers, even though I've studied floristry before. Sometimes she'll explain something to me, and I just don't understand what she means. She might have to repeat herself several times before I finally get it.
I've also forgotten simple things like bringing a water bottle to work, and sometimes I ask questions she's literally already answered.
There are other small mistakes too, and I feel like I'm constantly doing something wrong.
My boss is generally really nice, but I can tell she gets annoyed and sometimes a little angry when I make these mistakes. I understand why, because I imagine it must be frustrating having to explain the same things repeatedly.
The worst part is that I'm actually trying really hard. I'm not being lazy, and I'm not deliberately ignoring instructions. Sometimes I genuinely don't understand what someone is asking me to do, or I forget it almost immediately.
And it's not just at work. I make similar mistakes in everyday life, which makes me wonder if I'm genuinely just stupid.
I'm really worried because I want this job so badly, but I'm scared my boss is going to decide I'm not capable of doing it.
I know employers need people who can follow instructions and work independently, and I'm scared I'm not showing her that I can.
My questions are:
How serious are these kinds of mistakes in a workplace?
If you were my boss, would you be really annoyed with me?
Is it still possible for me to get hired after making so many mistakes during my trial?
What can I actually do to improve my memory, understand instructions better, and stop making so many mistakes?
Has anyone else experienced this and managed to improve?
I really want to become a good florist, and I don't want my boss to think I'm not trying. I just don't know why things that seem so easy for other people are so difficult for me.


r/work • • 1d ago

Workplace Challenges and Conflicts Work computer has only 8 RAM yet I’m the reason it’s slow?

62 Upvotes

For YEARS, I have been complaining at work that my computer is super slow and it crashes all the time. Management and our burned-out IT guy always tell me it’s my fault for signing into Chrome or that I must be trying to do too much. They constantly just erase my cookies and saved passwords to make more room.

Finally, a brand new IT guy looks at my computer and says

  1. ⁠3 years ago, someone in the backend downloaded 80 gigs of old emails (I’ve been here 16 years so lots of old emails) onto my local drive which wasn’t needed and clearly a mistake
  2. ⁠I only have 8 RAM which everyone is telling me is super low?

My job requires opening pdfs with 10k pages, medical diagnostic videos, and zooming with people as well as all the basic computer stuff.

I’m so frustrated I’ve been dumb enough to believe it’s my fault year after year.


r/work • • 6h ago

Workplace Challenges and Conflicts Being "forced" into a new role and struggling to come to terms with it.

1 Upvotes

Several weeks ago my boss brought me into a room for a bit of an awkward conversation. He told me that recruiting was asking about me being interested in a Project Manager role.

My boss said he didn't want to lose me. I've been a supervisor on his team - the longest tenured, but also the highest paid among the other six supervisors that report to him. I have a great, high performing team and the other supervisors I work with are great too.

Despite this, it seems like my time is coming to its inevitable end. My team has lost some members over the last year (moving to new roles, quitting, etc) and I now only have 5 direct reports. And my boss has sort of been pushing me to make the move. Which is strange if he "doesn't want to lose me".

I know how this goes. I'm the highest paid, I know the team will function well without me, I have the least amount of direct reports and I know AI is on the horizon. It's likely that my role of five years, after everything I've built, is being taken away from me, because I'm no longer needed.

Struggling to come to terms with that, to be honest, being in management has taken a toll over the years and I've been wanting to get out for a while. I did apply for a different role in the company earlier this year, but the pay-cut was too drastic and there was no upward mobility.

The problem is that the only department hiring right now is Project Management. I've never had much interest in project management, and I've heard it's a very stressful, thankless job. A lot of PMs are also leaving, which is a bad sign honestly. I think it's mostly the longer tenured PMs not vibing with the new management though. It does pay well, so getting a pay increase would actually be nice, and there's room for growth. It sounds like, because I've been such a strong performer at this company for 10 years, they're giving me an opportunity to move elsewhere so I don't get laid off.

There was another role that opened up from someone I used to work with a lot and have a good relationship with. I was excited for it and applied, met with him yesterday, and he was honest with me by stating he was looking for someone with more of an engineering and coding background that I don't have. That was a little disheartening, because now it seems like my only options are to become a PM or run the risk of getting laid off at some point. I'd rather not risk it so I'm taking the PM role.

The whole situation just has me feeling down. I'm "wanted", but not wanted enough to be kept in my current position, and the only role I can move to is to one I don't really want.

It feels bad being forced into a completely different role. I suppose it's a fresh start, but I'm worried about being miserable over there. I can look for a new job, and just tough it out until then. But I feel like I'm not very good at dealing with customers, and don't handle high stress very well (despite the stress of my current job I deal with daily).

Mostly just wanted somewhere to vent, but I guess I'm just wondering what people on this Reddit would do, if they've been in a similar situation and how they've overcome it, and also if any PMs here can speak to what being a PM is like?


r/work • • 1d ago

Work-Life Balance and Stress Management Burnt Out and signed off for three weeks. How to prepare for return?

21 Upvotes

After nearly 12 months of scope creep and being over capacity, two weeks ago I hit a wall. I had a day of back to back meetings, from 9.00am to 5.30pm. I couldn't even go to the toilet without being late for my next call.

In the morning I had an in person catch up with my SVP who had just returned from maternity leave. We discussed my future at the business and the long term goal for my progression. This is a conversation I had with her before she left which never went anywhere while she was away. I then had a meeting with my line manager, about the same topics, again (we have discussed this at great length and I have provided feedback about my frustration at the lack of transparency on where this stands). By the end of the meeting, I had it. I felt this cold rush over my body and like I was experiencing a fight or flight, I just said "I don't want to do this", "I need to be done", "I want to be done".

I left the meeting in tears and went to my next meeting. For 15 minutes I tried to compose myself and just couldn't.

I've been signed off since then.

I'm very nervous about what my job will do (they've been good so far, supportive and leaving me alone for the most part). I need this job but I can't continue to work at this capacity with this much pressure all the time. It's just not possible.

I've started sertraline and have given myself three weeks to start getting settled with it.

Can anyone else share what they've done to set themselves up for a success return to work and if they experienced any disadvantages after taking time away for mental health?

For context, I am an Events Director with 4 major accounts. Too many accounts.


r/work • • 8h ago

Work-Life Balance and Stress Management 28M Can't deal with high sensitivity to stress

1 Upvotes

I've dealt with very poor mental health for most of my life (permanent derealization for 15 years, severe anxiety and depression, and I have ASD.) I was pretty happy with myself getting my first ever job last year after feeling like I'd made enough progress mentally (lost a ton of weight, fixed my diet, started exercising etc)

It's not a hard job at all. My main challenge is work life balance and stress. The stress in particular - even though it's not what I'd call a "stressful" job - has been immense. When I get the stress response, and I don't catch it early enough, my heart starts pounding and I get short of breath, and it doesn't stop. I will get home, and be on high alert for at least a few days, with disturbed or near non existent sleep. I haven't had a good weeks sleep in half a year (I started last November). Think of it like how you feel after downing a can of red bull, I'm just totally wired and my heart is thumping out of my chest all night. Long after work has finished.

Its a hybrid WFH office job too. I thought this would be great but it's made things ten times worse. Now I get a stress response as well when doing literally anything at my personal setup, as I was using it for work as well. This has got me down a lot because near all my hobbies involve my computer. I haven't been working at that desk for 2 weeks and it's still not went away.

The most annoying part of this is, absolutely nobody - not my psychiatrist, not my GP, not a single person - has ever even posited the idea I could be experiencing stress. I had no idea what stress felt like, so this was just mind boggling to me. I had to figure that out myself.

I'm asking here because there doesn't seem to be much support with work psychology or whatever, as someone only on a contract. And I have only been in working life for less than a year, so I really had no concept of managing stress before. To be honest I didn't even know I could experience stress.

My work life balance is poor but this is only because the stress response prevents me from doing much else.

Any advice at all would be great thanks.

Edit: should say the people at work are very nice and understanding. I'm in a government job. No animosity at all with any of them. I also live with my dad as I need to save money but he's not too bad. We get on well, if anyone asks about home life.

Edit 2: I also tried taking a whole two weeks off work one time and the stress response lasted that whole period so I have no idea what to do


r/work • • 10h ago

Workplace Challenges and Conflicts Estou PERDIDO e não sei o que fazer!

0 Upvotes

Eu tenho TEPT (Transtorno de estresse pós traumatico)
E levo uma vida praticamente reclusa por motivos óbvios, evitar os gatilhos com os quais não consigo lidar (embora eu me trate).

Resolvi tentar um projeto na internet, um canal no youtube chamado Grilhões da Soltura, sobre história geral. Tem sido a minha forma de manter a mente ocupada e alguma relação com o mundo externo. JÔ tem quase um ano que dou tudo de mim nele.
Essa semana, mesmo tendo ficado doente, fiz um vĆ­deo e soltei ontem...
Eu não seu qual o problema, horas pesquisando, criando e editando. Para 4 visualizações. A plataforma também não entrega. Quem vai e assiste, elogia, mas também não sai disso.
No momento eu não tenho como investir em maiores ferramentas e produções mais elaboradas. Sei que pode melhorar, mas estou dando o melhor que posso, com o que tenho.

Sei lÔ. estou cansado e não sei o que fazer.


r/work • • 22h ago

Job Search and Career Advancement I feel like I’m blacklisted from getting a job

9 Upvotes

I graduated in late 2023. Had a part time job at Target from 2023-2024. I then got a full time job at Costco after graduating and tried to balance both jobs at the same time until I got fired from Target a couple months after. Still at Costco luckily but I have been applying for jobs within my field for the past 3 years and I haven’t had the opportunity to even interview. I got an interview with lululemon earlier this year but thats it. Nothing within the business/tech field and it’s so debilitating. I got my degree, I got my certificates, I have transferable hard and soft skills.

I know this sounds crazy but I think me being fired from Target is somehow connected to my background search and it’s causing this whole struggle. That or it’s an extremely tough market out here. Tried moving up within my company but it’s all based on seniority so people who have been here before me get the chance to move up first, which is fair I guess, but idk how long I have to wait to start making some money. $23 an hour is not cutting it at all over here.

That’s besides the point. I’ve applied to thousands to job apps and im still in the same situation I was in 3 years ago. If it was a pattern of interviews and not the getting, I would understand my situation as I could just say that I didn’t interview well. But no interviews at all… it is all so frustrating. Am I tweaking? Am I blacklisted? Is that even possible?


r/work • • 18h ago

Workplace Challenges and Conflicts Has anyone withdrawn from a project because it was a huge waste of your time with no return?

3 Upvotes

Maybe I'm selfish but hear me out.

I have a very specific function in my company as a R&D scientist. My job is largely a development side and analytical is more of a secondary function.

I have been pulled into two different projects, neither of which are quite related to my specialty. One project has been going on for over a year and a half now and we have had to do a do over twice already. They took quite a bit of my time and I'm getting very tired of it. Quite frankly I don't understand why I should be doing all this other analytical works when my coworkers from the other sites should be doing this.

I want to focus on my own project more than spend a whole lot of time in someone else's project with little return for me. Is that other reasonable?


r/work • • 3h ago

Workplace Challenges and Conflicts Should I get in trouble for paying coworker to close for me?

0 Upvotes

I work in a small/medium sized restaurant. Usually on Friday nights we have three cooks. This Friday night we only had two. I suspect it was due to owner being cheep based on past behaviors, but that’s beside the point. It was extremely busy and by the end of the night I was exhausted. At my job the cooks have to do the vast majority of the work. Dish, trash, setup, etc. usually during closing shift the people on shift stay up with dish throughout the day, but due to the busyness of that evening that was impossible. After being closed for forty-five minutes I decided i couldn’t do this for another hour. I payed my coworker $30 to finish up the dishes so I could leave. Pretty much all of my coworkers have engaged in this and when my manager finds out it happened the night before he never seems to care. This is my first job working in a restaurant so I’m not sure if this is acceptable/normal. This morning I woke up to multiple messages about it. My manager left a snarky response about finding another job if we don’t like working. Which pissed me off becauseb he encouraged this behavior and never said shit until now. He said ā€œDo not pay your coworkers to do your job at the end of the night… they can barley do there own job let alone both closing duties if you don’t want to work I can get you off the schedule or you can find a new job just let me know.ā€ Then the owner messaged me ā€œOP you do not pay someone to close for you. The kitchen is a mess and I’m on my last straw with you.ā€ I’ve only had micro interactions with her and in all of them she has insulted me and cursed at me. I think someone I’m working with is talking shit to her behind my back. I have to go into work soon and I just so pissed.