I need advice about a job I hate

[Mark_Robert]

Two weeks ago I took a job as a sample technician at a meat processing plant. The job entails preparing, packaging and mailing meat samples to new clients in hopes of gaining additional clientele for the company. Although learning the particulars of any new job will be stressful, more or less, the real problem lies with the excessive work expectation of my bosses. In short, they expect me to do the work of 2 to 3 people in an 8 hour period. Although supposedly I’m entitled to two ten minute breaks and a half-hour lunch, the workload that has to be shipped by 5 p.m. is so great, that I’m forced to skip my breaks and work straight through the shift with only the half-hour lunch break. Even working continuiously, I’m not able to complete all the sample requests and am found wanting by several orders by the end of the day. One of my bosses told me yesterday that she expects me to get all the work done and have no delays. I told her I need overtime so I can carefully check inventory and order what I need for the next day. She said, she’ll allow overtime only for awhile but then she will soon expect me to get it all done without overtime! I told her it’s impossible for me to get all the requests finished because the company has outgrown the position and with the greatly increased number of sales people making sample requests they need to hire another full time employee in this department. Needless to say, what I said went in one ear and out the other. She said greater efficieny on my part will handle the problem alone. It’s not as if the company is barely hanging in there either. They’ve just expand the plant and were bought out by Hormel. They could easily hire another person but they want the bottom line as big as possible.
Needless to say, I’m depressed, run ragged and worn out on this Saturday afternoon. I’ve got a lot of bruises on my arms. I’m depressed, angry and scared about going back to work facing bosses and sales people that don’t understand nor care about my plight. I feel used and abused. Brothers and sisters in Christ, I ask for your advice and prayers as I try to find new employment while holding on to this hellish job.

 

[MSParrott]

I am very sorry to hear about your situation. I’m not good at giving advise, but please know I will be praying for you.

Please Lord be with Mark Robert while he is at work and guide him to be able to do the very best he can everyday and also be with his supervisors so that they can realize they shouldn’t expect one person to do the work of 2 or even 3 people. Please watch over everyone in this situation and let the result be what ever is Your will.

Again I’m sorry for not being able to give good advise, but you are definitely in my prayers!

 

[Linnyo]

I really feel for you and I think that your situation is not unusual. My husband is going through something similar in his work. They have even gone as far as asking them to be on call at weekends and working overtime but are unwilling to pay them extra for it. His confidence seems to be suffering and he is very depressed. All I can suggest is that you look for a new job before you get too depressed because then it becomes very difficult. I will pray for you along with my husband and hopefully you will both get your situations sorted. Some employers really have a lot to answer for!

 

[mommyof4]

Do you belong to a union? Can they help you in this situation? If nothing gets better in the next few weeks, I’d start looking for another job. I know a lot of people who have worked in meat processing plants here in the midwest, and believe me, they are not worker friendly environments. The bottom line is their only interest, and it you are just a cog in the machine. I’m sorry if this sounds very strong, but I have very little respect for the meat processing industry. Get out when you can.

BTW, I’m praying for you.

 

[Mark_Robert]

Thank you all for your advice and prayers. Suddenly, an insight, clear as day, entered my mind. I now know what to do at work. I will simply do my best and leave the rest in God’s hands. I have great peace. The Lord has answered your prayers of intercession. The insight I have received is so clear as day, I wonder why I didn’t think of it eariler? Praise God and love & peace to you all. :yup:

 

[Linnyo]

Thank you all for your advice and prayers. Suddenly, an insight, clear as day, entered my mind. I now know what to do at work. I will simply do my best and leave the rest in God’s hands. I have great peace. The Lord has answered your prayers of intercession. The insight I have received is so clear as day, I wonder why I didn’t think of it eariler? Praise God and love & peace to you all. :yup:

That is so great! Good for you!

 

[TraditionalCath]

Two weeks ago I took a job as a sample technician at a meat processing plant. The job entails preparing, packaging and mailing meat samples to new clients in hopes of gaining additional clientele for the company. Although learning the particulars of any new job will be stressful, more or less, the real problem lies with the excessive work expectation of my bosses. In short, they expect me to do the work of 2 to 3 people in an 8 hour period. Although supposedly I’m entitled to two ten minute breaks and a half-hour lunch, the workload that has to be shipped by 5 p.m. is so great, that I’m forced to skip my breaks and work straight through the shift with only the half-hour lunch break. Even working continuiously, I’m not able to complete all the sample requests and am found wanting by several orders by the end of the day. One of my bosses told me yesterday that she expects me to get all the work done and have no delays. I told her I need overtime so I can carefully check inventory and order what I need for the next day. She said, she’ll allow overtime only for awhile but then she will soon expect me to get it all done without overtime! I told her it’s impossible for me to get all the requests finished because the company has outgrown the position and with the greatly increased number of sales people making sample requests they need to hire another full time employee in this department. Needless to say, what I said went in one ear and out the other. She said greater efficieny on my part will handle the problem alone. It’s not as if the company is barely hanging in there either. They’ve just expand the plant and were bought out by Hormel. They could easily hire another person but they want the bottom line as big as possible.
Needless to say, I’m depressed, run ragged and worn out on this Saturday afternoon. I’ve got a lot of bruises on my arms. I’m depressed, angry and scared about going back to work facing bosses and sales people that don’t understand nor care about my plight. I feel used and abused. Brothers and sisters in Christ, I ask for your advice and prayers as I try to find new employment while holding on to this hellish job.

i’d quit. but that is me. i wouldn’t even go back.

 

[Mark_Robert]

No one in my family understands what I’m going through either. My brother at the company is just a “can do” kinda guy. Everything has succeeded for him so he thinks it’s just a matter of positive attitude. My mother thinks I’m just being lazy at work and unproductive. I tell her I’m working as hard as I can but she won’t listen. She insists that I go a half hour early to work each day and not clock in until 8. I told her I’m not doing any work without getting paid for it but she says I’m being unreasonable. She says I’m just feeling sorry for myself but there IS a GOOD REASON for my grief. It’s easy for her to point the finger at me when it’s not her who has to go through this trial.

 

[the_phoenix]

My advice:

Come Monday, start putting your resume out there so that you can get a better job.

Praying for you!

~~ the phoenix

 

[water]

Thank you all for your advice and prayers. Suddenly, an insight, clear as day, entered my mind. I now know what to do at work. I will simply do my best and leave the rest in God’s hands. I have great peace. The Lord has answered your prayers of intercession. The insight I have received is so clear as day, I wonder why I didn’t think of it eariler? Praise God and love & peace to you all. :yup:

That is a great thought.
I had gone through before and didn’t even think what you are thinking. I was too upset and angry when getting back home from work. If I could go back in time, I would try to do as you are and do not get angry at them - being angry only makes us remember and praise less about God.

 

[littleone]

I think that you might have given yourself the answer when you wrote (quote) She said ***greater efficieny ***on my part will handle the problem alone (end of quote).

You said that you have just started the job. It seems to me that as with myself in just having started a new job you havent yet grasped the flowing systemic nature of doing the job. It is a natural process in learning that you make mistakes. I do often, and others see this and tell me, at times they get annoid and this puts me off.

Here is the reason they tell me, it’s because although I am slow and don’t at times finish the assignment, they see that I try to accept that i chose to take on the job and that although I don’t understand the full nature of doing the job, I try my best, I try to smile to be helpful and they see this and it stills the negativeness I might have about the job.
Check this out with your thoughts it might help.

God bless
littleone

 

[Miserissima]

Mark, I am so glad that you’ve decided to go easy on yourself, and give yourself a chance to grow.

Hae you considered turning your work itself into an act of prayer, like the Benedictines and the Carmelites do? And meanwhile, try the patronage of St. Joseph the Worker:

O glorious Joseph! Who concealed your incomparable and regal dignity of custodian of Jesus and of the Virgin Mary under the humble appearance of a craftsman and provided for them with your work, protect with loving power your sons, especially entrusted to you.

You know my anxieties and sufferings, because you yourself experienced them at the side of Jesus and of His Mother. Do not allow me, oppressed by so many worries, to forget the purpose for which I was created by God. Do not allow the seeds of distrust to take hold of my immortal soul. Remind all the workers that in the fields and in factories that we are not working, rejoicing, or suffering alone, but at our sides is Jesus, with Mary, His Mother and ours, to sustain us, to dry the sweat of our brow, giving value to our toil. Teach me to turn work into a very high instrument of sanctification as you did. Amen.

 

[CarrieH]

She insists that I go a half hour early to work each day and not clock in until 8.

Don’t do that!!! If you were to injure yourself during that time when you are not punched in, there would be no legal record that this happened while you were on the job, and that would jeopardize your Workman’s Comp case. My brother, who is a union steward, told me that.

As you said, do your best and trust in God for the rest! God bless you, and good luck. Hope you can find another job soon.

 

[Miserissima]

Don’t do that!!!

I am sorry that I missed that part of your post…CarrieH is right! If you’re already missing your breaks, asking you to come in early and stay late sounds like exploitation.

 

[CapaxDei]

Many years ago, I took a temp position at a bank. I was filling in for a full-time person who was on vacation for two weeks. There was also a part-time (20 hours/week) person working in that office, and she was out that week too.

I was expected to do her job, too.

So, in addition to learning the details of the full-time job, I was expected to do the half-time job also.

At the end of the week, I was informed that I would not be returning the next week because I “wasn’t keeping up” with the workflow.

Of course, the part-time person was returning the next week.

 

[CB_Catholic]

Two weeks ago I took a job as a sample technician at a meat processing plant. The job entails preparing, packaging and mailing meat samples to new clients in hopes of gaining additional clientele for the company. Although learning the particulars of any new job will be stressful, more or less, the real problem lies with the excessive work expectation of my bosses. In short, they expect me to do the work of 2 to 3 people in an 8 hour period. Although supposedly I’m entitled to two ten minute breaks and a half-hour lunch, the workload that has to be shipped by 5 p.m. is so great, that I’m forced to skip my breaks and work straight through the shift with only the half-hour lunch break. Even working continuiously, I’m not able to complete all the sample requests and am found wanting by several orders by the end of the day. One of my bosses told me yesterday that she expects me to get all the work done and have no delays. I told her I need overtime so I can carefully check inventory and order what I need for the next day. She said, she’ll allow overtime only for awhile but then she will soon expect me to get it all done without overtime! I told her it’s impossible for me to get all the requests finished because the company has outgrown the position and with the greatly increased number of sales people making sample requests they need to hire another full time employee in this department. Needless to say, what I said went in one ear and out the other. She said greater efficieny on my part will handle the problem alone. It’s not as if the company is barely hanging in there either. They’ve just expand the plant and were bought out by Hormel. They could easily hire another person but they want the bottom line as big as possible.
Needless to say, I’m depressed, run ragged and worn out on this Saturday afternoon. I’ve got a lot of bruises on my arms. I’m depressed, angry and scared about going back to work facing bosses and sales people that don’t understand nor care about my plight. I feel used and abused. Brothers and sisters in Christ, I ask for your advice and prayers as I try to find new employment while holding on to this hellish job.

 

[CB_Catholic]

Give yourself a little time. You have only been on the job 2 weeks. I have been in this situation before, where I felt the workload was too much, but as I continued working, I found my performance improving and my efficiency increasing, and soon I was keeping up with the work. At the time, though, I didn’t see how I could do any better, but eventually I did.

Don’t beat yourself up over the job, and try not to obsess about it on your time off. If, however, things don’t improve in a few months, you might have to reevaluate things. And be sure to pray for help before you go to work.

 

[littleone]

Give yourself a little time. You have only been on the job 2 weeks. I have been in this situation before, where I felt the workload was too much, but as I continued working, I found my performance improving and my efficiency increasing, and soon I was keeping up with the work. At the time, though, I didn’t see how I could do any better, but eventually I did.

Don’t beat yourself up over the job, and try not to obsess about it on your time off. If, however, things don’t improve in a few months, you might have to reevaluate things. And be sure to pray for help before you go to work.

Yes I agree as I wrote, and can only add this point that in every new situation you enter there has to be change and the change has to come from within your self since you are the new person there. :thumbsup:
I have now been in the job I am in for 3 months and now my boss tells me I am in with everything running well.
You have this to look forward to
and you can do it.

God bless
littleone

 

[maria29]

I too work an extremely stressful job. I’ll give you a rundown of what I have to do and am responsible for.

I have to create all title, logos, graphics, lower thirds, edit together a 30 minute show, must meet FCC Broadcast color standards (which means I have to color correct) do audio corrections, add effects, add credits, log footage and which is due by 6:00 PM every Friday, so it can be aired on Monday… And on top of that the beginning of every month, I have to create a new DVD cover, do an hour long production, create new music etc. This doesn’t include any website updates, extra commercials and special projects thats required either.

When I first started the show, I couldn’t believe how much work I’d have to do in so little time. But now a year later, I can finish a show in 2-3 days where before it take me a week. I think you’ll get into routine and just find what works for you. Also organize your day and make a list it really helps.

 

[jmcrae]

Thank you all for your advice and prayers. Suddenly, an insight, clear as day, entered my mind. I now know what to do at work. I will simply do my best and leave the rest in God’s hands. I have great peace. The Lord has answered your prayers of intercession. The insight I have received is so clear as day, I wonder why I didn’t think of it eariler? Praise God and love & peace to you all. :yup:

This is the ideal approach. Just do what is needed to be done in the moment, and let God handle the big stuff.

As others have said, you will soon find ways to shave seconds or even minutes off your time with each order, and over the course of the day, you will find that you are completing the work more effiently. Also, as you get to know the customers, you won’t have to think out each order as you’re doing it - it will come by rote, and you will be able to do it very quickly without having to stop and consider each move.