I don't know if I should just quit...

Honestly, I'm not even sure if anyone will bother responding. If not, at least I get a good rant out of it. This is my first time posting so please bear with me.

I won't give away too many details - but I work in a family owned business so there's technically no "higher-ups" I can go to for support. The job itself is okay, what I cannot stand, is the "supervisor," who is actually the owner's wife. I'm not fond of my coworker either as she makes me deal with her as much as she can while she just tries to avoid everything. It's very stressful - and you'll see why.

I don't know if she fits the criteria of a "micro-manager," but she can call up to 10 times a day. At times, she'll even message. Sometimes, she'll call when I've just got in and am trying to prepare for the day. I have tried to tell her that I'm trying to get ready and it's very difficult when she does this, especially on certain days when I'm alone. She claims that this is the "best" time to call - thing is, she calls at all times of the day. Within minutes, she can call up to 2-3 times when everything could've been summarized in one concise call. One time, I called her regarding a client because she was the one dealing with the situation and they were calling me for an update. I had them on hold and they were willing to wait. She expected me to tell them to call back later because she didn't want to "block" the phone line, which is stupid because people will call in anyways and I'll be wasting my time having to call the original client back. Nonetheless, I had to tell them to call back and go listen to her ramble because she can't be succinct about anything. Within a minute, somebody else called in and I STILL had to put them on hold because she was still talking. It's all just a waste of time. She makes everything 10x harder or find "extra work" to make us do which doesn't even make any sense. This is only one of many examples. When I first started, I knew something was off with her when she just texted me the night before that I was "on my own" because my coworker had an emergency when I hadn't even been there for a month and wasn't properly trained yet. I've even had a breakdown at work because of her in the past.

She's also the type to push tasks on you if she doesn't want to do them. She'll literally call you or message you to do something when she could've taken care of it herself. Or if she's in the office, she'll tell you to do it even though you're dealing with something else. I don't feel she's a "bad" person, but she's not someone you want to work with.

Another reason I want to leave is because that old coworker is coming back. It's a weird situation because she originally left months ago to "help" with another job - apparently her friend went on maternity leave. Oddly enough, it's only been around 6 months and she's coming back again. I know that she'll just make me deal with the supervisor alone. I don't even know why she's coming back, apparently this has been on and off for years. In the beginning, I was told that it would only be a month where I'd have to adjust to everything, but it turned out to be 6 months and I even had to work extra because the "help" they hired was only part time.

I actually tried to subtly bring this up to the supervisor - I figured she would AT LEAST remember that it was always my voice and be willing to delegate the tasks more since my coworker never answers her phone calls, but she just brushes it off with "Oh we'll talk about it when *old coworker* comes back. At this point, I just feel like there's no hope - she doesn't listen.

I have been here for 2 years. I know the old saying of how you should never quit without backup...etc. But I wonder is there a limit? I despise the job because of her, and I know all the previous people have quit because of how she acts. I have depression, and she makes it worse. I don't sleep well during weekdays - I can't even enjoy my weekends because I spend a lot of the time passed out from fatigue. At the same time, I also have some anxiety and I think about what I'd do without a job even though I have savings. I'm just really upset.

I don't know if I'll get any help, but thanks in advance for anyone who offers advice.

sorry you have to deal with this very stressful situation. fresh out of school, I also dealt with one of the most toxic work environments for over 2 years so trust me, I feel your pain.

so being an outsider to this situation, I can be objective and here is what I would do. I 100% would not quit your job without another job lined up. I mean it's up to you but you know that would not be a wise decision financially. so in the meantime, continue working and deal with this crazy woman but try to slowly focus your energy on finding a new job. on the weekdays and weekends when you're stressing and thinking about her, channel that energy into finding another job. this will hopefully distract you from her and give you some hope in this dire situation.

b/c there are no higher ups, unfortunately you might be screwed in this situation. could you talk to the husband? that may be very risky but that is an option.

keep your head up and do note that things can and will change and that this is only temporary. feel free to message if you need support. I believe there is a direct message tab but I'm not 100% sure. if not, I'll check in on this thread from time to time. good luck.

Well, I have run into what's called "crazy boss syndrome" before. I've worked for a couple of people where things actually ran more smoothly when they're not in for the day than when they are in. But I would remind you that your "supervisor" is an owner of the company and she is your boss. You'll have a lot easier time by just reminding yourself that she is the boss and you simply do what she says. Since you've been with the company for 2 years, you have enough experience and you can certainly look for another job as well.