Surviving work and finding a theory

[caro33]

Hi all

 

I was interested if any of you wise folk had any ideas about what I can do...

 

I am currrently working in a job that is driving me mad. I work in policy and regulation in a highly regulated industry. It's my job to find ways through major policy issues that have been deigned "too hard" to resolve to date, and that governments have tended to manage through heavy-handed regulation. The issues I am involved with tap directly into my past life working in the same industry FOR government setting up the market and writing regulation, as well as this being the topic of my PhD. I also spent time in consulting doing this stuff.

 

I have been working for this major corporate for 20 months or so, and I believe I have been able to find ways through the issues and to actually meet government's needs without the regulation we are accustomed to. Anyway, the problem for me has been that in reality no one wants these problems solved in my company or in my industry. They hired me to fix things, but when I come up with some solutions they don't want to know about it. This is an industry that comforts itself with hiring endless consultants to do desktop research, and then brandish that report as somehow being "progress" on the issues.

 

So after 20 months of trying every form of communication known to man, I am at my wits end. If no one wants these problems solved, that's fine. But don't ask me to solve them. I have been patronised no end by clueless senior managers and I have had to grin and bear it.

 

What makes this a particular struggle is that my area has been subject to pre-restructuring for a while, so we have little work to do. It's like an endless lockdown period - it's been a year now and the rest of the business sneers at us. I, and others, were Chicken Little to my bosses for a long time, but they were too dumb and too arrogant to listen. So now we wait for the blade to slide in to end our misery. It might well be a while yet though, there are other issues for the company at the moment.

 

The sensible thing for my mental health would be to pick up tools and move, but I am trying to get pregnant, and moving from my job right now would not be smart. I am paid very well, and I might also get a redundancy payout.

 

So to get to my question: I have decided that griping about my job and hanging out here at ENA as much as I have are unconstructive and have been helping me toward feeling quite depressed. I think I would like to work more on my basic strategic thinking skills and I am keen to find some way to continue the work I was doing with the PhD about the links between law, economics, politics and psychology. A kind of generalist theory of action and regulation, but linked back to more economic theories of self-interest. I have just read Freakonomics, and it had some similarities to my approach but mine is markedly less empirical and more specialised toward one area (regulation).

 

I think this might possibly be the most boring post on ENA, sorry. I am keen for any advice those of you might have to get through my work day without punching someone, as well as any suggestions or references for me to have a look at to find a way to do something with my brain along the lines of what I described above. Strategic thinking, but more about human motivations than about leadership and management techniques. I also think it would be good for what I do to be kind of unregimented, so that there aren't too many contact hours to worry about, and it can be something I can work on while alone at home in the future, assuming I have a baby.

 

Thanks for taking the time.

[need2bme]

I had a friend that hung out at a job forever until he finally talked someone in to laying him off. He did get a pretty good severance, so it worked out well.

 

Maybe waiting until after you have a baby, would be a smart move.

[NoComply]

good pay?

they dont listen to your work anyway?

 

simple answer

make crap up. bull * * * * it.

get paid well. dont matter if they dont use it if you dont give a damm about the company.

[BeStrongBeHappy]

hey, you aren't ranting, i do understand... am highly educated, committed, dedicated, etc., but depending on the organization you are in, that is NOT what they consider important...

 

some workplaces are so messed up, they are totally toxic, especially for people who care... don't burn yourself out if the higher management doesn't care... it is a truism that organizations take on the characteristics of their leadership... does the leadership there have values or priorites or goals that you believe in? if not, you are wasting your time...

 

if you are not pregnant yet, then no reason not to look for another job... and consider all offers in terms of their benefits and consideration for supporting a woman who *might* get/be pregnant in the future... most companies now can't discriminate against you because you are a young *potentially* pregnant woman... the only reason you might have to disclose is if you are already pregnant and might need lots of time off soon after you are hired...

 

please spend time interviewing to find an organization that dovetails with your own beliefs and efforts... no one ever regretted commitment and controversy at a place one respects, but beating your head against a wall in a place that doesn't even 'get it' is not worth the stress, or your commitment.

[BeStrongBeHappy]

btw, i was in an organization going totally crazy over changes, layoffs, restructuring etc... they finally told me they would never lay me off and i would not get the sweet package that so many other slackers were getting, yet at the same time, didn't care if good workers were stressed and overloaded, and bad workers got a sweet package and were laid off...

 

evaluate what the reality is there, and make your choices accordingly.. you could wait a long time for nothing, or maybe negotiate something to your advantage.. but don't just accept the status quo and hope for the best... corporatioins can be ruthless, and surprise anyone with their callousness to the most loyal workers.

[caro33]

good pay?

they dont listen to your work anyway?

 

simple answer

make crap up. bull * * * * it.

get paid well. dont matter if they dont use it if you dont give a damm about the company.

 

 

 

I think this is great, and as an ex-consultant I recognise it's a viable approach for many .

 

BUT...sorry, won't do it. I have a reasonably strong "righteous" aspect to my personality and I also enjoy a good reputation in the company and the industry that I don't want to tarnish. It's hard enough being the younger women in my boys' network industry - I have had to fight a lot harder than many already to secure my good name.

 

The other thing is that my boss pays just enough attention to what I do to be able to smell a rat.

 

Yes, great pay. I guess my way of pushing back has been to start going a bit slower; care less about efficiency. I think I used to surprise people by getting all excited about what I had to do and then coming up with big, polished pieces of work in a short time. I have tried in more recent times to care less (as even my boss has suggested, but I don't think he meant me coming to ENA, lol) and I am now taking Normal People time to come up with the goods. By Normal People I mean the people who "work" here.

[caro33]

BeStrongBeHappy you are spot on about the values. My company is the very model of the sociopathic corporation, and the way the CEO runs it is to hire vicious shark people as his highest level employees, then step back and see how the Shark Wars turn out. There is regularly (figurative) blood on the floor from the latest casuality. This attitude has filtered down in several ways - currently the Head Shark from the rest of the business is trying to eat my area, but he has been kept at bay by a mix of circumstance (lots of merger and acquisition activity in the sector) and strategic allegiances already present.

 

These bosses preside over a workforce (at least in my city - the attitudes vary over the country) of bitter and disillusioned people, and also a handful of Golden Boys who can do no wrong no matter how incompetent they are. There are a few frustrating Golden Boys around me, who take credit for my work, and also stuff everything up without meaning to by taking the role of communicating my ideas to others and then getting it wrong.

 

This adds up to an organisation I cannot see myself settling into as a major player. It's very good at paying the rent/mortgage for now though.

 

Believe me, I have also tried to change things around here. I spent about a year agitating for change and trying to get people around here to see what was happening. They didn't believe me and so they didn't care. Now they believe, but they still don't care. They are out looking for other jobs, even the main Golden Boy. (I have been told I am safe, by the way, but the most recent merger rumours might scotch that if they come true.)

 

I honestly think my best thing to do is to use the free time I have here now to develop my chances to sell myself into the marketplace in some other way. Maybe it's through more academic work, maybe it's building my chances as a consultant. I would like to move out of my industry, but at the same time, that's my calling card when it comes down to it. People from around the country know me in this kind of role - starting in a different sector would be a struggle. I tried a couple of years ago, but the people I was with couldn't see the more general application of my skills. (I have to say they were monumental knuckleheads though, so it may be worth another try.)

 

Anyway I am obviously not clear in my own mind. Aargh. I might go on a google frenzy re economic theories of everything. Maybe look at some MBA coursework, but not the whole MBA.

[caro33]

If you are not pregnant yet, then no reason not to look for another job... and consider all offers in terms of their benefits and consideration for supporting a woman who *might* get/be pregnant in the future... most companies now can't discriminate against you because you are a young *potentially* pregnant woman... the only reason you might have to disclose is if you are already pregnant and might need lots of time off soon after you are hired...

 

Yes, but I'm not sure of the reality. The industrial relations laws in my country have been changed recently, and I don't think I would have much protection. To be honest, if I was an employer I would not hire someone who was likely to leave me within the year and then maybe not come back, particularly given the cost of recruitment these days, and the specialised nature of what I do.

 

I am not optimistic that quitting now is justified under anything but the most extraordinary circumstances. I do take your point though. I think that if it's a a matter of my mental health or a new job, the new job is the way to go. I guess I am trying to see what actions I can take to manage the mental health issues (boredom, frustration, depression) without leaving just yet. This might just be lazy excuse making on my part though