Cross roads.....with the job.

[hoppy]

Ughh........Im just beside myself. Call this a rant, a whine, a plea for someones encouragement, whatever you will. I feel like the people close to me just dont understand. Maybe someone here has been in my shoes and can say "hoppy your not alone".

Has anyone ever been so "stressed" by there job situation, felt "trapped" in there job, or felt like like there head was spinning due to the mass amount that was expected of you by your employer then maybe you can help. Before I even go into this rant I will first say this. I know many out there have lost jobs, or cant find a job. That being said Im thankfull that I have one currently. I guess what Im going through is when does "enough is enough" start to play a factor?
Ive been with this small family owned business for the better part of ten years.
As the situation would have my best friend's family owns the business and that how I ended up in the door. Im a "company man" and have always had the "whatever needs to get done" attitude. Spreading my duties from scrubbing toilets to even doing more then 1/2 of all the serivce work that comes through the doors. Im a service manager, technician, invoicer, customer greeter, customer sign out guy. Heck I could easily write a long list of tasks I do for this company. We have three other techs that areny expected to do the many other tasks I do but somehow Im expected to do so much more then them. So this leads me to today and my feeling that Im just doing the wrong thing for work with the wrong company. Ive invested blood, sweat, and maybe even a few tears for this company over the years. I simply have been doing the jobs of what three other people usually did. They never rehired but since I was getting it all done everything was "ok" in there heads. Well it isnt. Im really just fed up. Most evenings I come home and my head is just spinning. If theres a problem in the shop its my problem because Im "service manager". Yet I probably was playing technician while this problem was being created by others not including me. Like stink on shit it comes back to me. Go to a Ford dealership. They have serice advisors, service managers, tecnicians, service writers, and even parts departments. They parts guy usually doesnt also fix the truck, write the invoice, sign the customer out. Thats why they have departments. You do your job.....Ill do mine. Well at this shop........IM ALL THE ABOVE!!!!! SO this all leads to tonight......me sitting here typing this rant. The situation with the friends, family, etc make this a tough situation for me and honestly if i could rewind the clock I would. This was a bad idea from the get go and I should have never said that day "I will fix that". Been hell ever since. So now what........I cant quit. I need to work to keep a roof over heads. I have my first son on the way due in may. I get paid alright but believe me when I say im not ahead. Its a struggle for me just like many out there. Im at a crossroads with what I could do next.....finding a new job just seems so scary and getting out of this situation is even more scary. Im simply just not sure what to do.....Im simply just not happy with the way this worked out and feel change is in order or it will never change. They simply have not listened to my feelings about this over the years. So things just continued on as they are.

Sorry for my long winded rant........I just need to vent this to someone other then my wife whos away on business currently and prego w/ bachpains. Im stressed. Thanks.

 

[KustomKartKid]

If you don't mind....how old are you?

I only ask because it has a great bearing on what your next move might be....

For instance....I despise getting up and going to my job..it wasn't always that way or I would have left a long time ago when I was still young enough to start over......but I only have a couple more years to put in before I can retire....so I'm not going to say a word.



.

 

[Bill Ellerby]

I would say from my experience in the Navy and going up the ranks to where I was responsible for 300 plus personnel and over 300 millions dollars of aircraft and equipment that you just can't do it without team work. That being said you have 3 other members of your team that need to start carrying their load and share of responsiblility. So you need to sit down with them and know what you expect of them and what they need to start doing from that moment forward. If they don't want to be part of the team, fire them if you can. There are people out there so hungry for a job that will do what is needed.

 

[YOOP]

i worked for a company for over 15 years.first job i got when we moved up here from trollville:laugh: anyway the owner was decent for a few years, got raises and was treated decently.then he started getting greety and treating most of his employees like :001_9898: for really no reason. i was making great money but just didn't even want to go to work because of the way he treated us.made up my mind that i just wasn't going to go back the next spring,i'd flip friggen burgers at micky d's before i did.ended up getting a job doing the same thing and am much happier now.i get treated much better and work for great people and makin more now than i ever have.
yeah scary :001_9898:not knowing if i'd have a job or not but worked out for the best
not gunna hurt for ya to see what else is out there.sounds like your a good worker and most of the time there's work for people who wanna work

hope it all works out for ya hop:thumbsup:

 

[buckeye]

Exactly Gerry.
I can tell you that for the past 30 years I have given up most of my time to my profession. On call, working, sometimes 70-80 hours a week.
The pawst 10 have been with the same group of docs. I have never been so underpaid, underappreciated and disrespected in this job than any job I have ever had.
Patients have become experts in their care, thanks to the internet. They google knee pain and they know everything.
They have become extremely demanding. They deserve it since they are paying rediculous insurance premiums.
Our reimbursement has decreased. Our overhead has increased. The docs have befome greedy friggin pigs. 300-400 grand a year isn't enough??????
IfcI could make what I make doing something else, I would never set foot in a medical office again as long as I live. But at 54, what am I going to do??
OK, end of my rant.

Hoppy, unfortuanatly, your situation is what most of us are dealing with I am afraid. Those that do the most get the most done to them. More responcibilities, more work, more crap stuffed down our tgroats, less pay and appreciation.

You can look at this 2 ways. I am gettin f'ed or dang, they think so much of me, they trust me with their business.
You know you are doing a great job and so do they. Maybe a sit down with the owner, with a well written out explanation of what you do everyday, they might get it. Document everything you do.
Sometimes when folks see it on paper they get it.
Good luck and maybe start looking. It's always easier to find a job when you have one than when you don't.

 

[KustomKartKid]

One piece of advice....think it all the way through before making any moves.

 

[dajsnipe]

When I got sick of being in the same situation I started my own company, could be time for you to do the same. Make sure you have a good contingency plan in place, and don't burn bridges on the way out. Best advise I can give is look before you leap.

 

[Newoldstock]

How a 'model' employee got away with outsourcing his software job to China - The Globe and Mail

 

[hoppy]

If you don't mind....how old are you?

I only ask because it has a great bearing on what your next move might be....

For instance....I despise getting up and going to my job..it wasn't always that way or I would have left a long time ago when I was still young enough to start over......but I only have a couple more years to put in before I can retire....so I'm not going to say a word.



.

Im 35 yearsold. There are benefits to working in a small company but there are also downfalls like the one im in. We went from 5 techs not including me to 4 including myself over the years. Ive tried the "talks" both inside of and outside of work. Just never materialized into anything and things never changed. Its the same thing over and over and over again. I let it go for so many years as being Ok. I should have put a stop to it long ago. I was never hired to be a tech......but thats what I have been doing for years now more then 50% of my time. Took the "do anything attitude" and it bit me in the ass. This blows......I feel like im stuck and I dont like the feeling. My options right now are limited. Honestly I dont know what I want to do. Im good with my hands, work like a dog, am self motivated, and can get the job done. All my past job experiences have landed me in spots where I was basically alone to do my job. I seem to shine in those types of positions. I seem to struggle with having to "control" others peoples inability to get the jobs done in a timely fasion and done right.
I know one thing is for certain though and thats my next job discription whatever it may be will not include the word "manager".
This would be a differant story If i was just a service manager and or just a Tech. However its not......and its pretty dam hard to manage a shop and drivers while Im under a vehicle trying to diagnose and repair a customers vehicle while they are waiting patentially in our waiting room. For whatever reason all of this has not made sense to the powers above. Id never go in there guns blazing and just quit. Although it has crossed my mind I wouldnt do it. I hope the day comes soon that what Im destined to be doing in this world hits me, and I can hand in my two weeks notice and loose the stress. Thanks to all that read and answered me. Im going to loose some sleep tonight about this as I have in the past. I give a shit about what I do.........maybe I need to just learn to care less?

 

[Itype2slo]

Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night out of a sound sleep thinking about something you might have or might not have done at work and cant get back to sleep. It sucks happens to me all the time. Just think of whats best for the family and less about other crap.

 

[toomanytoys]

I know the feeling. I've worked at a coal mine for 10 years. I have 10 people under me taking care of various mechanical jobs plus my work load of parts and checks and other crap I end up doing my bosses job because he is lazy.

I am stuck though because I can't make the money I male now any where else

 

[jeep2003]

the past two jobs iv had were like that. great at the begining not much responsability. lower pay but life was good. they ask you do more and more and everytime you want to quit they give you a raise. eventually they do something that makes you snap and you walk out and cant bring yourself to go back. if you want to keep your job its not enough to whine about it. you have to force some of your responsabilities on someone else. It will probrobly feel like just a temporary bandaid but it will set change in motion

 

[Neck]

Bottom line is you have to do what's right for you, If you hate your job because it causes you stress that keeps you up at night, and your pleas for help are falling on deaf ears, It's time to go! I did your job while I was working for a City, and when budget cut's hit, they treated us supervisors like rented Mules. I couldn't sleep at night for fear of losing my job. Well I did, I got laid off. Best thing that ever happened to me! Because I love my new job. You have an advantage that I didn't, your still working, and the best time to look for a job, is while your still employed. If your good at what you do, and have a good work ethic, and you convey this in your interview, you will find another job. It's a hollow feeling looking for a job, but get some resumes out there, and go on a few interviews. It Can't hurt, and it's sounds like your current employer needs you much too bad to fire you if they find out your looking. At 35, you are at very desirable age for employers.

 

[steven Durham]

Sure is a lot of good advice being past out for you. And at 35 you still have the upper hand. you never said much about your Best friend who's family runs this business. Just how do they treat themselves ? Have they slacked off now that your doing a lot more, some say that's none of you business what they do but it is not fair to have imbalanced work responsibilities. If as you say your co-workers are slackers it is up to you to implement the mentioned teamwork or they can hit the bricks.
I have always said to any employer, that it is a big wide road out there and your not the only path along that road.
Your mental health is got to change now as you said you have a new family on the way and that child and your wife need to see a happy man.
Best of luck in making a few waves in the job place.
Steve

 

[mlanzoni]

hoppy, you're not alone brother. Many people have gone through exactly what you're going through, that's why people change jobs. Sounds like you're fairly young (first son due in May, CONGRATS !! ). So, change can be good, scary, but good. It sounds like your ready / need something to change. You can ask if you can "buy" into the company, get a vested interest in the company, then working so hard will have more meaning to you personally. Or you can interview with other copmanies, see what's out there for you. The only advise I can give is have no regrets ! If you do nothing, and things don't get better, 10 years from now don't bitch and think I should have......... You know what you need to do.

 

[Outlaw Ace]

You need to sit down with the folks you work for/with and tell them how you feel. In the long run a job can effect your life in many ways, with a kid on the way you need your head in the game and more than that you need stability. A bad job can kill you, it can take many years or no time at all so get yourself settled into a situation where you don't have to feel this way even if it means moving on. A family/friend situation does make things difficult but if they really are your friends they will understand and either fix the situation or let you move on. If they are family on the other hand or like family there can be hurt feelings. Either way it's got to be about your happiness, that's my two cents whatever that's worth.

 

[1stlegendtx]

I think you said it yourself you need to not care as much. They don't.

 

[TANKSAREUS]

Hey Hoppy,
Started ready your post to the misses and she said it sounded just like me.
I worked for a family business for 15 years, was doing everything also 80 hours a week, some times 24 shiftsm
Got called in one day to say they had sold to a new owner and the good news was I got to keep my job :lol:
Was terrified when a buddy asked me to come work for him, William was on the way and I was ready to loose my mind.
Lucky I moved the new owner went bang within a year.
Problem is my new job went the same way as the other, think its our personality type to work hard and help were ever we can, we get used to the point of burn out.
We are getting ready to make our next huge move I'm 38 , but if I don't do it now then when. My health and family life are now going to come first. Do u know how shit it feels to yell at your kids for something u normally would not for because your wound up like a top.

First talk to your boss- never burn a bridge and end up on bad terms.
Put your CV out there, u don't have to commit, but you'll see what's out there.
Your age is on your side
This rant you had will make u feel better and give you pause, write down every thing that bugs u it will de clutter your mind.
Good luck - PM if you need to talk more been down this road

 

[hoppy]

Was up late lastnight with a racing mind. Thanks for being my shoulders fellas, while the wife is away.

 

[mopar70]

If I were in your boots, I'd try to see what I could do to make it better. Is there someone that you can talk to? Maybe tell them that you are getting worn out and need to spead out some of the load. You can also look around for another job, but don't quit before something else is in place. But I do think you should let them know whats going on before you jump ship.