Big changes at work.

Starting Monday, I have a set schedule & guaranteed 40 hours a week, with weekends off. I had been working anywhere from 24 to 40+ hours a week with a schedule that changed day to day & 1 day off weekly.

It’s good, because I am so much a creature of habit & now I can get into a routine. But it is also a huge change & I am worried that it won’t be sustainable for my current office because our work volume is so low.

I also feel like I don’t deserve it and it feels unreal. I’m much more comfortable with negative things happening. It’s like waiting for the other shoe to drop—like, what’s the catch?

@FloatThruThis congratulations. That sounds rewarding to yourself and your compensation. I hear your concerns and anxieties but if you see this a temporary situation and use it to save as much for a rainy day, then if it goes back to part time, you may be in a better situation.

Hope it lasts a long time. @CANDC

Congrats that sounds great, I like consistancy too.

Thank you CANDC for the very good advice. Thank you Aviza, me too!

First week of the new schedule. So far, so good. I do have so much more downtime during work; I’ve been brainstorming activities to help me pass the time. It’s a good problem to have, but I worry about getting too comfortable. The last cushy gig I had, I ended up getting laid off & had another nervous breakdown. I guess one of my new downtime activities could be researching the next job, just in case?

@FloatThruThis that can be difficult. I had a boss that watched everything I looked at on my computer. I would strongly advise you not to look for another job on the work computer or even using the WIFI network with your phone.

Doing that might wrongly convey the message that you are ready to jump ship and that could prompt them to find someone else to do the job.

Here are things that I think might be good activities when you have downtime.

1. Research everything about the business that your company does
2. Learn more about your type of job you do and google how to do that job better.

Here is a list I found by googling.
Just a moment...

Not sure all these would apply to your company. Good luck finding things to do with free time at work.

All the best to you. @CANDC

Thank you CANDC! I wrote that all down in my dot journal to refer back to & think on. It is super helpful!

@FloatThruThis glad it helped!

Someone was fired at work (not me). I’m a little surprised & stressed out. I had nerve pain in my left leg all night last night, an unusual reaction and one I haven’t experienced lately, although I used to have it frequently in my early twenties.

On the other hand, I’m also a bit relieved (while also feeling bad for them) because they just weren’t working out. This is the second person my boss has fired since I came to this office 8 months ago.

So, more changes for all involved. Other than that, things are going well so far with the new schedule and everything. My boss is giving me positive feedback.

With the new schedule, I’m spending a lot of down time with my boss, who is a talker, who I’ve always known to be a talker, but omg. I like them, they are decent people, but idk. They have a huge tight-knit family, which is great, good for them—maybe I’m just jealous? I wouldn’t want to switch places with them though. Just hearing about it exhausts me & makes me feel inadequate because I’m in the 99th percentile for introversion.

In my life, I have struggled with cleaning, but sometimes I will invent cleaning tasks to do to during the downtime to try and get a break from the talking. I’ve got a running mental checklist of possible cleaning tasks to do at all times. Technically, I’m not supposed to clean except during designated hours, but I try to stick to tasks I can pick up & put down easily in between helping customers.

I really like this job though & I’m trying to not be judgmental of my boss because I know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of other people’s judgment. Live & let live, right? I just need to take the appropriate self care measures to ensure my own ok-ness. Part of which is to recognize when I’m nearing my limit for listening to bs.

Thank you for giving me a supportive place to unpack this; it helps!

I'm also an introvert.

At my old job I tried to keep myself busy to avoid social interaction as much as possible (I hate drama). Usually after I did all my required tasks I would clean the office since no one else ever did. It wasn't in my job description but I did it anyway. It kept floor staff from hanging out in the office during slow periods.

Yes! Thank you for posting The_little_didgee. I just had to go & reread my old thread about my previous office to remind myself how much better I have it now & to be grateful.

I like being busy at work too. I just have to get in the habit of proactively self-motivating myself to clean, knowing it will feel better to me than being bombarded in verbal diarrhea.

My boss will be taking some time off this month and/or the next, so she’s arranging for my trainer from my last office to help cover the mornings. I have mixed feelings. I’m glad it’s someone who has helped cover this office before and it’s someone I know, plus it’s not like we’ll be spending much time together, I think? Maybe just a couple hours of overlap a day? Buuut… it’s my old trainer from my previous office…

The trainer called yesterday afternoon to talk to my boss who already left for the day and my trainer and I talked for 30 minutes. Or, she mostly talked and I mostly listened. It’s the same old ****. **** talking our old lead, **** talking our old coworkers, **** talking our old boss, **** talking her new boss, **** talking her new coworker, **** talking my new boss. **** **** ****.

That’s life, right? People **** talking each other. Nothing special, but I think what it boils down to for me is: I hate who I am when I’m interacting with her. I’m not challenging her notions in any significant and meaningful way. I’m participating in the **** talking and it makes me feel like **** about myself. But she did walk me through a new procedure our organization is implementing, so our conversation wasn’t a total failure.