Working At A Job You Hate

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Hello all,

I was recently let go from a job where I routinely goofed off, or was late to, or left early from. Why was I such a bad employee? Because I didn't like working there, but could not afford to resign either, putting me in a difficult situation. Being an Aspie had nothing to do with it.

To you, I ask a question: How does one be a good employee at a job where one does not enjoy working?

You don't, you change jobs. Or find something else that motivates you go to to work, like your befriending your coworkers (if possible).

Aspies often have a black/white thinking about things in their life: The job is either good or bad with no grey areas.

Can you clarify exactly what it is you don't like about the job? And also tell us the good parts of it?

I worked an uncivil service job for over 2 decades, it was high-stress not only due to the exigencies of the hospital labor and delivery unit, but due to the truly nasty people I had to work with. it wrecked my health, i'm still recovering from it all. I was stuck there because I've always had a tough time getting people to hire me, so I wasn't about to quit that job. ended up getting RIF'ed by shrub in 2006. damn him.

I don't cope I'm just waiting for death to take me away from this miserable life

if one is stubborn enough, one eventually gets used to it.

This is depressing. I am sitting here, unemployed, hoping for a new job and a new chance. Having a terrible job always beats being unemployed because you are actually doing something useful.

When it comes to bad motivation, make sure you tell your boss about it. The best thing that can happen is that she or he will give you new and better tasks. Worst thing is that you will get fired - so start writing those job application soon.

My thoughts are with all you hard workers out there. I know this is off-topic, but I can recommend you listen to Bruce Springsteen after work. His songs usually deal with people working bad jobs.

1) You show up on time (not early), do only what you are supposed to do (no more and no less), take your legally-defined breaks, go home at the appointed time, and never volunteer for overtime.

2) Find another job.

3) Resign.

If you can adapt the job to you. I'm a bartender, I get through the day OK, but mostly, I also wait for the sweet release of death to take me away from there. My boss knows that I struggle, sees it on my face, as his son is also an Aspie. He let's me organize and reorganize to my satisfaction. I get to do spreadsheets and look at trends and stats. Those are fun, those are things ove asked to do. The things I'm required to do are crushing some days. Having to make small talk with guests. Answering the same questions for the fifth time in an hour, 'are you from here', 'do you like working here', 'your name is Sam? I'll bet you like green eggs and ham!' f*****g shoot me.
My advice, keep looking for something that works for you, always be looking. The second peice of advice would be to find parts of the job you enjoy.

I've spent the last 9 years in just such a job. Imagine if the owners, managers and all but five or six of your coworkers out of the entire company had not only the opposite religious/political views, but were also fairly extreme about it. And vocal. And you represent all they hate, but they don't know it. I learned at an early age to internalize, so at first I just went numb. After a few years I became so depressed I wasn't living life at all away from work; I'd come home and alternate between fugue and really grumpy. Eventually I started having neck/back pains and terrible stress headaches six days a week. But now I have an exit plan and it's quite tolerable. Six months, max, and in the meantime I'm using what resources I can here to ensure my resume and my skills will be ready.

I saw my years among the savages as penance for having done something bad in a previous lifetime.

I was in the same position. I tried to keep at it, determined to do well by my own standards.

I was working with a "team" and the leader, my boss, had his favorites... I apparently was not his favorite.
Being a nice guy, I helped another coworker with a project... gave up half an hour or my own time to help. My idea for this guy ended up saving the project $700,000. My boss did not like this because he had something against the guy I helped. He was actively trying to have this guy fired and I was not helping at all, so there you go. I was not given any support from my boss and team mates, and felt very alone. I truly have no talent in seeing the politics at work. I just want to be part of a team, working together and doing a good job.

Another "team mate" was an ass and tried to throw me under the bus. My boss was on this guy's side. Believed him, didn't even talk to me about these things, and quickly passed judgment telling me he was disappointed in me.

All this plus other things going on at work made me hate my job, and at some point I lost the desire to do anything to try to make it better. I was sick most of the time, anxious and tense, getting migraines and hardly any energy to do anything constructive for myself outside of work.

I quit my job and I am currently trying to find a balance between $$ and happiness / health that works for me.

^^^welcome to our club, Rich

If I were you I'd think over how important this job is to me and if not just resign. Well, actually, if you hate it better find something you like. You'll just be miserable and you'll make everyone around you miserable. And if you're not sure, you can start looking for something while you still work there and if you find something better, go for it.

Having any job makes it way easier to get a new one. Just stick it out until you find a better one.

I too have been at jobs that I have hated it's even more painful when you have to set foot in that location only to reminded how much you dislike it.

1. Be thankful that you are in a job
2. Remind yourself over and over again "There's a better job out there."
3. Talk to your boss, job coach mentors and mention your concerns about feeling unhappy
4. Job hunt and work on social skills so you can make networks
5. Build up a work portfolio of any projects that could be work related and e-mail to like mind employees rather than personnel.
6. Practice your interview skills
7. Be as courteous possible with your co-workers