New Job Overwhelming - Advice?

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Hi.

I need some advice/feedback on my current job situation on three basic points:
1) The physical work environment
2) The office politics
3) My work schedule

First, a brief history:
I started this job in October after being unemployed for more than a year because my last employer was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and had to close down the business. I was the only person in the office and the boss trusted me to basically run the show. He was very clear on what he wanted and left it up to me to get it done.
I LOVED that boss and the job.

Fast forward:
This new business is in the same category as the last, except there are more employees and it does a higher volume of sales.
When I was hired, the other girl was promoted to "Office Manager." She has been there four years whereas I had six years experience at the last job. There isn't anything she does that I can't do - maybe better.

So, here are my problems, 1,2, and 3:
1) This place is total chaos. People are constantly in and out, pulling files from cabinets, taking them out and dropping them on "my" desk. It's not really my desk because other people come in to use the computer and I have to stop what I'm doing and get up and step away from the desk.
Every morning when I come in, I am bombarded with things to do - all presented as though they had to be done immediately, which 9 out of 10 don't.
There's more, (noise, fluorescent light, etc...) but I think you get the picture.

2) This other girl is a total suck-up to the boss who, btw, is in his late 70s. She is two-faced; she smiles and acts like she's being helpful (to impress the boss), but then she goes out of her way to make me look bad. There is a major pi$$ing match going on between the boss and one of his sons who also works there. The son doesn't care for Miss Smarty-pants at all, but the few times I've asked him a minor job-related question, I got my butt chewed off by the boss.

3) When I was hired, I was told it would "definitely" be a full time job - "soon." Hasn't happened yet. I am working three days a week, every other day. This is not helping me, at all, to learn the business. It's the equivalent of driving with one foot on the brake - stop/start, stop/start, stop/start... There is no continuity. When I start an order, I may not be there to see it completed. If She starts something, She may leave it for me to finish (setting me up for failure), or if I start something, I often have to leave it for her to finish. This drives me NUTS.

I've tried to organize and put things in some kind of order, but I've been accused of "losing" things I never touched. Three times I arranged the desktop icons so they are easier to locate and three times they were all shoved back to the left of the screed. I gave up. There were, literally, six years of emails in OE. One day I sorted, all but the last two years, into folders. Since then, whenever She can't find something She blames it on me.

I've been thinking about asking the boss if he can let me work five days, with the same hours, but I don't want to rock the boat. Still, it's impossible for me to know what's going on there if I'm not there every day.

I am so exhausted when I get home from work, I spend the rest of the evening in my jammies on the recliner. I also suffer with TMJ disorder and have had lock-jaw for a year. All of this stress makes it unbearable some days... and it also has a negative effect on my job what with the headaches and jaw pain.

(No, I don't need any cheese with that whine )

Question:
Is there anything I can do, without jeopardizing my job, to improve this situation?

That sounds like a horrible job and based on what you describe, it's not likely to get any better. I'd start looking for a new one as soon as possible.

I've been thinking the same thing myself lately.

Trouble is, I was unemployed for over a year before I found this one... jobs are VERY hard to find around these parts.

It really is a great "job", I love the actual "work". The hours could be more, but the pay isn't too bad.
It's the PEOPLE there who suck! Well, not everyone, just the boss and his office manager.

My other problem is that I like to solve problems - that and I'm not a quitter. The bigger the challenge, the more likely I am to work at finding a solution. Maybe, in this case, finding another job is the solution.

Thanks for your feedback. I appreciate it.

You may not be able to find a perfect situation like you had before, but if you keep looking I think there's a good chance something better than this will come along. Just make sure to take care of yourself - don't put your desire not to give up ahead of your overall wellbeing.

Good luck!

there is no perfect scenario something or another is missing everywhere
so if you can just try to ignore the manager and the boss and continue focusing on your job
and side by side find another job.....
since you have to pay the bills also
even i face problems with gelling with colleagues at workplace
but now i realise that i should just act sweet and nice