I've been working in IT at a nonprofit for almost a year now. This is my first full time job that wasn't contract, and that has health insurance benefits. Basically my first big boy job.
I love the work I do, the users are always friendly/social, my coworkers are all great, commute is short and covered by work (bus pass), there's a cornucopia of food carts to go to for lunch, I've got a work BFF, and most importantly I feel relatively stable in my life/work balance. This is a cushy job (it could pay more but good luck finding someone who does!). My only real hangup, is the office politics.
I'm not allowed to work on an IT issue in the office, we have a whole team just for that, even though at least 70% of the office is empty (most people wfh). My entire job, could be done from home. However, my BB (boss's boss) has refused to even consider allowing it, even though they only come into the office once a week. But the one day BB is there, I feel I'm under constant scrutiny.
A chunk of my job is just waiting for calls, we pick up the phone and process user's requests/issues. We have work we can do in the meantime but lately it's been sparse. To fill in the time, I used to read in-between calls but was asked to keep it to my breaks/lunch, which I kinda understood. New manager came along, used to bring in my Switch to play at my desk on my breaks/lunch (I'm comfortable at my desk and saves time not to go anywhere), but was asked not to due to “Bad optics” and “Doesn't look very good around BB.” This left me with just my phone, until my boss made a “gentle suggestion” that I not use it around BB because again “Bad optics.”
I LIKE my work. If there is something to do, I like doing it (most of the time). Only reason I wouldn't be working, is because there simply is no work to do. In the past I made my case that if BB had issue with me not looking like I'm working, I can show them I am. My boss's response? “I don't doubt that, but it doesn't look good.” So basically, instead of being a good boss and standing up for me, they micromanage me and still pretend to looking out for me with “gentle reminders”.
Today was the last straw, I was asked to limit my socializing with my coworkers because it looks bad to BB. I'm so sick of the managerial bullshit, it makes me want to quit. They tell me the work I do is good/enough, but still worry about looking like I do a good job. We are a nonprofit company that helps people who are extremely poor, yet that worry if we “look busy enough.” Is it too much to ask for a job where I don't have to deal with this B.S.?