I'm 22(F) and I work as a moderator. It is my first real job experience and it has always been a rather chill job that I enjoy. Recently, the workload increased dramatically and I can't keep up because I've been used to it being quite calm for nearly two years. Even my boss referred to it as a “small job”
The increased screen time started giving me headaches and itchy eyes and because I'm no longer able to move around like I used to, back and neck aches kicked in. It got hard to the point that I often burn out, lose concentration and even make mistakes, and my boss told me that if I can't keep up with the workload, it won't be profitable for him anymore. Next day, his wife, who's a coworker, (nicely) tells me that if I'm not able to carry on, I won't be able to keep the job because moderators like me who work on evenings and weekends aren't really sought after anymore.
Yesterday I've been told that I made another mistake (turned ou it wasn't me) but it was the last straw. and I saw it as an additional sign/warning that I should leave. I directly told my boss that I wanted to leave, because I don't want to cause more trouble to the agency, because apparently the job is at risk either way, because the work has increased so much that I can't function properly etc. He told me that he respects my decision but that he wished I made an extra effort because he never lowered my paycheck when I didn't have lots of work. That shocked me because he was the one who raised my salary and told me many times that I'm a good worker, and gifted me a coupon to buy from a fancy shop. Besides, he never ever mentioned the fact that he could lower my salary, so I felt kind of betrayed. I love my boss and I've known him for years and he's always been warm and understanding, but this time he was so cold I barely recognised him. Of course, I understand he was stressed and under pressure, the agency isn't running as well as it used to be, but the salary thing hurt me a little.
I'm still leaving, despite the small feeling of guilt that says I could've done more/better, or that I'm weak, but there's just so many things that built up in a short period of time that made me want to look elsewhere. Thank you for reading me!