Hi all, apologies in advance for the long post but hopefully it'll help inspire someone to make the Big Decision.
In 2020 (during the pandemic) I (24F) ended up landing a job as a “receptionist” for a small construction company. At the time, it was really the only option and promised an advancement into a career in accounting. I was stoked!
About 6 months into it, though, I found that I was pretty much the office manager. Cue lesson: Good employees only get more work. I went from answering phones/filling out intake forms, to being in charge of office & warehouse inventory, tracking all jobs, supplier relations, managing schedules for 6 people, and becoming the direct assistant to 3 department heads. All while being paid the same amount, all while still being the “receptionist.”
On top of that, the owner was not a great person. He would bring me into his office just to berate me for my personal life, then tell me to “stop crying and get back to work.” Completely uncalled for. Due to other factors, I didn't see leaving this job as an easy thing to do. I had crippling anxiety and serious issues with not setting boundaries, etc. It got to the point where every day for months I would cry going to and coming back from work, because of work. There were a couple of times where I warned the owners I was looking for other jobs, and they would promise me a raise (never a promotion into the promised “career advancement” that I worked so hard for.) That raise (the first one I had gotten in 2 years of working there) finally came in my last 2 months of working there.
Eventually, I had enough. I left work that Friday feeling like I didn't amount to anything, that no matter how hard I worked in this life, I would never amount to anything. I started furiously looking for another job, and lo & behold, another small company had reached out to me on Indeed. I swear I had never seen their business, but they sat literally half a mile from my house. I interviewed that Saturday and got the job on the spot. Surprise surprise, I do 1/4 of the work I did and get paid more for it, too!
I was terrified, but on that Monday I typed up my two weeks notice and gave it to the owner who wasn't awful. Cue the “You'll never be happy there,” “What are they paying you?” “I hope you know what you're doing by leaving here.” I spent the next two weeks training my replacement, only to find out 3 days after I left that she quit.
It's been a year and a half, and I'm still friends with some of my old coworkers. One will call me about every 3 months to tell me the new receptionist quit… again. They have never found someone that tolerates the bullshit I went through, and they never will. My new job is all about a work/life balance, and still to this day I find myself sighing breaths of relief that I am out of the situation I was in. Now all I have to do is sit back, relax, and wait for the next phone call about the new receptionist.
If you made it to the end of this, thank you for listening! Always question if you're being treated right at your job, and if you're not, never stop looking for the next best thing. Even if it's not exactly what you're looking for, nothing can replace the sense of peace you gain from working with the right people. <3