I'm two months into a new industry, company, and position where I focus on environmental health and safety (EHS) at a manufacturing plant. I am the first and only EHS person at this plant. I usually start my day around 6:30 AM and work till 3 PM, with a half hour lunch. My commute is an hour. This is my first salaried job, so I'm also learning how to navigate that.
Due to being new, an idea was tossed out by the regional EHS manager that I could go to another (bigger) plant to shadow with the two EHS people that work there. That way, I can learn some things, get some guidance, and help better establish what I will do at this plant.
Last week, I spent a few days at the other plant, working with them, asking questions, etc. Which overall, I felt good about and I felt more confident about my position afterwards. My boss eventually has a meeting with the two EHS people and the regional EHS manager to discuss how it went and get some feedback to share with me. Earlier this week, she told me that she has the feedback and “it's positive feedback, and nothing negative.” Okay, great.
Fast forward to today. We have our meeting. A few things that she mentions and my thinking.
-
They supposedly made a comment how I am standoffish. Honestly, I didn't remember what that meant until later, but I knew it was along the lines of reserved. Which I get I am reserved with new people and with people I don’t feel like I can relate to. A lifetime of ADHD with a sprinkle of anxiety has me worried that I will be annoying. So, it takes some time for me to warm up. I also don’t know if the EHS people from the other plant actually made that comment or if my boss decided to add that in, but either way, she was the one who said it.
-
I don't have career goals currently but that is normal for someone my age (27). I admitted that I was caught off guard when they asked me during my visit. I explained to her that I had thoughts of moving up but hadn’t set a definite goal on which way I would go. The honest answer is that I am considering switching to a new industry and job (spoiler alert: it’s nursing), which I haven’t mentioned to anyone at my work, but that’s a different story.
-
This job isn't a typical 8-hour job and there will be times where I may need to stay late, must respond to something while in the middle of something else, or even come in outside of normal business hours. She made a comment that if I really want to move up in the company, “I'm going to have to put in more time and be available 24/7 to respond to emergencies.”
With my role, I understand that I will need to come in if there is a safety-related emergency. But there is something about how she said it to me that makes feel less encouraged about this position and staying with the company. Later when I talked to my girlfriend about the review, she got disgusted after I mentioned the standoffish comment. I looked up the definition and I felt PISSED. I am more tempted to leave and pursue nursing, but now is not the time. I need to accumulate more money, and I need to take the steps to explore if nursing is right for me before I figure out the steps to best pursue it. In summary, I am frustrated with my boss, and I feel more discouraged from staying with this company. It's odd to think how I did want to have this be the last company that I worked for at one point, but that now has changed.