I am a new engineering grad working at my first job out of school. I only started working here in January but the work environment is so toxic and I feel like I’m drowning here. I come to work at 7:30 everyday and leave close to 5 everyday when I’m salaried for 8h — and I leave the earliest out of all my team members (5-6 people). The managers frequently schedule last minute testing near the end of the day without notice, and just expect us to stay late to support. Everyone eats at their desks during “lunch break” and our team isn’t situated in the main office building, rather a tiny building with 10 cubicles where everyone can see where and when you go during lunch break so it’s not like I can leave to take a lunch break everyday without people wondering where I went. The rest of the company has hybrid wfh options (2 days per week) but apparently our group is exempt from this. Even if we did have a wfh option, I feel like I would be the only one in my group to use this. Everyone on my team seems so okay with this work environment and feeds into it even though I’m sure they recognize that it’s toxic.
I’ve been applying to jobs in the city where my SO is and I have no idea how I’m supposed to juggle interviews on top of my current job because I use all my PTO to visit my partner, I can’t wfh, can’t leave after 8h, and need a doctors note to have a request a sick day! It’s only been 6 months and I’m already burnt out. There’s so many more problems with this workplace that I haven’t even scratched the surface. I’ve even considered quitting in order to fully focus my efforts into finding a new job, but I know that’s not the best course of action. I’m just so tired and I don’t know what to do.